cool art design BLOG

Can we put wall decals on stretched canvas?

Customer Question: 

I have a quick question.  I have applied plastic and vinyl decals to stretched canvas' in my son's room.  I did this because we are moving and I thought it would be a great way to decorate his room and take the art with us when we leave.  However, the decals are pealing off and I need a way to make them stick back since I have invested so much into everything.  Do you have any suggestions for a spray on adhesive to use or anything at all???  I don't want my son to be able to peal these off either... Please help.

Cool Art Vinyl response:

Hi there,   Sorry but  decals are not made to be applied to canvas as the adhesive on the back is very thin and needs a firm hard surface to stick to.  Canvas as a fabric continues to pull the moisture out of the adhesive and so over time they will start to peel off.   You could try a clear varnish over the whole canvas which might seal the vinyl so it can’t lift. 

Good luck!
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Thought we would make a comment on this QA above.  We get asked all the time if people can apply their wall decals to canvas.  We wouldn't recommend it and the whole point of wall decals is to apply them to hard surfaces such as walls/ doors/ windows etc.

How difficult is it to apply wall decals?

With the booming popularity of wall decals, also called wall stickers, there is the tendency to purchase based on the pretty picture without too much thought about what to do when the package arrives.

So what’s wrong with that we hear you ask? 

The pretty picture somehow needs to get from the package to your surface, and this can sometimes be tricky.  Looking at the bigger picture before you buy will help ensure you are going to get value for your money.

Last week we had a customer receive their order, and they contacted us straight away and admitted they just knew that they would mess it up so could they return it.

Admittedly that is not very common, but it made us think that an article preparing you with some of the key facts would be useful.

 

Wall decal application 101

To apply a BASIC wall decal there are 5 parts to the process:

1. Line up the wall decal
2. Secure the wall decal
3. Remove backing paper
4. Apply design to the wall
5. Remove front transfer tape

 

Comments about lining up the wall decal

For most designs, you can arrange the design on an angle, or straight and for some designs it doesn’t matter because it works any which way.

However for sentences, words and designs such as a city horizon, getting the horizontal line straight can be important.  Although, maybe you want your sentence or words on an angle and then you can do that.

To get a straight line there are two things you can do.

1. Use a spirit level (recommended)
2. Use a ruler

With a spirit level you loosely tape the design, then make finite adjustments until the line is perfect.  When happy, secure the top edge of the sentence securely.  Proceed with application.

If you do not have a spirit level you will need to use a ruler. This method involves measuring exactly the same distance from the floor to bottom of the letters.  You will need to confirm all the way along the sentence that this distance is equal.  The problem is if your floor is not straight, the measurement will reflect this.

 

Pros and Cons about kits, pieces and multi pieces

Large single piece decal:         This is one solid big piece of vinyl.  An example would be a silhouette of a person.  Or could be a large single piece within a kit.

                                                This style of decal is very easy to line up on the wall.  It can be more challenging during application because you might need two people.  You have to be patient and work in a slow even manner to roll the design onto the wall avoiding wrinkles.

Small single piece decal:         A butterfly or small bird would be an example of this.  One single object in the design.

                                                These are easy to line up and very easy to apply.

Multiple pieces pre-spaced:      This is when a group of small pieces of vinyl are provided to you pre-spaced as a set.  An example would be a word or sentence, or a set of musical notes.

                                                If it is a sentence or word this can be tricky to line up in straight line.

                                                During application, you often need to cut the design into smaller sections after you have lined it all up.  This makes the application easier.

Decal kit:                                  This kit can be made up of large single pieces or small single pieces, or even with multiple pieces.

                                                The word “kit” implies and correctly so that you will need to assemble the pieces to form the design.  You have the added challenge of assembling on your wall, not just on a craft table.

                                                These normally involve lining everything up using masking tape, marking edges lightly with a pencil, then removing most of the design and applying each piece separately.

 

Trouble shooting the Application

The two biggest problems people experience with applying wall decals or wall stickers are:

 

1.     Vinyl sticks to backing paper, not transfer tape.

After arranging your design on the wall, the next step is to “flip” the decal on a piece of masking tape and gently peel away the hard white backing paper.

The design is supposed to stay on the clear or white transfer tape, not the backing paper.

However, with very intricate or “thin” designs, the vinyl might be tempted to stay with the backing paper and not adhere to the transfer tape.

