White Platinum Vinyl Wrapped Door Handles
 

Hey Everyone,

I thought I'd do a quick write up of my DIY vinyl wrapped door handles. I was flipping a coin between a 2018 Lariat Sport or a 2018 Platinum a couple of weeks ago and ended up going with the Platinum. I really liked the Lariat Sport because of the lack of chrome and it had majority of the tech I wanted in the platinum, but my wife was sold on the massage seats. Plus I felt like I could "de-chrome" the majority of the truck to make it a Platinum Sport style. I considered PTM door handles, Plastidip, or Vinyl wrapping the handles. I decided for $13 (1'x5' piece), vinyl wrapping was the way to go. I watched a ton of videos on wrapping door handles, whole cars, mirror caps, everything just to make sure I knew what I was getting into, but for the price, if it didn't work out I wouldn't be too worried. I couldn't find a whole ton on what vinyl to get and what matched, but I settled on Avery Gloss White Pearl. It is very close to the tricoat color, but maybe slightly warmer and less sparkle. Either way, its close enough that I cant even tell the difference and as mentioned before, its $13 and removable.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...6564263efd.jpg

I started by cutting a piece of vinyl slightly larger than the handle.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...22a1ee2bf8.jpg

I then started by rolling the handle to get the vinyl attached to the face first.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...dd049a5cd0.jpg


I just kept working the vinyl until I could get all the streaks out, heat is your friend here. I used a hair dryer like a lot of other people out there instead of a heat gun and it worked just fine.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...9d13ef1dc9.jpg

There are streaks, I think its from stretching the material so much around the tight edges, but its only noticeable under this direct light.

after getting everything smooth, I started to cut away excess material and tuck it inside the handle.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...22f75b7fa8.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d705dae6d5.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...a2b0cb250e.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...9ba2a5280c.jpg

for the smart key button hole I made a cut from the center of the hole to just before the edges that way when I folded everything in there wouldn't be any vinyl bunched up.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...b328e200ab.jpg

I screwed up here, I made the cut prior to pushing the material down and accidentally cut too much. I will end up redoing this one at some point, but by the time you're done with all the tight corners your fingers really start to hurt. In hindsight, I should have used heat to loosen the vinyl and push it down with my finger into the recess. after it was flush with the hold I could have then made my cuts.

End Result:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...79b3f7acfa.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...d735b8f90a.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...293fdf3cb0.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...898677a75e.jpg

Comparison between the vinyl and chrome


Overall, I'm really happy with the result for 13$. We will see how long they last and if I ever feel like removing the vinyl and doing something more permanent I will get them painted most likely. To clean the handle I used a tablespoon of dish soap in a quart spray bottle to help remove grease and dirt, then wiped it down with a microfiber cloth to keep lint away. I also bought a small squeegee tool to help, but I didn't really end up using it. If you want the look of paint matched handles and don't feel like shelling out a ton for new handles or getting them painted, I'd say vinyl wrapping is the way to go. It was a cool project and I learned a lot about wrapping with vinyl a long the way. I could see a huge improvement from my first handle to my last and I definitely messed up a couple times so get extra material, a 1'x5' strip was enough for me. Let me know what you think or if you have tips to make it better.

Thanks!

Great job looks excellent

Very nice job!

Looks great!

Looks excellent. Like to see a follow up in 6 to 9 months how it holds up to use and elements....

Impressive! Thanks a bunch for the write up. Makes it look doable now and the cost certainly is attractive.

Looks excellent- looks like vinyl has about the same gloss as the paint.

You did a great job.
I have a white platinum metallic colored truck. That paint is a body mans bad dream. Just curious, in the sun, how well does it really match?