# Vinyl directly over Fiberglass/Bondo.. or Prime & Paint first?



## BowDown (Sep 24, 2009)

Just as title states... what's your opinion?


----------



## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

vinyl shows every defect that is below it. it will only be as smooth as the surface it is covering.


----------



## Niebur3 (Jul 11, 2008)

I would say vinyl directly over, but make sure it is super smooth, almost paintable.


----------



## schmiddr2 (Aug 10, 2009)

What about thin pad under the vinyl? Will it prevent defects from showing or is it just for softness when you touch it?


----------



## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

again, if there are any imperfections the vinyl will show it. you can use a layer of padding to help but if you have any seams in it they will be visible as well. the only way to get it right is to prep the surface to be near the point of painting.


----------



## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

Basic rule of thumb with any fiberglass/bondo enclosure. Make it as smooth as possible, as if you were painting it. You can ignore the very, very small pinholes if you are wrapping the enclosure. However, if you are painting, EVERYTHING needs to be perfect.


----------



## BowDown (Sep 24, 2009)

I do realize the fiberglass work needs to be near flawless... was more concerned about the adhesion of the glue to raw fiberglass/bondo over a painted surface.


----------



## Volenti (Feb 17, 2010)

I've had more issues with pulling paint off fiberglass enclosures from a stretched vinyl job than with vinyl straight on a fiberglass/bondo personally, some paints don't play nice with spray glue.


----------



## nineball (Jan 17, 2008)

there is no need to paint. duraglass over the fiberglass, sand, rage body filler over that, sand, sand sand.


----------



## metalball (Sep 8, 2010)

nineball said:


> there is no need to paint. duraglass over the fiberglass, sand, rage body filler over that, sand, sand sand.


Exactly.

When it comes time to put the carpet/vinyl/leather/pleather (or whatever else you want to cover your spankin' new enclosure), I've had the best results using a paint spray gun, rather than a rattle can.

Spray the adhesive on BOTH sides (enclosure and underside of the carpet/vinyl) and allow to tack up a bit by waiting at least 60 seconds. Then join the two. This will keep the covering from peeling up over time.

NOTE: Spray the primary section first, and then spray smaller sections at a time if you have to pull or manipulate your covering over corners or odd shapes.


----------

