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Vinyl wrap on Denali chrome pieces?


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Anyone had their Denali grill, valence, and other chrome pieces vinyl wrapped? If so, what colors did you use and how does it look? Just picked up a 2020 Denali and I am not a fan of all the chrome. Thinking about wrapping it all with black chrome instead, but unsure if that will look good, or still look too "chromy" for my liking. TIA!

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I can't stand chrome! I deleted all of the chrome from my 2020 Denali. As for vinyl wrap I did the chrome trim around the windows with vinyl. I did it myself and the work is...so so. even a bad vinyl wrap looks way better than chrome though and mine is pretty good. its harder than it looks! I'm sure with more practice I could do a better job. I also covered the chrome on the power steps with vinyl. I did the engine  badges the same way at first but replaced them with plastidip after I did the grill. the rest of the work was done with paint (body shop) and plastidip.

For my vinyl I did flat black, which actually looks pretty neat contrasting to the gloss black of some of the trim parts around the window.

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5 hours ago, kodiakdenali said:

I can't stand chrome! I deleted all of the chrome from my 2020 Denali. As for vinyl wrap I did the chrome trim around the windows with vinyl. I did it myself and the work is...so so. even a bad vinyl wrap looks way better than chrome though and mine is pretty good. its harder than it looks! I'm sure with more practice I could do a better job. I also covered the chrome on the power steps with vinyl. I did the engine  badges the same way at first but replaced them with plastidip after I did the grill. the rest of the work was done with paint (body shop) and plastidip.

For my vinyl I did flat black, which actually looks pretty neat contrasting to the gloss black of some of the trim parts around the window.

I love the chrome look!  I’m old school, I think the Denali with 22 inch snowflake wheels is the cockiest looking truck out there.  Why get a Denali if you don’t like chrome? That’s what it’s known for?

Also share pics of all your vinyl wrappings. I’m curious how you wrapped the running boards? 

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19 minutes ago, TNTSilverado said:

I love the chrome look!  I’m old school, I think the Denali with 22 inch snowflake wheels is the cockiest looking truck out there.  Why get a Denali if you don’t like chrome? That’s what it’s known for?

Also share pics of all your vinyl wrappings. I’m curious how you wrapped the running boards? 

Well, I respect your opinion, its just not mine. Are there any chrome parts your truck doesn't have that you would want? I've got stuff for sale. mirror caps, door handles, exhaust tips...in your profile pic it looks like you've got black mirror caps, I think the GMC and Chevy ones are the same? Everything removed with a few hundred miles on the odometer.

 

I got the Denali because that's what I wanted. To me Denali doesn't mean chrome, it means top of the line and luxury. removing the chrome is easier and cheaper than buying an AT4, adding 22s, removing the factory lift, and adding active ride control and power steps.

the red recovery hooks would be a wash since I deleted the Denali chrome ones anyway. I did like the AT4's Kalahari accented seats, but I like my Denali interior more (I love the Denali badge on the wheel in place of the GMC) and I never knew until someone on this forum pointed it out that the Denali has much more comfortable seats than the standard Sierra. I'm not sure if the AT4 got the longer Denali style seats or not. My wheels are the snowflake 22s, powder coated metallic gunmetal, wrapped in Toyo sport truck tires, and proud of it. They look great over the bright red Brembos

 

Wrapping the side steps was harder than it looked. I used my vinyl machine to cut strips of about the right size. this could be done with a straight edge and a blade also. trying to wrap completely (top to bottom) from front to back didn't work well. it was too easy to introduce bubbles. what I found worked was to start at the front and adhere the vinyl in the middle of the step only, as in only to the vertical surface, do not attempt to wrap it around the top and bottom yet. above and below there is extra vinyl. it will stay that way on its own. use a felt squeegee to work your way all the way back pulling the backing off as you go, keeping the vinyl under tension, and pressing it against the side of the step. then once its attached all the way go back to the front and wrap the top and bottom under tension around the curves of the step. use the sharper edge of a plastic tool to help adhere the vinyl right up against the step's plastic, then use a razer blade to trim off the excess. it took me a couple of attempts to get it right.

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2 hours ago, kodiakdenali said:

Well, I respect your opinion, its just not mine. Are there any chrome parts your truck doesn't have that you would want? I've got stuff for sale. mirror caps, door handles, exhaust tips...in your profile pic it looks like you've got black mirror caps, I think the GMC and Chevy ones are the same? Everything removed with a few hundred miles on the odometer.

