Prepping Surfaces for Vinyl Stickers: A Guide

Using vinyl stickers to customise your space is one of the most cost-effective choices. Apart from being budget-friendly, sticker printing for decor gives you endless options to bring some colour into your room.
From walls to laptops, there is certainly no lack of surfaces for you to spruce up with a vinyl sticker. However, if the stickers are not used on the right type of surface or if the surface is not prepared right, the sticker can fall out fast.
Best Surfaces for Vinyl Stickers
Vinyl stickers go with most of the surfaces, provided the right kind of adhesive is used. When it comes to flooring, you can pick anything from wood, tile, linoleum, and even smooth concrete. The stickers hold well onto doors, desks, windows, and other surfaces in a building to which you want to add some flair. Vinyl stickers are a great way to bring more life to the whiteboard for restaurants and classrooms.
When it comes to walls, using a vinyl sticker needs special attention. Without this, the sticking and peeling can cause damage to the paint job. Compared to drywall and walls with light textures, heavily textured walls need more care while applying vinyl stickers. Always run a trial on a small patch before going ahead with the sticker.
How to Clean the Chosen Surface
Following the sticker printing, cleaning your chosen surface is the next task. Do not skip this part because even though it might seem tedious, it will affect the result. For smooth stickers without any air bubbles, tidy the surface diligently.
You start prepping the surface by wiping away the dust, grime, and other particles with a cloth. The next step is to use methylated spirit to wipe down the surface. This always yields the best results when it comes to surfaces for stickers. The only thing that you have to stay clear of is a cleaner that has oil in its contents. The oil in the cleaner has negative impacts on the adhesive and how the sticker sticks to the surface.
Factors Influencing the Adhesion
- Time
Usually, adhesives form stronger bonds with the surface with time. Some surface-adhesive combinations reach maximum adhesion quickly, whereas others require time. For the best results, it is best to get in touch with your sticker printing store.
- Temperature
For the surface and adhesive to form a solid bond, there needs to be an ambient temperature facilitating the process. Usually, warmer surfaces are easier for stickers to adhere to. So, in case the surrounding temperature is too low, or the surface is a little cold, you will need to give the sticker some additional time to stick.
- Degree of Tack
The degree of tack refers to the level of adhesion you can expect from the adhesive used on the sticker. For stickers that need to be peeled or repositioned often, low-tack stickers are used, whereas permanent stickers have high-tack adhesives on them.
- Surface Type
As mentioned, the surface on which you place the sticker affects how long the sticker will last. Flat and smooth surfaces will not give you any trouble because the sticker adhesive has more area to bond. However, textured surfaces are tricky, and the surface-adhesive bond is usually lower.
Be it for decor, advertisement, or both; vinyl stickers are a great addition to your walls and other surfaces. If you have decided on the exact design for your sticker, go ahead and make it a reality.