If you’ve bought yourself some custom vinyl wall decals, you want to ensure that they stick to the surface. Both during the peeling process and once the decal is on the wall.
Many give up entirely when they discover that their decal is peeling or won’t stick, removing the decal entirely.
We’re here to guide you and ensure that those decals stick to your wall and prevent peeling. Join us in finding out how this can be done.
What This Article Covers:
How to Get Wall Decals to Stick
You may know how to apply vinyl decals, but the decal itself might have some trouble sticking to the wall.
When you have a wall decal that’s made up of individual parts or letters, issues with the peeling process can occur.
These more intricately designed decals don’t always come off the transfer paper, creating an incomplete decal.
The thin parts of these decals don’t have much adhesive on them due to there being a smaller surface area to work with.
To help make wall decals stick, you want to press the transfer paper against the wall while peeling. This causes the decal to stick to the wall as you peel.
This requires a large amount of patience from the consumer. As tempting as it is to see your decal on the wall as soon as possible, patience is key.
If you see the decal sticking to the paper or lifting as you’re peeling, rub the transfer paper against the decal again before lifting it. You want to do this slowly.
Another way to get it to stick is to peel the decal in layers instead of starting in corners. This gives you a smaller surface area to work with as you peel.
You will find that applying vinyl decals to glass or smoother surfaces is much easier as their smoothness grabs the decal from the transfer paper.
Does Wall Texture Have an Effect?
Wall decals are a nice touch to whatever room or area you want to spice up.
So, if you’re wondering what to put vinyl decals on, any wall should do.
However, applying more detailed decals on a textured wall compared to a very smooth one, it’ll require more precise peeling and care.
At the end of the day, no matter your wall, peeling or the decal not sticking is prone to be a problem. Don’t worry, though, there are ways to resolve that.
What to Do When Wall Decals Won’t Stick
If you’ve followed the steps to applying wall decals but still have issues, we got you.
The first step is to not panic. Wall decals not sticking is a very common issue that many consumers face.
Good wall preparation is key to ensuring a smooth placement of the decal. You don’t want your wall to be wet, but you also don’t want the wall to be super dry.
If it’s too wet, it could spoil the decal and its texture. Therefore, applying vinyl decals in cold weather isn’t ideal as the walls become moist.
If the wall is too dry, it can cause the decal to tear, ruining the overall image.
We’ve found that using heat on the decal can help ease the transition process. Simply heating the decal with a blow dryer can help the design adhere to the wall.
Using a hair dryer helps rip small pieces of the transfer paper from the wall that tend to get stuck as you transfer.
This is much better than trying to remove the transfer paper with water and scrub.
The final step is to go over the decal itself with the hair dryer. However, don’t focus that heat on the decal for too long as that could ruin the image quality.
How to Get Wall Decals to Stick Again
Certain factors lead to your wall decal peeling or completely falling off the wall.
These include a wall that’s been painted recently and hasn’t been left to dry properly, a dirty wall continuing dust, or the overall texture of your wall not gelling with the wall decal.
However, this isn’t the end of the world. There are tips and tricks to ensuring your peeling wall decal sticks to your wall.
The first is one we’ve mentioned before, and that’s to apply heat. Heating the wall creates a stronger bond between the decal and the wall itself.
If this doesn’t work, chances are that the adhesive on the vinyl is no longer present. This means you need that stickiness back.
We recommend using a removable adhesive glue that you can purchase for a few bucks. This helps prevent the edges of your wall decal from peeling in the future.
Did you enjoy reading our blog? Then consider checking other guides:
- Applying Vinyl Decals to Canvas
- How to Apply Window Decals Without Bubbles
- How to Put Vinyl Decal on Curved Surface
- How to Apply Window Decal
- How to Install Perforated Window Decal
- Do Wall Decals Work on Textured Walls
- Why Is My Vinyl Decal Not Sticking
- Modern Wall Decals
- Cool Wall Decals
- Best Wall Decals
- Are Wall Decals Still in Style
- Popular Wall Decals
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- Premium Vinyl Decals
- What Is Perforated Vinyl