 

I got the Denali because that's what I wanted. To me Denali doesn't mean chrome, it means top of the line and luxury. removing the chrome is easier and cheaper than buying an AT4, adding 22s, removing the factory lift, and adding active ride control and power steps.

the red recovery hooks would be a wash since I deleted the Denali chrome ones anyway. I did like the AT4's Kalahari accented seats, but I like my Denali interior more (I love the Denali badge on the wheel in place of the GMC) and I never knew until someone on this forum pointed it out that the Denali has much more comfortable seats than the standard Sierra. I'm not sure if the AT4 got the longer Denali style seats or not. My wheels are the snowflake 22s, powder coated metallic gunmetal, wrapped in Toyo sport truck tires, and proud of it. They look great over the bright red Brembos

 

Wrapping the side steps was harder than it looked. I used my vinyl machine to cut strips of about the right size. this could be done with a straight edge and a blade also. trying to wrap completely (top to bottom) from front to back didn't work well. it was too easy to introduce bubbles. what I found worked was to start at the front and adhere the vinyl in the middle of the step only, as in only to the vertical surface, do not attempt to wrap it around the top and bottom yet. above and below there is extra vinyl. it will stay that way on its own. use a felt squeegee to work your way all the way back pulling the backing off as you go, keeping the vinyl under tension, and pressing it against the side of the step. then once its attached all the way go back to the front and wrap the top and bottom under tension around the curves of the step. use the sharper edge of a plastic tool to help adhere the vinyl right up against the step's plastic, then use a razer blade to trim off the excess. it took me a couple of attempts to get it right.

I wasn’t trying to offend you. But yes Denali means luxury but also CHROME!  Since day one when it was introduced it has been all about bling and chrome. I love the snowflake wheels and would have them on my truck if I didn’t live in Iowa. They don’t last or should I say mine haven’t. My 2018 wheels where the chrome Escalade wheels with black inserts and they didn’t last a single winter and I washed them once a week. The junk they put on roads here are terrible on chrome wheels.  So that’s why I went with the wheels I have. A half and half. And they have a 3 year warranty on the chrome inserts. I am planning on finding an older c/k 1500 to drive during winter and then I will get those snowflake wheels. Just can’t find a nice enough one yet that hasn’t been beat to death. 
As for the wrapping. My buddy does window tinting and vinyl wrapping. Has machine that cuts it all out. I helped him for about 8 years until I moved to far away from him. I have never seen running boards wrapped before, that’s why I was curious how it was done and wanted to see pics of it. 
 

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No offense taken!

I tried tinting my own windows once...that didn't so go well either ?

sorry the truck is filthy in this picture, but here are the power steps dechromed by vinyl wrap

20201203 101202 6384.jpg

 

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. much better when clean obviously! but its that time of year...everything's frozen now, that pic was taken during the rainy season, the day after I washed it haha.

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I have a 2020 Lt silverado 1500 which comes with a chrome bumper.  I am in between being that I like some chrome but not too much.  I had my front bumper wrapped in Vinyl at a local truck accessories place and it looks really good to me and I also added a little more chrome by adding billet strips to the grill. I am thinking about wrapping the rear bumper as well but first I want to add the lower chrome fascia like what comes on the higher up Silverado's like high country and ltz's.

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On 7/7/2020 at 6:06 PM, grrr027 said:

Anyone had their Denali grill, valence, and other chrome pieces vinyl wrapped? If so, what colors did you use and how does it look? Just picked up a 2020 Denali and I am not a fan of all the chrome. Thinking about wrapping it all with black chrome instead, but unsure if that will look good, or still look too "chromy" for my liking. TIA!

I have a black ultimate, its been blacked out through a combination of paint/vinyl/dip.  I did the brake light, removed most emblems but kept a few and blacked them out, mirror caps, running boards, fog surrounds, skid plate, majority of grille and window trim.  Handles getting wrapped when it gets warmer here.

Wheels were replaced.  Basically I created my own midnight edition denali, feel like it should have come this way from factory

 

You have to make the decision on what you like, many buy the denali for the chrome and some are like me who didn't want any of it.  I'm over chrome.

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9 hours ago, 204Denali said:

I have a black ultimate, its been blacked out through a combination of paint/vinyl/dip.  I did the brake light, removed most emblems but kept a few and blacked them out, mirror caps, running boards, fog surrounds, skid plate, majority of grille and window trim.  Handles getting wrapped when it gets warmer here.

Wheels were replaced.  Basically I created my own midnight edition denali, feel like it should have come this way from factory

 

You have to make the decision on what you like, many buy the denali for the chrome and some are like me who didn't want any of it.  I'm over chrome.

Sounds like you went much the same route that I did. I just went with a Pacific Blue Mettalic/Gunmetal Gray color theme instead of all blacked out.

