Vinyl Door Handle Wrap
by gonzo777 (Difficulty: EASYish)
Tools & Materials
vinyl (You should be able to get 4 handles from 15"x5")
scissors
paper
crayon
sharpie
cardboard
windex & paper towel
The Project:
NOTE: The final result depends on you ability to work the vinyl. I have tried to put as much detail as I can into this DIY so you can see where the pitfalls are.
1. Using crayon and paper, make a rubbing/trace of the handle.
2. Cut out what you have traced, leaving about 1/2" extra on the bottom and 1/4"-3/8" around the rest.
3. Place that on the vinyl, trace around it, and cut it out.
Here you can see the difference between handle size and vinyl size.
4. Prop the doorhandle up/open with a bit of cardboard (or something) and make sure the handle is nice and clean all around.
5. Position the vinyl on the handle, centering it and remembering the extra allowances you cut. DO NOT RUB IT DOWN! It will probably have some bubbles in it that need to be worked out.
6. Starting in the very center and working in a star pattern, slowly rub the vinyl onto the handle. Push any air bubbles toward the outer edge. Lift the nearest edge of the vinyl and reapply if you need to.
7. Using your scissors, make notches in the bends and notch the corners. Stay 1/8" to 3/16" away from the face of the handle -- if you do you'll be cutting into the vinyl that wraps around the edge and you'll have a "hole" there.
8. Starting on the sides and moving up, push down one tab at a time, overlapping the previous tab. Do both sides, then the top and bottom. The top is a bit tricky and you'll need to lower the handle some and use a piece of cardboard or something to push the vinyl around the edge.
9. Because you're wrapping vinyl around some serious curves, you will have some overlap at your tabs. This is what we want to minimize for the cleanest install. Smooth those down as best you can. Over the next couple days, check the handles occasionally because you may need to re-smooth those.
10. Do the next handle!
Before & After:
