Rust-Oleum Peel Coat vs. Plasti Dip – Comparison and Application

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The essential thing to remember about Rustoleum Peel Coat is that it is for people who cannot be committed to color for long. Although these products do the same thing and one can be a substitute for the other, some prefer one to the other.

Check out this detailed article for a comparison of both and how they are applied.

What is a Rust-Oleum Peel Coat?

Rust-Oleum Peel Coat, as the name implies, is a rubber paint that can be peeled off. It is a peelable rubber paint that provides endless customization options for automotive applications.

This peelable rubber coating is usually used for customizing vehicles. Its core features are that it takes almost no effort to remove and can be used on various surfaces. Some surfaces it is usually applied on include metal, chrome, glass, etc.

The main function of this durable coating is to protect the surface it is applied on against rust and debris from movement on the road.

Usually, the recommended time of removal is within 6 months.

The Best Way to Apply Rust-Oleum Peel Coat

You can customize your car with Rust-Oleum Peel Coat in several ways. You can paint your rims with it. You can also paint racing stripes on your car and engage in many other forms of customizations on your car.

The product holds many benefits: the key among them is that you can change the look of your car whenever you please. Also, Rust-Oleum Peel Coat can be hand washed, and it can also go through an automatic car wash.

Here is how to apply Rust-Oleum Peel Coat:

  • The first step is to wash the work area clean. You want to decrease the work area as much as possible and remove any dirt that can interfere with the application.
  • If you are coating a rim, it would be best to have a mask off all the areas around the rim, including the brake rotors, lug nuts, and the tire.
  • You should cover the tire with a trash bag and a big plastic bag. Carefully cut along the rim with scissors or a razor.
  • You want to secure the plastic with tape. It would be best to also place index cards or anything of similar texture and size between the tire and the rim. This is important to achieve a clean line and to prevent overspray.
  • Carefully check the surface again to ensure that it is perfectly dry. You want to apply the Peel Coat on the dry surface only.
  • After confirming that the surface is dry for application, you want to shake the can vigorously for at least one minute before you begin applying the coat.
  • While many may spray indiscriminately, holding the spray can at least 8-10 inches from the surface would be best.
  • You want to spray steadily in a back-and-forth motion. You want to spray steadily so that you slightly overlap each stroke.

The first coat you apply must be light. It is important to ensure that the first coat is relatively light, and your aim should be about 50% coverage. It is recommended that you allow each coat to dry to a finish. This should take no longer than 4-6 minutes between each coat.

After the initial coating, you want to apply 3-4 more coats. Remove the index cards and the plastic wrappers while the last coating is still wet.

If you do not remove the index cards and the plastic wrappers while the last coat is still wet, you will not have a fine finish because the dry coating will adhere too much to the tape and index cards.

You should let the surface dry for at least 24 hours before washing or use. If you worked on car rims, you could drive the car after about 2 hours of drying, but you must wait 24 hours before washing the rims.

What Is Plasti Dip?

Plasti Dip is another durable rubber-based removable paint that can be used on a vehicle to change the look of a body part or the whole vehicle. Plasti Dip is not only completely removable but is also user-friendly and very cheap.

Plasti Dip is perhaps the cheapest do-it-yourself product that allows you to personally customize your vehicle to the best you can.

Plasti Dip is an air-dry peelable coating that protects coated moisture, acids, corrosion, and abrasions. It gives you a better grip on the item it is applied. One of the best things about Plasti Dip is that it is pretty stretchy and will stay flexible for a long time without cracking.

Plasti Dip is pretty durable and will not become crisp in extremely warm weather. It is resilient in temperatures ranging between 30°F to 200°F.

The Best Way to Apply Plasti Dip

Essentially, the method will depend on what item will be coated. But they generally entail the following:

The first thing to do is to make the workpiece bare if you are using a can. You want to do this by taking off old coats. After that, dip the workpiece into the can while holding a part of it.

It is advised that you do not pour the Plasti Dip into another container.

Remove wet drips from the workpiece with your gloved finger. Although other drips might occur after it dries, they can be cut out.

After removing the wet drips, you want to hang the dipped items to dry. If you want the coatings to be thicker, you can dip the item into the can up to 5 times with at least 30 minutes of drying time between each coat.

After the item dries, you can cut off the dry drips that have become hardened.

But if you are using the spray can, the same steps listed above for the Rust-oleum Peel coat can be used.

How Do They Compare

Apart from the difference in prices, Rust-Oleum Peel Coat differs from Plasti Dip in many respects. But a few of them will be discussed below:

Thickness:

Plasti Dip tends to be thicker than Rust-Oleum Peel Coat. There are good and bad sides to this difference in both products. Since Rust-Oleum Peel Coat is thinner than Plasti Dip, it is easier to achieve a smoother finish with Rust-Oleum than with Plasti Dip.

Also, the thinner nature of Rust-Oleum Peel Coat makes it pretty forgiving. If you mistakenly overspray and end up with a runny spray job, Rust-Oleum evens itself as it dries.

But the downsides of this thin nature are that it takes longer to achieve good coverage, and it is quite harder to peel off compared to Plasti Dip.

Plasti Dip, on the other hand, tends to be thicker than Rust-Oleum Peel Coat, and this makes it easier to get good coverage on time. But Plasti Dip is so thick you may find it difficult to get a smooth non-orange peel finish.

Color Varieties:

Another point of difference between both is the availability of more colors. Rust-Oleum Peel Coat comes in many more colors than Plasti Dip. So consumers have a wider variety of colors to choose from with Rust-Oleum Peel Coat at Walmart than with Plasti Dip.

However, some manufacturers like PepBoys have begun to produce more color varieties for consumers.

Best Result Tip:

It would be best to leave your spray cans in warm water a few minutes before application. This is important because if you fail to warm your cans, you will likely end up with a globby job. 

This is usually the case even when the cans are only slightly cold when you touch them.

Bottom line

Rust-Oleum Peel Coat and Plasti Dip are two great peelable paints on the market for auto jobs and many other surfaces. The main benefit is that you can always change the look of your car or the part where you applied it as soon as you feel like changing it.

This makes it a great tool for people who have commitment issues with the color they use on their car. It is also good for people looking forward to trying new looks on their car or a metal piece before deciding to use permanent colors.

While there is not much difference between the two products, the few differences between them help consumers choose which one to use for their project.

Generally, Plasti Dip is cheaper than Rust-Oleum Peel Coat. But the difference in thickness, color variety, and ability to achieve a smooth finish are some of the features that inform a consumer’s choice.

Also, the removal is another point to consider when choosing which product to use. Plasti Dip is usually easier to peel off than Rust-Oleum Peel Coat because of the depth of thickness.

Although you cannot get all the benefits of both products when you use only one, one hack many paint enthusiasts use is to use Plasti Dip as a base coat for fuller coverage and Rust-Oleum Peel Coat over it for a glossy finish. While this may not work for everyone, you can always choose the product that best fits your project.

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