Like many other niche products in the sign-making world, PPF products represent a potentially lucrative and nearly universal product that you can add to your arsenal of opportunities for new business, especially if you’ve become familiar with the skills and tools involved in vehicle wrap jobs.

While PPF projects were once the domain of high-end sports cars or smaller jobs protecting the bumpers or rocker panels of offroaders’ vehicles, new technology has made it much easier to wrap virtually every surface of a new car or truck—or even give a flashy car a simulated matte paint job, without altering the vehicle’s showroom-quality original paint job. And though they can provide nearly impervious environmental protection for the lifetime of the car, they can also be removed relatively easily if the owner so desires.

Tony Thomasian, CEO of Hillsboro, Oregon’s TCT Wraps, says PPF projects have become more and more common in his shop, with a much wider audience now interested in the product.

“Here in the Northwest, PPF sells itself to the majority of our customers,” he says. “We have so much gravel on our roads in the winter months, and everyone knows that if the front end of the vehicle isn’t protected, it will result in a ton of rock chips in the paint.”

More than just small hood or bumper projects, Thomasian and other shop owners are now able to create or order PPF kits that can protect nearly the entire surface of a giant Ford F-150 pickup, or even be used for applications on recreational pleasurecraft. 

Thomasian says it didn’t take much to spread the message about the benefits of PPF to his clients, though a spotless installation lets customers know if you’ve mastered the art or not. But he cautions that PPF is not a skill you’ll necessarily learn overnight, even if you’re proficient at regular vinyl wrap jobs. For one thing, PPF films are made with thermoplastic urethane rather than vinyl, and have different properties.

“Mastering the art of PPF installation is very backbreaking. I can’t mention enough how important it is to just keep at it and practice constantly—experience goes a long way, and these installs are a form of art,” he says. “You have to remember that customers want to protect their vehicle but not diminish the look of their car, so a clean install goes a long way.”

Erik Keller, head of business development for XPEL Technologies Corp., one of the country’s leading manufacturers of PPF products, says that the skills involved in a perfect PPF installation certainly take some time to develop, even with specialized kits he offers, super-customized to individual generations of vehicles such as Corvettes or Porsche 911s. And with jobs ranging from $100 to $5,000 full wraps, Keller says it can be good business for a small shop.

That’s part of the reason XPEL Technologies offers training seminars to its certified partners, as the thickness and the additional durability of the films can make them difficult for beginners.

“It’s a little like installing window tint, but these films are so much thicker,” Keller says. “The product is essentially an adhesive layer and six millimeters of urethane—ours are 8.5 millimeters thick—and a regular vinyl wrap guy might find it a challenge at first, as any adhesive mistake can be seen right through it.”

XPEL has put more than 1,300 installers through its four-day training class, with a six-week wait for open spots. He says the skills can help prevent the headaches of learning through trial by fire, as Thomasian discovered.

“It’s a little like middle ages-era apprenticing. After our course, you’ll be able to do the work slowly, but it takes two years’ practice to get really good at it,” Keller says. “The fundamentals are the alignment points. It’s kind of a chess game with a lot of problem solving, figuring out how you’ll get from your starting point to the bumper, and hit reference points like headlights or tow hooks, and still apply the right amount of stress to the film to make it fit.”

Installation is done as a wet job, a bit like window film, but Keller cautions installers on using the right product as these are indeed see-through films, and a botched job will be quite hard to hide. He says a slip solution like baby shampoo can work, though XPEL offers a custom product because shampoo can break down the adhesive.

Jake Culver, global marketing supervisor for 3M and a former PPF shop owner himself, also suggests that a would-be installer get a bit of training before tackling their first PPF job.

“A graphics installer will have a much shorter learning curve than someone with no film experience, but expert training is highly recommended,” Culver says. “There are some similarities, such as the surface prep process, squeegee techniques and the need to stretch the film for forming three-dimensional shapes, so that along with a related customer/market segment could make PPF a great addition to a graphics installation business.”

Thomasian says he has been using XPEL’s Ultimate product for shiny finishes and XPEL Stealth for a satin/matte finish, the latter a less-expensive solution for car owners interested in trendy but hard-to-maintain matte paint jobs.

“It is really unique because if you don’t want to change the color of your car but you are looking for protection and something special, we can apply it and make the finish of your car turn into a matte look,” he says.

Thomasian also says he prefers to do his own custom projects, rather than using pre-cut kits. There’s a lot more blade trimming involved, but he says he also prefers showing off how he’s mastered the art of doing it all by hand.