Painted rims are a commonly seen on a lot of customized cars. If you are thinking of doing a little custom work on your own car, you might also be considering whether or not to paint your rims. However, painting your car’s rims correctly can be a somewhat complicated and time-consuming process.
Fortunately, if you are looking for an easier way to paint your rims, there is a solution: Plasti Dip. If you are not familiar with this stuff, Plasti Dip is a kind of PVC-based spray paint. It was originally conceived as a way to quickly apply a rubberized coating to any surface that needed extra grip, but it became very popular in the automotive community thanks to its ease of use.
In this article, I will be talking all about Plasti Dipping your rims. As well as going over the advantages and disadvantages of painted vs. Plasti Dipped rims, the average cost of Plasti Dipping your rims, the length of time you can expect your Plasti Dip to hold up and how to remove a coat of Plasti DIp.
Plasti Dipped vs Painted Rims
First, let’s talk about the differences between Plasti Dipping your rims and painting them. Is either of these methods better than the other? In truth, neither method is inherently better than the other. Both methods have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.
The main advantage of Plasti Dip is that it is easier to apply and also much easier to remove if you later decide that you don’t like the color. The main advantage of using paint is that it lasts a lot longer and is easier to touch up if the coat gets damaged.
If a coat of paint gets chipped, you can cover up the chip by simply painting it over, particularly if you are using spray paint. However, if a coat of Plasti Dip gets chipped, it will start to peel off regardless of how much extra Plasti Dip you apply on top of it.
So when would you want to use one over the other? If you are just looking to apply a quick coat of paint to your rims that you don’t necessarily intend to be permanent, you should go with Plasti Dip. On the other hand, if you know you are not planning to take your rims back to their original color, then you are better off going with actual paint.
Plasti Dip Rims Cost
If you are thinking about getting your rims Plasti Dipped, you should consider doing this at home by yourself instead of taking it to a shop. Plasti Dipping your rims is one of the easiest and cheapest modifications to perform. Even if you mess it up, it will still be cheaper to just try it again yourself instead of having a body shop do it.
As for the actual cost, this depends on the color you use and whether or not you ultimately choose to get this done professionally. Assuming you are doing it yourself, you will only have to worry about the cost of the Plasti Dip spray cans. One can of Plasti Dip can cost around $20 to $25 and is cheaper when bought in bulk. To make sure your coat is reasonably durable, I would advise to use one can per rim.
As such, the cost of Plasti Dipping your rims will run you anywhere from $80 to $100. This will pretty much always be cheaper than getting your rims Plasti Dipped at a shop where it’s likely that such a procedure will cost more than $100 every time.
Plasti Dip Rim Colors
One of the other advantages of using Plasti Dip to paint your rims is the huge variety of different colors that are available. Aside from the basic solid colors such as black, white, red and blue the manufacturer of Plasti Dip also produces a ton of other special colors that you might find appealing.
You have the “Blaze” collection of Plasti Dip colors, which contains a variety of bright, neon colors intended to give painted objects higher visibility or make them appear extra flashy.
You also have the “Luxury Metal” range of colors which gives your coat of Plasti Dip a metallic finish.
There is also the “Classic Muscle” collection of colors, which contains 11 different colors that you would have commonly seen on contemporary muscle cars during the ’60s and ’70s.
As you see, Plasti Dip is extremely versatile. Whatever color you may have in mind there is probably an existing Plasti Dip color for it.
How Long do Plasti Dip Rims Last?
While Plasti Dip is extremely easy to apply to just about any surface, the tradeoff is it’s not all that durable compared to other types of paint. That being said, if you take the time to properly apply it, it will be able to last you at least a few years before it starts to wear off.
To help your coat of Plasti Dip stick to your rims better, you should make sure that your rims are as clean and dry as possible before you begin. You should also avoid painting in direct sunlight, high humidity or breezy conditions.
To ensure your coat stays extra durable after you apply it, it’s a good idea to apply at least 3 to 4 layers of Plasti Dip on your rims. You should wait at least half an hour between each layer you apply to allow it to dry and then wait a minimum of four hours after all layers are applied before driving.
How to Remove Plasti Dip from Rims
Perhaps you have decided that you are not a fan of the color you have painted your rims with. If you used Plasti Dip for this, you’re in luck! Part of what makes Plasti Dip so popular is how easy it is to remove it from practically any surface. As it turns out, there are multiple methods you can use to get a coat of Plasti Dip off of your rims.
For example, you can use kerosene to remove a coat of Plasti Dip. Just use a brush to apply a layer of kerosene to your rims (while avoiding your tires). Let the kerosene sit for at least 10 minutes, then scrape the Plasti Dip off your rims with something relatively blunt like a paint scraper. Be careful to be gentle to avoid scratching your rims in the process.
If you don’t have kerosene, you can also do this same procedure but with rubbing alcohol instead. Similarly, If you have an adhesive remover like Goo Gone on hand, this can also be pretty effective for removing Plasti Dip.
If you have absolutely nothing on hand, you can also try using a sharp object like a nail or a knife to rip the layer of Plasti Dip and just peel it right off. However, you run the added risk of scratching your rims this way so be extra cautious using this method.
Conclusion
There is a very good reason why Plasti Dip is so beloved by the automotive community. It’s relatively easy to apply and remove, it comes in a wide variety of colors and it’s cheap! It may not be the most durable way to paint your rims but in terms of cost-effectiveness and ease of use, Plasti Dip is pretty hard to beat.