I had a free day from work/school so I decided to Plasti Dip my wheels. I was feeling a little adventurous, so here's the process and some before/after pictures.
My 2010 Vibe base came with the chrome AWD Vibe wheels when I first bought it. The wheels were covered with small dings and had some slight curb rash, so I figured I would Plasti Dip them for fun.
If you don't know about Plasti Dip, it's a rubber coating in a rattle can that can be applied to almost ANYTHING with a clean surface and proper prepping. The cans I used dry in a matte black, and it's super durable/reliable even though it can be peeled off if you wanted to do so. It's definitely less permanent than actual spray-paint, and more cost-effective than vinyl sheeting. Huge win-win for me, personally.
Things you will need:
1. Water & Bucket
2. Cleaning Cloth (Old t-shirt)
3. Rubbing Alcohol
4. Painter's Tape
5. 3-4 Cans of Plasti Dip ($25.00 from Home Depot)
6.(optional) Pack of Cards
7.(optional) Wax & Tar Remover
The first step is to remove the wheels from your vehicle. Of course, you could probably leave the wheels on your vehicle, but I went the extra mile because I was feeling too lazy to have to rub out the overspray. Either way, it's no big deal.
I washed my wheels with soap and water (standard dish detergent) and I even cleaned the inside of the wheel because I found some Krud Kutter. This stuff cuts through grease and brake dust like nothing
After washing and drying the wheel, I used some wax & tar remover to remove the degreasing agent from the wheel. This was optional, but I figured it would have been a good idea. Afterwards, I used a generic rubbing alcohol over the entire wheel as the last prepping step so the Plasti Dip could stick to the wheel.
Again, I was feeling too lazy to have to peel off overspray, so I used some playing cards to block off the tire
When applying the first coat, I made it light and paid really close attention to the inside corners and sides of the spokes. This ensures that you don't end up with runs and it keeps the paint looking even. I let it sit for 10-15 minutes before I applied the second coat.
The second coat was heavier, and I paid more attention to the front of the spokes and the edge of the wheel. Grab a snack; 10-15 min. wait.
My last coat was heavier, and I applied it with the purpose to cover any spots I missed. IMMEDIATELY after this coat, I removed the playing cards before the paint started drying. If you let the paint dry before you remove the cards, you risk pulling off the 3 coats of Plasti Dip. This also applies to any other barrier you use (painter's tape, frog tape, etc.) so remove any tape, barrier, or design template immediately after the last coat is applied.
After 5 minutes of drying, I wanted to remove the outer strip to get a chrome-lip look. Since my wheels were already chrome, I just had to cut and peel off the layer I didn't want.
This is what the wheel looks like after removing the outer strip.
When all wheels were fully dried, I installed them back onto my Vibe. It looked great with the hardware, but I felt like it was missing something...
I went back and cut out the aesthetic bolts from the wheel and that small detail makes it look amazing
Here's the finished product:
Before/After:
Things I would have done differently:
1. I only applied 3 coats to each wheel. There were some missing spots, so I would have applied a 4th and maybe a 5th coat for an even better finish. Looks good at this point, though.
2. This project was easy, but it was also very time consuming. I started at 7 a.m. and finished by lunch time. If you have a lot of time, go for it. Don't do this if you have places to be that day.
Thanks for checking out my post!
I appreciate the kind words!
This being only $25.00 for the Plasti Dip and everything else was free since I had hanging out in my garage. 
