Cladding Restoration...so Easy & Dope!

[vt_maverick]

Mike -- thanks for pics, but to me your cladding didn't look much faded on the before photos either.

Please do post if the color changes in a couple of months -- I might do this next spring.

stangri: the pics make my cladding look really dark in the before pics, but they were really pretty light. there were swirl marks and water stains.... i'll keep u updated on the wear n tear. as for now tho, i'd say it's a no-brainer.

It's hard to judge how faded your cladding was because you took the pics in the shade. Of course it's too late to rectify that now, but do you think you could take some new pics in the sunlight? That would be really helpful, as most cladding looks much more gray in direct sunlight.

Looks nice homey.

[mike nomy]

It's hard to judge how faded your cladding was because you took the pics in the shade. Of course it's too late to rectify that now, but do you think you could take some new pics in the sunlight? That would be really helpful, as most cladding looks much more gray in direct sunlight.

Looks nice homey.

Ok I did some research and found the original ebay listing pics from when i bought the truck...
the rear bumper cladding was replaced 2 years ago, so it's pretty dark, but if u compare it to the side cladding from '99, u can now see exactly how badly faded the cladding was before i restored it.
also, this stuff is definitely not relabled spraypaint. as soon as it is sprayed, it smells way different, looks different, settles different. it is available in 3 colors to accommodate for GM's different cladding colors.
if anyone is in the NY/long island area and wants to come see and touch it for yerself as a third party witness, please contact me. i don't want to endorse anything that will not live up to the expectations that i have given it, but i do want to help everyone on the forum, so please come check it out....
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[Grif]

Nice lookin rig Mike! Good job!

[Mile High VX]

Looks dope man...real dope.

Love the wheels!

Represent to the max!

[RallyDude]

It looks great. I like the satin look to it. I didn't think I needed to do the cladding until I saw how good this looked.

Is there any UV protection in it? I wonder if the dark gray is closer to stock color? Not to start up the gray/black argument again.

[mike nomy]

It looks great. I like the satin look to it. I didn't think I needed to do the cladding until I saw how good this looked.

Is there any UV protection in it? I wonder if the dark gray is closer to stock color? Not to start up the gray/black argument again.

It does not say on the website, whether it has a UV protectant, but it is totally endorsed by GM. The dark grey is probably closer to O.G. look, but i figured the black would match my wheels better.....
Go on their site, it is very informative. there is a cladding resto section, aswell as a section on other protectants that they offer.
in the cladding section, there is an actual GM downloadable document, stating that gatorback provides extra longevity and fade resistance for cladding.

[crotchrocket]

Looks good

Here:

Before










AFTER

[Mile High VX]

Looks good

Here:

Before




AFTER

Maybe a bit easier here. Hey Mike, is the pic with the tape before any application?

Looks good man.

[mike nomy]

Looks good

Here:

Before










AFTER

yo dude thanks for posting these up! much appreciated!

[vt_maverick]

I think I'm too young to have ever heard that saying. But point taken, I guess I can comfort myself in being able to own/afford things I couldn't when I was in my 20's.

[circmand]

I think I'm too young to have ever heard that saying. But point taken, I guess I can comfort myself in being able to own/afford things I couldn't when I was in my 20's.

You are still younger than some of us. I keep myself feeling young by hanging out with older people.

[VX KAT]

Mike-I'm really interested in this stuff! SO some more questions

Was it really pretty easy to get a uniform coverage, or was it tricky at all?

Did it run at all?

Does it seem to puddle at all in the torx screw holes?

Did you have to be pretty darn steady and even when spraying it?

Did you just do a back and forth motion on the spraying? Do you think you overlapped any in the process of spraying on the 1st coat?

Did you get any overspray with the amount of masking and paper you used?
Was it windy at all when you applied it? Just wondering if it flies into the air pretty easily (and therefore I'd mask some more).

Website says it's great for doing touch ups if you scratch it or damage your cladding. If this is really true, this is the stuff I want!

Did you find any areas where you had to go back and "touch up" by spraying just in a certain small area?

Does the stuff really just blend into itself quite readily or do you have be really careful about hovering over one area too long? If it dries so quickly, I'd think this may not be too much of an issue??

Is it really a MATTE or SATIN finish? I'd say SATIN has a small amount of shine to it, whereas MATTE is completely flat. What would you say it is (IN PERSON) vs the pics we're looking at?

Thanks a ton!!

