An applicator die for creating undivided ribbons of polymeric film and a method of using the die to apply an emulsified polymeric material in ribbons to a fully or partially finished surface of an automobile body. In one application, the ribbon is applied as a peelable film to an automobile body and in another application, a ribbon is applied to a rocker panel as an anti-chip coating. For both applications, the applicator die has an internal gallery and an outlet slot with flared edge surfaces to emit a laminarized ribbon of polymer-based material at a distance from the target surface where the opposite edges of the ribbon have become essentially parallel.