Here at Stripeman.com, we sell automotive vinyl pinstripe tape in rolls or cut into large graphic kits for popular vehicle makes and models currently on the market. But, does that mean that you can't do other things with a piece of pinstripe tape? Of course not! This blog will discuss the many and varied uses for vinyl pinstriping that we have seen over the past decades.
1. First, the obvious... Vinyl pinstripe tape was developed specifically for cars and trucks to provide an alternative to the old school, brush painted stripes of the past. It actually is thicker and provides more longevity against the abrasions experienced by the average automobile painted surfaces. It's way faster to install and has no "dry time" and the learning curve for an installer is much smaller.
2. Almost as obvious would be marine applications. Vinyl pinstripe tape is very widely used on most new boats for waterline stripes as well as simple color accents along the top lines. Sometimes pinstripe tape is used to accent a body line that would otherwise go unnoticed.
3. Pinstripe tape also works as a great accent to heavy equipment. Mostly, the stripe rolls used on these units are of a larger width and solid, bolder colors are used. Sometimes, the stripes are used to incorporate a company's colors onto the vehicle for easy identification on the jobsite. Think GREEN TRACTOR, YELLOW STRIPES.
4. Vinyl striping tape is also valuable to use with RC modeling. A model plane or car can be customized with vinyl pinstripe tape very easily and affordably. The tape offers a clean, crisp edge that is difficult to get with paint.
5. We've also seen mechanic's toolboxes, and commercial cabinetry decorated by using a simple roll of stripe tape. Some larger shops have actually used a few rolls of solid stripe material to break up a 2 colored wall. This works well as long as the surface is a clean glossy finish and completely dry. The design ideas are endless. Whatever you can imagine.
6. Manufacturing. We have several customer companies who manufacture items, such as surfboards or commercial display cases.
7. We have also sent vinyl pinstripe rolls to movie studios and prop designers for various projects.
So, as noted, there are so many uses for simple vinyl pinstriping that this blog can only scratch the surface. Anywhere you have need to accent with a colored stripe or cover a painted edge is a good use of this versatile product. Just make sure you have a surface that is clean and free of contaminants before applying.
And please, NEVER FORGET TO REMOVE THE TOP LINER!!! This cannot be overstated. ALL high performance vinyl pinstripe tape will come with a top liner. Most of the time this liner is clear and very thin. It is only there for added thickness for protection and handling during installation. It will NOT protect the film in the elements. Some large stripe rolls may have a white paper liner on them. This is more visually obvious and still must be removed upon installation.