...when it comes to outdoor installs.
As traveling vinyl installers, Carl and I have had to overcome less than desirable outdoor conditions. I want to talk a little bit about what we've learned along the way.
When starting any "non climate controlled" install, you'll want to evaluate the conditions and overall situation. Key factors to consider:
Material Specs: What is the application temp. range for that product? ect...
Accurate Weather Report: Will the temps be in an acceptable range throughout the work hours? What is the chance of rain? Wind?...and in some places...what will the wind pick up and throw at you?
Location: Is it relatively clean? Are you on a level surface? Shade or direct sunlight? Is the shade from a building or a tree? Are other people working around you?(yard crews, mechanics, inquisitive passers-by....)
These things will help you determine if the location will work, weather or not you need to adjust your work schedule, bring your own light or shade, and so on.
Those of you with experience know lots of ways these things can affect your quality, durability, registration of image, personal comfort and more. I'll give a few examples for those of you who haven't had the pleasure.
Exceeding the mfg. temp specs for application usually goes bad. Even on a 75 degree afternoon, vinyl left in the sun can quickly heat up to 100 degrees or more, the darker the print, the hotter it will get. So even when working in an acceptable temp range, you may find that the adhesive becomes more aggressive than you'd like. Which might lead to a wrinkle, so you peal back to get rid of it, and stretch the vinyl in the process. Now you have to use more heat to coax the vinyl back into shape, leaving you with a second chance but now with more aggressive adhesive because its hotter!
The weather may also effect the cleaning process. In an indoor environment, once you have cleaned the vehicle, for the most part it should stay clean. For an outdoor install, I recommend giving the whole vehicle a good once over to remove major dirt and grime. From there you might consider doing your final wash as you go. The weather can change quickly, and even a gentle breeze can cause problems, so a final cleaning just before each panel is the best way to limit contamination.
Just remember that, Location choice can help to limit the effect of the afore mentioned factors or it can assist them in ruining your day, because location is a constant wildcard. All you can do is try to foresee potential problems, and react to the ones that you didn't see, and remember it all for next time.