To prevent or fix this, follow this advice:

• Never store wall decals or stickers.  They are meant to be applied straight away.  If you store them, the front transfer tape will bubble and the design will not stick to it as well as it should.
• Never unpack or store (for even one afternoon) the designs in the sun, or in a hot or heated area.  The heat will lift the front transfer tape away from the design- this is the opposite of what you require.  You need the design to be sticking to the transfer tape.
• When you unpack your kit from the box or tube.  Lie the design flat.  Rub over the entire design firmly.  This will help adhere the design to the transfer tape.
• If you flip the design, and peel away backing paper and the design sticks, simply get your finger nail, or bend the backing paper the form a gap and ease the design onto the transfer tape.  Basically make it happen!

2.     Vinyl sticks to transfer tape, not the wall or surface.

After removing the backing paper, you will follow the instructions about smoothing the design (with transfer tape on front) onto the surface.

The design is stuck to wall.  Transfer tape is covering the front of the design.

So you start removing the transfer tape but some of the design does not stay on surface, but wants to come away with the transfer tape.

Mainly occurs if the paint or surface is slightly textured.

To prevent or fix this, follow this advice:

·         With the transfer tape on the front of design, use your palm of your hand and firmly rub over entire design.  Work the design into the surface.

·         Leave the design for a little time to allow the adhesive to stick as well as possible before removing the transfer tape.

·         When you do remove the transfer tape- ALWAYS work very slowly and steadily. If you “whip” the transfer tape off, we can almost guarantee the design will rip away as well.

·         Always fold the transfer tape back against itself and “roll” away from design.  You are trying to avoid pulling the design off the wall.  So roll away design, rather than pulling.

·         If the design is lifting during this process, gently use your other hand, place your finger on the vinyl and hold it down as you roll the transfer tape back.

·         After the transfer tape is off use your palms and press the design firmly into wall.

We hope this helps you choose decal and wall sticker designs that best suit your skills level.

For any further advice, see our other articles or visit our blog…

IKEA wall decals not sticking

At our sale last week we had a few customers talking to us about their experience with IKEA wall decals or wall stickers.

The overall opinion was that the IKEA wall stickers do not stick.  They peel up around the edges.  So why don't they stick?

In brief, the IKEA wall designs don't stick because they are more like a sticker, than a true sign writing based wall decal.

Wall stickers are basically just large stickers.  The come on a backing paper and you simply PEEL and STICK.  Several companies sell these including IKEA and The Wall Sticker Company and several others.  They tend to emphasise in their application to rub hard around the edges, because these are the first areas to lift up.

The sticker is normally thicker than a proper decal and so it does not contour to the surface well.  Any texture at all limits the "stickability" of these.

A proper decal is much thinner and always comes with a transfer tape on the front to assist in positioning the much thinner vinyl decal.

The vinyl then contours to the texture of the surface better and hence sticks for longer.

So if you want a very temporary wall design or one that is simply PEEL and STICK then the IKEA wall stickers will be fine.

For more permanent, classy decorating go with the decals with a transfer tape on the front, they tend to mean thinner vinyl which is more effective for sticking.

Do wall decals damage walls?

A question that we frequently receive is, “do wall decals damage walls?

 

So frequent that we thought it might be helpful to elaborate on what wall decals are made of, and whether they damage walls or not.

 

There is not a YES or NO answer to the question.

 

Because walls and all surfaces have variables, so to does the answer.

• If you apply wall decals to well painted, quality walls, then no, you should not have trouble removing decals.
• However, if your walls have a poor paint job to start with, then removing them, no matter how hard you try to be careful, there might be paint damage.

At this point, let us say, that this is only in relation to Cool Art Vinyl wall decals.  We do not vouch for any other company’s wall decals.  Many other companies produce cheap stickers that are on a thicker paper which requires stronger adhesive and these will definitely damage your walls.

 

Cool Art Vinyl decals are made from ultra thin lightweight vinyl that has a very thin layer of self adhesive for applying the design to the wall.

 

So let’s rephrase.  Cool Art Vinyl decals will not damage your smooth, good walls.  They may however damage poor paintwork on walls.

 

To assist in removing the vinyl, we recommend using heat.  By heating the lettering or designs so that the adhesive warms up, then the vinyl will be easier to lift off.  Once removed, wipe any residue off with a surface cleaner suitable for your walls.

 

If the wall paint is very poor and you are concerned about damage, then to be honest, it might be a good idea to have the wall repainted.

 

Wall decals are a fast, easy and a fun way to decorate.  So enjoy!  And worst case scenario, repaint later!!