A question we often get asked at Lavastar is, “How much do building wraps cost?” We truly wish there was a straightforward answer, but there are so many factors to consider that the answer depends on how good you want the building wrap to be.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the price and quality of building wraps, but an important piece of advice is that cutting corners is not the right way to cut costs. Cutting corners can lead to poor quality work, making the building wrap look shoddy and poorly made, ultimately leading to a negative impact on your business. When looking into the potential building wrap cost, you should consider the factors determining the price.
Who is conducting your site survey?
Site surveys are crucial when installing a building wrap. They ensure that the wrap’s measurements are correct and match the building’s specifications. This helps ensure the wrap is safe to install and correctly tailored to the building.
Some companies charge for a site survey, but at Lavastar, we offer one free of charge on all of the building wrap projects we manage. Some of the benefits of conducting our own site survey include:
- Conducting a site survey allows us to ensure we have all the correct measurements so the banner fits perfectly.
- Upon visiting a site, we can offer more detailed advice on materials, planning and design (a service we also provide completely free of charge).
- We can explain to the scaffolding contractor the criteria the scaffold must meet to achieve the best results.
- We can discuss wind loading issues in depth to ensure the banner will always be safe and secure.
When getting quotes from different companies, it’s always important to ask if the survey cost is included in the quote. When looking over the potential building wrap cost, you don’t have to worry about that with us, as we offer it completely free of charge.
Will the banner be installed directly to the scaffold or on a Kee Klamp system?
We understand you may want to keep the building wrap cost as low as possible. One way to do so would be to eliminate the use of a Kee Klamp frame system to install your building wrap. Although this does raise the following potential issues:
- Without a Kee Klamp system, the banner must be installed directly on the scaffold, which may cause friction tears when the banner moves in the wind.
- Without a Kee Klamp system, achieving a drum skin-like finish is virtually impossible because the scaffold behind it touches the banner and creates an imprint.
As such, it may not always be the best option to avoid using a Kee Klamp frame system just to save money. When asking questions like, “How much does a building wrap cost?”, the system implemented when installing the wrap is a crucial part of that. It’s vital to get the right installation system for your needs. At Lavastar, with the initial quote and survey, we’ll give you an honest opinion on the best way to install your building wrap. To learn more about the potential options, check out our blog post on how to wrap building or scaffolding using graphics.
How does the print and material quality impact the building wrap cost?
In the signage industry, there will always be someone offering the same job at a slightly lower price, but with a low price comes low quality. The building wrap cost isn’t the only thing to consider – the quality of the materials used can increase the price, but will lead to a much better job being done.
If you are being offered a price that sounds too good to be true, be sure to request an exact material and print specification. While some thin, low-grade PVC materials may initially do the job, they are very prone to ripping in high winds.
At Lavastar, we always suggest opting for a banner grade of 320GSM or above and ensuring your costs include a print proof. So often, we see companies spend large sums on building wrap advertising designs with poor print quality, resulting in a terrible finish. Printing is arguably the most essential part of producing a quality building wrap, and jobs that are printed with a low pass rate often result in print banding lines, which are very noticeable when printing solid colours.
In essence, there are many things that should be included on a building wrap, but if the quality isn’t good, it very quickly shows, which means the design work doesn’t stand out the way it should.
What are the potential pitfalls of just considering the building wrap cost?
Another important aspect when determining the cost of building wraps is logistics. It is easy to break down the different steps in producing and installing a building wrap and source the cheapest for each step. However, while this approach will save you money in the short term, the potential poor quality of the work done could do more harm than good. Having too many companies involved could lead to a lower quality of labour or worse materials being used, leading to a worse job being done.
With Lavastar, you don’t have to worry about that, as choosing us means the project will remain under one roof. Doing this will eliminate the following issues:
- Inconsistency with measurements
2. Issues with planning and timing
3. Logistics errors
4. Quality issues
5. Miscommunication and lack of knowledge of the entire project
Lavastar are a company that can manage your building wrap from a free initial site survey right through to production and installation. If you would like us to provide a quote on a building wrap for your business, there are several ways you can contact us. Please call us on 07502227883 or email us at e.k@lavastar.co.uk for a fast response.
Check out our helpful guide to learn more about building wraps and why they should be used.
