The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Best Matte overlay for laptop exterior

    Discussion in 'Notebook Cosmetic Modifications and Custom Builds' started by iamlilysdad, Feb 27, 2012.

  1. iamlilysdad

    iamlilysdad Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    55
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Looking to cover the glossy lid of a laptop with a matte overlay. What's the best material to use for this? Any specific recommendations?
     
    iamlilysdad, Feb 27, 2012
    #1
  2. davv

    davv Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    7
    Messages:
    31
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    i used to have a matte screenshield for my HP TX2 few years back
    i bought it from sgpstore.com but they don't sell many laptop stuff anymore now

    one thing i can tell you is that putting that thing on is a real pain.


    here's a few misc tips :
    do it in a really damp atmosphere, that way there wont be any dust in the air
    the best is to do it right after a nice warm shower
    clean your screen gently carefully with a soft cloth and alcoholget some tape to remove dust or particles that would stick on the shield without putting your fingers on it
     
    davv, Mar 20, 2012
    #2
  3. mystery905

    mystery905 Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    224
    Messages:
    1,287
    Likes Received:
    17
    Trophy Points:
    56
    mystery905, Mar 22, 2012
    #3
  4. butthead

    butthead Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    try a sign supply or a sign shop. some sell by the yard.. we run a sign shop and i cover everything i own. digital print laminate would be ideal for what you're doing. something like the 3M 8520 series up in the top corner of this link would be best. laminate

    i have also covered ugly laptops with silver, charcoal, metallic blue, 23kt gold leaf vinyl from signgold.com, etc. good luck. :)
     
    butthead, May 16, 2012
    #4
  5. wild05kid05

    wild05kid05 Cook Free or Die

    Reputations:
    410
    Messages:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Don't waste money on "3M" stuff. Find the vinyls you want on eBay. I got 30 meters of vinyls for my car for 100$. You should expect less. The durability depends on how you apply it, -corner it well-.


    Sent from my wholly molly new iPad using Tapatalk
     
    wild05kid05, May 16, 2012
    #5
  6. butthead

    butthead Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    cheap vinyl shrinks, cracks, and leaves a gluey mess when you remove it. i highly advise against that. it's also thicker and less flexible and will not conform to corners where there is compound curves.

    cheap vinyl is poured on a sheet and rolled flat, which is why it shrinks. quality vinyl is manufactured by melting little tiny beads rolling it into a film. no matter how you apply it, cheap it is not what you want. the 3m laminate will also be MUCH more scratch resistant. if you want a cheap matte finish, you may as well do it with a scotch-brite pad.

    i guarantee his car will look like crap in 4 years and will be a nightmare to remove. i see it every day. for the tiny amount you need, the price should not be the deciding factor. if you do shop ebay, make sure it's listed as "high performance". even then, most vinyls have a shelf life of ~2 years so careful with that.

    try a sign shop. if you came here i'd probably just hand you a piece that size.
     
    butthead, May 16, 2012
    #6
  7. wild05kid05

    wild05kid05 Cook Free or Die

    Reputations:
    410
    Messages:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    and you call this crap ?
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    mind you the bottom right corner I didn't do it well, not "crappy material"
    lol scrotch brite pad.

    I don't even feel bad putting what you call crap on an expensive camera.
    [​IMG]

    And I have worked with and removed this material many times, it has not left any "gluey mess". It hasn't even "cracked" or "shrinked" lol.
    Forgive me, who gives a crap about scratching something that is already covered with a layer of overlay ? The side reason why people including myself covering stuff with an overlay/vinyl/tape is that the overlay will protect whatever it is underneath the it.

    Next thing you know, some people will charge you a premium by selling fake 3M stuff (by simply replacing the blank adhesive paper of the "crap" with 3M printed paper).
     
    wild05kid05, May 16, 2012
    #7
  8. butthead

    butthead Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    10
    Messages:
    33
    Likes Received:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    16
    that looks very nice and you did a great job.

    that stuff is a specialty film and totally not what i pictured. i have cheap vinyl and sometimes it shrinks before i ever even use it.

    i made a lid for a laptop kinda like that for a crappy acer netbook i had:
    [​IMG]
    i wasted about 2 weeks on it :)
     
    butthead, May 16, 2012
    #8