What It Means to Be 3M Certified Wrap Installers and a 3M Preferred Shop

“We are 3M Certified wrap installers and a 3M Preferred Shop.” That is how High Stakes Creative describes itself, and both parts matter. One is about the people who put film on your vehicle, wall or window. The other is about the shop they work for. This post explains what each one means, how 3M decides who earns it, and what it changes for your project.

What does “3M Certified wrap installers” mean?

It means the people installing your graphics have passed 3M’s own hands-on installer testing. This is not a sales course from a film supplier. 3M runs the tests at its headquarters in Saint Paul, Minnesota and at authorized training and testing facilities. Installers apply 3M film to real surfaces, and 3M grades the finished work.

3M tests by specialty, so a credential tells you what kind of work an installer has proven:

• Fleet graphics: vans, autos and trailers, plus walls, textured walls and floors.
• Windows, walls and floors: films on glass, smooth and textured walls, and floors.
• Vehicle color change: full color-change wraps, including 3M Knifeless Tape for cutting without a blade on the paint.
• DI-NOC architectural finishes: 3M’s wood, stone and metal-look surface films for interiors.

These are not beginner tests. 3M says they should only be attempted by experienced installers. For the vehicle color change test, it advises people with less than a year in the trade not to take it at all.

What does “3M Preferred Shop” mean?

A 3M Preferred Shop is a business whose installers hold 3M Preferred installer credentials. 3M lists these businesses on its public installer locator and lets them use specific 3M program branding. That means you can look the shop up yourself and don’t have to take its word for it.

On 3M’s locator, High Stakes Creative in Kennesaw is listed with two 3M Preferred credentials: Fleet Graphics and Windows, Walls & Floors. Those match the two kinds of work we do most. The first is vehicle and fleet wraps. The second is branded walls, windows and floors inside and outside your building.

Why do both matter?

They answer two different questions you should ask any wrap company.

• Can the person on my job actually do it? That is what certification covers. Installers need to know how far a film can stretch and how to post-heat it so it stays down in recesses and around rivets. They also need to cut it without damaging paint.
• Does the company stand behind the method? That is what Preferred Shop status shows. 3M has the shop on record, the listing is public, and the work is tied to 3M’s installation procedures.

Together, they mean your graphics go on the way the film maker says they should. That matters for warranty coverage. 3M’s warranties on finished graphics depend on using the right 3M products and on following 3M’s product and instruction bulletins. Ask us which coverage applies to the film and laminate on your project.

What changes for you on a real job?

• Edges and recesses are done right. Lifting usually starts at the edges and in recesses, and those are exactly the details a tested installer is trained to handle.
• The film fits the surface. A box truck, a textured lobby wall and a storefront window each need a different film and a different technique.
• Every fleet vehicle matches. When the same tested crew installs every vehicle, the 1st van and the 40th look the same.
• Removal is planned from the start. When you rebrand, sell or return a leased vehicle, a film that was installed correctly is much easier to remove.

Do you only work with 3M film?

No. Our installers are also Avery Dennison Certified. We can work with either film maker’s system and recommend the one that best fits your vehicles, surfaces and budget.

How can you check an installer’s 3M credentials?

• Ask which 3M credentials the shop holds, by name and by specialty.
• Look the business up on 3M’s installer locator.
• Ask who will actually install your job: the shop’s own installers or subcontractors.
• Ask which film and laminate they plan to use, and why.

Ready to talk about your wrap or graphics?

High Stakes Creative designs, prints and installs vehicle wraps, fleet graphics, and wall, window and floor graphics from our shop in Kennesaw, GA. We are 3M Certified wrap installers and a 3M Preferred Shop. Call (678) 861-7446 or request a quote.

Sources

• 3M Graphics Installer program
• 3M installer training and testing
• 3M Find an Installer
• 3M Graphics Warranties brochure (PDF)