Paint protection film is unlike any coating you might have previously used.
It's a solid material with considerable thickness. A sheet of paper is around 3 mils thick, while PPF is 6-10 mils. Getting it to conform perfectly around the complex surfaces like the bumper requires skill, experience, thorough preparation, and an extremely clean environment.
Unless you're prepared to fail and do it over several times, this is not a weekend DIY project, and certainly not a driveway job.
Regardless, you want to at least understand the wrapping process so that you can make better decisions about who is installing your paint protection film and whether the price you're paying is justified.
Wash and Decontamination
The preparation process starts with the standard full decontamination and paint correction before applying any product.
The vehicle is thoroughly washed with car soap, iron removers, and potentially tar and grease removers. It's especially important to go around the corners of the body panels, since the wrap will tuck in on the inside. If you leave the back side dirty, the film won't bond to the surface and will begin peeling soon after installation.
Bonded contamination is removed with detailing clay.
Paint Correction
Next, one-stage paint correction will take care of any defects, pitting, scratches, swirl marks, and other imperfections in the clear coat.
If you're wrapping a used vehicle for the first time, there will be stone chips and other damage you'll want fixed before the film goes on.
If you're wrapping the entire vehicle and it's particularly preserved, you may be able to skip the paint correction, since the adhesive will fill up and level most of the scratches and the thick urethane layer will inevitably dull the finish a little bit, depending on the product.
That said, higher-quality films are more transparent and allow you to see the finish of the clear coat underneath with all the scratches and pitting you didn't remove. If you're paying this much money, you'd be well advised to spend a few hundred on the paint correction as well.
If you're partially wrapping the vehicle, it's paramount to do paint correction - otherwise, you'll see a noticeable difference in the finish of adjacent panels.
Some film installers will have you believe the opposite, since they don't/can't do paint correction themselves and it introduces extra hassle and waiting time for them.
Paint Protection Film Installation
Finally, it's time to install the film. It arrives in rolls of sheet material, which is loaded in a plotting machine and cut into 2D layouts that correspond to the shapes of your body panels. Sometimes, it's more effective to work with the sheet material directly, trimming it to size after installation.
The body panel is cleaned one last time. Any contamination will compromise the film in the future, producing ugly defects and shortening its lifespan.
The panels are sprayed with a mix of soapy water to help position the film and inhibit the adhesive during the installation. The film is separated from the protection liner and also sprayed on both sides.
It's laid flat carefully and stretched to cover the entire panel. More soapy water is sprayed underneath to keep the surface slippery and delay the adhesive. Two people are needed for large panels like the hood and roof.
After the edges are positioned and the film is stretched to cover the entire panel, the installers use an array of squeegees to push the soapy water out and lock the film in place.
They start from the center of the panel and move out in all directions, pushing the solution out, removing air pockets, and conforming the film to the surface. Overlapping motions, specific angles and pressure on the squeegee, and lots of patience are key to complete the job successfully.
A tack solution of water and isopropyl alcohol is used to promote adhesion around complicated details and on the edges of the film, where a tight seal is critical for lasting results.
With the film fully conformed to the panels, the installers trim it with a blade and around the edges. If you don't do this right, you can cut into the paint or make the trim too short, ending up with unsightly edges or wrinkles around the corners. If the seal is not perfect on the edges, dirt and grime will work its way up and the PPF will start peeling.
Curing and Coating
Primary adhesion occurs after 30 minutes, with full adhesion taking 48-72 hours. It's ideal to keep the vehicle in the shop the whole time. Exposure to the sun or roadside contamination can compromise the film and prevent proper or complete adhesion.
You can wash and wax the vehicle a few days after it comes out of the shop; however, you don't want to put any permanent coatings on just yet.
The film will continue to cure for 30-45 days. Small bubbles can form as the leftover moisture collects into pockets. These should dry out and lay down flat on their own over time. You don't want to touch them or disrupt the drying process. If you're worried, visit the wrap shop and have them examine the problem.
Once the protective film is fully cured and all defects are removed, you can apply any other kind of paint protection - ceramic coatings, paint sealants, and waxes. The process is absolutely the same. Don't do all of them - just pick one and stick with it.