Cut a piece that covers the affected area and beyond it. Wax the playfield (in case you or a future owner has to remove the mylar later). Peel and apply to the playfield.

I usually get mylar from PBResource, although other suppliers carry it too.

Personally, I think that's risky and unnecessary.

It might have been superficial, but I just installed a NOS playfield in my Bally Lost world that I had clear coated. And after a week or 2 I could already see hundreds of little tick/scuff marks. I was able to buff them off, but that’s when I at least went ahead and did them around the pop bumpers and in front of the slings. I didn’t want to risk it, since that game is gonna be around for a long time..

Like above, wax playfield first. I do this to drop areas and in the back of the playfield on orbits and between pops. If you wax first, then its not a problem to remove later.

For a game like NGG, i think it would be a good idea. Playfields from that era have a pretty durable clearcoat, so removing the mylar with the freeze method would be easy and no damage left.

I just got a Demo man and there was mylar on the playfield where the ball drops down from the wireforms to the inlanes and it was peeling up. Took me 2 minutes to get it off, remove the adhesive with Naptha and cut out a new piece for it. It's just thin 3mm mylar, but it will at least keep the artwork in good shape. In home use, mylar like this shouldn't have to be changed more than every few thousand games or maybe ever 5+ years, so it's worth it for me.

The slam ramp is notorious for wear, just like the sanctum in The Shadow, so do whatever you can now to prevent the inevitable. Especially when it's only a few dollars in mylar.

For a game that has been on route for over 20 years, and now in home use, I would say just clean and wax it. Maybe install hole protectors.

The playfield has already survived tens of thousands plays. Properly cleaned and waxed, it will stay as is for many thousands of plays in home use.

Adding mylar will maybe prevent playfield wear but also affect game play. I recommend keeping your playfield as is, and clean/wax it to prevent wear.

Mylar is overkill in home use. *

*standard "your game do what you want with it" disclaimer

Personally, I prefer to protect the game as much as possible to help keep it looking nice as long as possible.

The hills you choose to make your stands on....

mspain (resized).png

That is OK, but whatever you add to the playfield to keep it looking nice, might affect the game play. If frequent cleaning and (careful) waxing help keeping the playfield in good shape, then I would prefer those instead of extra Mylar. But of course it all depends on how much the game is played - I guess the owner has the choice.

I can't say I've ever noticed a gameplay difference.

And no matter your choice, they will tell you about it....like it or not....
Pinside Old Man Bitchin (resized).JPG

People are just way too obsessed with "home wear." *

I've owned a billion games and besides a cracked plastic here and there over years, you'd be hard to pressed to identify any additional wear in before (bought) and after (sold) pictures.

It just doesn't happen. Even with relatively "heavy" home play, they are getting a tiny, mere, infintesimal amount of the play/wear that these games would be getting on location, and are being much better taken care of.

I recently looked at pics of the first game I ever bought, a Williams Argosy, in 2002, and compared them to pics taken 20 years later, and there's no noticeable difference. And the odometer shows 50,000 plays/starts in that time.

*standard "your game do what you want with it" disclaimer

I’ve installed a few CPR playfields in my games and will keep the game waxed from time to time. But if it gets played to the point of wear I’ll take that as a compliment to my restoration. The game will be playable long after I’m gone.

Old Bally SS games came with the optional slingshot mylars, and I never noticed any difference with those either.

Some Bally games came with optional almost whole playfield Mylar, and today it is easy to see which games did have the operator installed mylar - those that have paint in the mid playfield.

Some operators objected against the "full" mylars saying they will make the game play too different. But I never heard complaints against the slingshot mylars.

I did this once and regretted it. Same with the metal protectors. Home pins just will not
see the level of wear they'd get on location and both of these things change game play.
As others have said, keep your PF cleaned and waxed AND make sure your balls (the
ones in the machine smart ass) are not rusty or pitted. My $.02

I put adhesive felt on the bottom of the slam ramp and just a small bit of Mylar where the ramps leading edge contacted the pf.

I've been putting Mylar in the shooter lane instead of buying Cliffies.

I made some TPU alternatives they just stick down in place for shooter lanes. I think Mylar works too but can be a pain to remove IMO.