What Is An Inlay? (DIY How-To)

When it comes to wrapping cars sometimes you’ll run into the issue of not being able to remove certain parts (i.e. door handles). Maybe the door mechanism is too brittle to disassemble or maybe the customer asked that you don’t remove their doorcard (a step that’s crucial to removing the door handle). Or you may run into a body panel that is too complex to complete in one single piece of vinyl (i.e. body kits/bumpers). In these cases, you would do what is called an “inlay.”

 

What exactly is an inlay? To put it simply, an inlay is an individual piece of vinyl that is used in recessed areas or on panels that have complex contours. The job of an inlay is to give yourself an easier time wrapping sections that would be otherwise difficult to do in one single piece of vinyl. Most people don’t like the idea of having an inlay on their car but realistically you wouldn’t be able to notice an inlay if it’s done correctly and if it was pointed out to you.

 

The correct way to install an inlay would be to hide it on the car’s body lines, this helps conceal the separate piece of vinyl.After your inlay is installed you’ll wrap the rest of the panel as you normally would. Once you reach the area where your inlay is installed you must have your two pieces of vinyl overlap by ⅛ inch. If the vinyl overlap is thicker it will be more visible to the naked eye. But of course, if you overlap it by too much it’s not the end of the world and you can always trim some more off of your inlay. Overlapping pieces of vinyl should always be oriented in a way where drag glides over the two pieces to avoid lifting of the wrap under normal driving conditions.

 

Now that you know how to install an inlay you can give it a go. Practice wrapping your door with the handle on or maybe even wrapping your mirror in multiple pieces. Remember that using multiple pieces to wrap a panel isn’t a bad thing, in fact even professionals utilize inlays all the time. Follow your guide (body lines) and make sure to post-heat after every piece of vinyl is laid down. Once the job is complete you won’t even be able to tell the inlays ever existed!