[crotchrocket]

Mike-I'm really interested in this stuff! SO some more questions

Was it really pretty easy to get a uniform coverage, or was it tricky at all?

Did it run at all?

Does it seem to puddle at all in the torx screw holes?

Did you have to be pretty darn steady and even when spraying it?

Did you just do a back and forth motion on the spraying? Do you think you overlapped any in the process of spraying on the 1st coat?

Did you get any overspray with the amount of masking and paper you used?
Was it windy at all when you applied it? Just wondering if it flies into the air pretty easily (and therefore I'd mask some more).

Website says it's great for doing touch ups if you scratch it or damage your cladding. If this is really true, this is the stuff I want!

Did you find any areas where you had to go back and "touch up" by spraying just in a certain small area?

Does the stuff really just blend into itself quite readily or do you have be really careful about hovering over one area too long? If it dries so quickly, I'd think this may not be too much of an issue??

Is it really a MATTE or SATIN finish? I'd say SATIN has a small amount of shine to it, whereas MATTE is completely flat. What would you say it is (IN PERSON) vs the pics we're looking at?

Thanks a ton!!

gees, thats ALOT of questions, lol

[mike nomy]

Mike-I'm really interested in this stuff! SO some more questions

Was it really pretty easy to get a uniform coverage, or was it tricky at all?

Did it run at all?

Does it seem to puddle at all in the torx screw holes?

Did you have to be pretty darn steady and even when spraying it?

Did you just do a back and forth motion on the spraying? Do you think you overlapped any in the process of spraying on the 1st coat?

Did you get any overspray with the amount of masking and paper you used?
Was it windy at all when you applied it? Just wondering if it flies into the air pretty easily (and therefore I'd mask some more).

Website says it's great for doing touch ups if you scratch it or damage your cladding. If this is really true, this is the stuff I want!

Did you find any areas where you had to go back and "touch up" by spraying just in a certain small area?

Does the stuff really just blend into itself quite readily or do you have be really careful about hovering over one area too long? If it dries so quickly, I'd think this may not be too much of an issue??

Is it really a MATTE or SATIN finish? I'd say SATIN has a small amount of shine to it, whereas MATTE is completely flat. What would you say it is (IN PERSON) vs the pics we're looking at?

Thanks a ton!!

i forgot to answer yer pamphlet of questions lol.
basically it goes on just like spraypaint. smooth even back and fourth motion. don;t stop in any one spot, common sense. it looks kinda funky at first when it lands on the cladding but it quickly smooths out, almost dissapears... donesn't really look too smooth at first, but as soon as it dries, it looks perfect. 2 smooth coats are more than enough to look good. 1 coat is good, but i was always told 2 lighter coas is always better than 1 heavy coat.
it didn't ran at all, but once or twice, as the nozzle got a lil clogged towards the end, a few drops spit out onto the cladding. i just dabbed it off and then after a minute, resprayed over that arean there was absolutely NO evidence that anything ever may have went wrong.... because it didn't ,lol. but i did find that after a few minutes of spraying, it's best to turn the can upside down n clear out the nozzle with a few spritz'...
it did not pool up around the torx holes, it just flowed all over evenly.
if u can use a spray can, u can do this..... quick, even stokes, back and forth, side to side, sometimes up n down where needed. i di under the cladding, the gas tank, the wheel wells.... as long as u prep it with some denatured alcohol, u should have no issues at all.
and as far as the overspray, although it was a sunny warm day, it was pretty breezy, def not idle spraying weather, but i went for it anyway. the only overspray i got was on the hood a little while spraying the mirror housings, but then again, i let my buddy mask off that area, so.....
and the overspray wiped right off with a rag n some denatured alcohol. FYI, any paint, finish, sealer can be removed for upto a few days after over spray is found, with denatured alcohol or oven cleaner spray.... with no damage to the under lying finish, so a lil breeze is no worries.

hope all that helped u!

[VX KAT]

Thanks for the detail, it's really clear now...I know I can do this!
Since I had a bad experience with the R/R (probably due to inadequate surface prep as best we can figure...or my cladding is possessed...which we haven't ruled out yet!).
I'm really going to research this and read up on the Avalanche forum to see if any talk about bad outcomes or problems over time.

If anybody already knows of any problems, give me a heads up, please.

Luna...I still won't do anything until we get together and you can look at it.

RIff- Let us know if you've tried your TS-1 yet??