Guides & Tutoriels

How to Apply a Skin to a Laptop Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15–20 Minutes

What You’ll Need

A bank card or squeegee

A hairdryer (or heat gun on low setting)

The included microfiber cloth

Good lighting

Preparation: The Deep Clean Before starting, power off your laptop. The most common cause of skin failure is oil from your fingers or dust on the chassis.

Wipe the surface with isopropyl alcohol to break down finger oils.

Dry immediately with the microfiber cloth.

Inspect the laptop at an angle under a light to ensure no dust particles remain; even a tiny speck will show as a bump under the skin.

Step 1: The "Peel and Fold" Technique Do not peel the entire skin off the backing paper at once.

Peel back only the top 1–2 inches of the skin.

Fold the backing paper underneath itself to crease it.

This exposes a sticky strip at the top while the rest remains protected, giving you control.

Step 2: Precision Alignment

Hold the skin taut by the bottom (protected) corners.

Hover over the laptop and align the exposed top edge with the laptop’s corners and the hinge.

Check: If your laptop has a logo cutout, use that as your primary anchor point.

Once aligned, press down only on the exposed top strip.

Step 3: The Squeegee Method

Wrap your microfiber cloth around the bank card to create a soft squeegee.

Reach under the skin and slowly pull the backing paper down with one hand.

With your other hand, push the card firmly from the center outwards to the edges on the newly exposed adhesive.

Tip: Do this in 1-inch increments. Never rush this step to prevent air bubbles.

Step 4: Locking the Edges (Heat)

Once the skin is fully applied, you might feel the edges are sharp or slightly lifted.

Set your hairdryer to high heat/low air.

Heat one edge for 5–10 seconds until the vinyl softens.

Immediately rub the edge firmly with the microfiber cloth. This melts the adhesive slightly, bonding it permanently to the texture of the laptop.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard (Due to small size and corners) Time Required: 10–15 Minutes

What You’ll Need

Bank card

Hairdryer

Microfiber cloth

Preparation Clean the back glass and the camera bump meticulously. Dust around the camera lenses is the enemy of a clean install.

Step 1: Anchor Points

Peel the skin entirely off the backing paper, but re-attach it so only the camera area is exposed.

Align the skin perfectly around the camera module first. This is your "True North."

Do not press down firmly yet; just tack it lightly so it stays in place.

Step 2: Vertical Alignment

Look at the bottom charging port/speaker holes.

Ensure the skin is falling straight down the center of the phone.

If it looks crooked, gently lift and realign the camera section.

Once straight, press down the center of the phone with your thumb.

Step 3: Smoothing Out

Using your thumb or the cloth-wrapped card, push from the center spine of the phone out toward the left and right edges.

This drives air out the sides rather than trapping it in the middle.

Step 4: The Corner Technique (Crucial) Phone corners are curved, and vinyl is flat. You must use heat to make the vinyl flexible.

Heat: Blast one corner with the hairdryer for 3–5 seconds.

Stretch & Roll: While the vinyl is warm, use your thumb to roll the skin over the curve. You may need to apply a micro-stretch (pulling very gently) to get it to lay flat without wrinkles.

Rub: Rub the corner repeatedly (15–20 times) with the cloth to smooth out any "ripples."

How to Apply a Skin to a PS5 Controller Difficulty: Hard (Requires patience and heat) Time Required: 20–30 Minutes

What You’ll Need

Hairdryer (Mandatory)

Microfiber cloth

Clean the controller handles deeply, as this is where the skin is most likely to peel if grease remains.

Step 1: The Center Anchor

Remove the skin from the backing paper.

Most controller skins are one single complex shape or split into handles and body.

Start by aligning the cutout for the PlayStation button/Touchpad in the center.

Do not stick the handles down yet; keep them "floating."

Step 2: Working Outwards

Once the center is perfect, gently lay down the skin around the D-pad and Face Buttons (Triangle, Circle, etc.).

Ensure the skin isn't riding up onto the buttons themselves.

Step 3: Handling the Grips (The Hard Part)

The handles are compound curves (curving in two directions). The vinyl will naturally want to wrinkle here.

Heat: Apply heat to one handle for 5–8 seconds until the vinyl becomes floppy.

Stretch: Gently pull the vinyl around the handle curve. The heat allows it to stretch slightly without tearing.

Smooth: Use your thumb to smooth it down from the center of the handle outward to the back.

Step 4: Wrinkle Management

If you see wrinkles on the edges, lift the vinyl up, heat it again, and re-apply with more tension.

Final Seal: Once the skin is on, blast the entire controller with hot air (keeping the dryer moving so you don't melt the plastic) and rub every inch firmly with the cloth. This "post-heat" sets the memory of the vinyl to the shape of the controller.

How to Apply a Skin to a PS5 Console Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 20 Minutes

What You’ll Need

Bank card

Hairdryer

Microfiber cloth

Cleaning wipes

Preparation Remove the plates from the PS5 if you are comfortable doing so (it makes application easier), though it is not strictly required. Wipe down the large flat surfaces to remove static dust.

Step 1: Identify the Orientation PS5 plates have subtle curves. Identify which skin piece belongs to the "Disc Side" vs the "Digital Side" by holding them up to the console before peeling.

Step 2: The Top-Down Approach

Peel back 2 inches of the backing paper from the top of the skin (where the PS logo usually is).

Align the top corners and the logo cutout perfectly.

Press down the exposed top section.

Step 3: The Slow Roll

Unlike a laptop, the PS5 surface curves slightly.

Pull the backing paper down slowly from underneath.

Use your entire palm (wrapped in the cloth) to sweep from the center outwards in a "fanning" motion.

Tip: If you see a large bubble, lift the skin back up past the bubble and try again. Don't try to force a large bubble out.

Step 4: Sealing the Vents

The edges near the vents can collect dust over time if not sealed.

Run the hairdryer along the outer edges of the panels for 10 seconds.

Pinch the edges with the microfiber cloth and run your fingers down the length of the plate to ensure a tight seal.