I totally agree that I wish GM would offer a chrome free Denali, some people want the highest end fully optioned truck and pick it for that reason, then have to deal with getting all of the chrome off of it ?

One of the subtile details I like about my setup is doing the door handles in paint I made sure the shop knew to paint the lock/unlock button body color as well. even trucks that have factory body colored handles still have chrome buttons on them, mine are monochromatic, I love the look.

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7 hours ago, kodiakdenali said:

Sounds like you went much the same route that I did. I just went with a Pacific Blue Mettalic/Gunmetal Gray color theme instead of all blacked out.

I totally agree that I wish GM would offer a chrome free Denali, some people want the highest end fully optioned truck and pick it for that reason, then have to deal with getting all of the chrome off of it ?

One of the subtile details I like about my setup is doing the door handles in paint I made sure the shop knew to paint the lock/unlock button body color as well. even trucks that have factory body colored handles still have chrome buttons on them, mine are monochromatic, I love the look.

Lot of my friends tell me not to do the handles at all, since I  have some chrome still on the grille, so I might leave them.  I already have the vinyl so I'll probably do them in spring and see what I think.

Still a far cry from the giant mountain of chrome it is when you first buy it though ? 

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On 1/13/2021 at 8:46 AM, kodiakdenali said:

Sounds like you went much the same route that I did. I just went with a Pacific Blue Mettalic/Gunmetal Gray color theme instead of all blacked out.

I totally agree that I wish GM would offer a chrome free Denali, some people want the highest end fully optioned truck and pick it for that reason, then have to deal with getting all of the chrome off of it ?

One of the subtile details I like about my setup is doing the door handles in paint I made sure the shop knew to paint the lock/unlock button body color as well. even trucks that have factory body colored handles still have chrome buttons on them, mine are monochromatic, I love the look.

What did you end up doing with the front grille? paint it? 

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3 hours ago, 204Denali said:

What did you end up doing with the front grille? paint it? 

I did it in plastidip. it looks pretty good, but I'm just waiting to see how durable it actually it. it was a quick and cheap way to hide the chrome. I did the fog light bezels and the lower bumper insert the same way in a metallic gunmetal color, it matches my powercoated wheels almost perfectly. if the plastidip doesn't hold up I will be going the paint route next time around. I originally wanted to paint the grill's outer bezel, fog light bezels, and the lower bumper insert in body color and have the grill's inner section in some kind of contrasting color, dark silver/gunmetal kind of look. either way I coated the GMC logo in the front along with the rest of the grill which I think looks nice. another possibility is going with an aftermarket grill, if I do that I will probably delete the front GMC entirely. as-is its still there and readable, but it blends in somewhat so its not as ostentatious as it originally was.

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1 hour ago, kodiakdenali said:

I did it in plastidip. it looks pretty good, but I'm just waiting to see how durable it actually it. it was a quick and cheap way to hide the chrome. I did the fog light bezels and the lower bumper insert the same way in a metallic gunmetal color, it matches my powercoated wheels almost perfectly. if the plastidip doesn't hold up I will be going the paint route next time around. I originally wanted to paint the grill's outer bezel, fog light bezels, and the lower bumper insert in body color and have the grill's inner section in some kind of contrasting color, dark silver/gunmetal kind of look. either way I coated the GMC logo in the front along with the rest of the grill which I think looks nice. another possibility is going with an aftermarket grill, if I do that I will probably delete the front GMC entirely. as-is its still there and readable, but it blends in somewhat so its not as ostentatious as it originally was.

I've plastidipped a grill in the past and it held up pretty well. The chrome wheels on my Vette are plastidipped also, and aside from some fading they look ok still. Been about 2 years I think. If I had been on top of cleaning them and periodically re-glossing, they'd probably look better.

Did you do the fog bezels with them on the truck or did you take them off? Any pictures?

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1 hour ago, eckseleven said:

I've plastidipped a grill in the past and it held up pretty well. The chrome wheels on my Vette are plastidipped also, and aside from some fading they look ok still. Been about 2 years I think. If I had been on top of cleaning them and periodically re-glossing, they'd probably look better.

Did you do the fog bezels with them on the truck or did you take them off? Any pictures?

I did it all on the truck, I haven't tried taking them off yet.

The grill was the hardest part, I took the upper plastic piece off under the hood and after a bunch of work was able to pull a drop cloth behind the grill. its easy to get it between the shutters and the radiator, but I didn't want the shutters to get all covered in plastidip over spray either. its a tight fit, buy I Was able to mask it pretty well and did everything on the truck.

 

20201203 101110 6378.jpg

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