How To Install a Vinyl Decal

If you follow me on Facebook you probably know that I'm putting together an Etsy shop to sell decorative vinyl decals for the home. I wanted to start by explaining how to install one of these in less than ideal circumstances.

I've noticed that most shops tell you the installation is easy, which is true most of the time, but don't go into details about how it is done or the problems that can arise in certain circumstances. Here I show you how to put an intricate and fairly large decal on a textured surface. Not all textured surfaces will accept vinyl but lots of them will if you are patient and know a few tricks. Smooth, semi-gloss surfaces accept vinyl much more easily than this.These are the tools of the professional vinyl installer. These are what I use most of the time, but don't panic. There are a couple of common household items you can replace them with.

Instead of a rivet brush you can use any firm bristled brush, like this old toothbrush I sometimes clean things with. Instead of a vinyl squeegee you can use a credit card or credit-card-like device, like this club card that I hardly ever use for anything else anyway.

These items might also come in handy. The hairdryer warms thing up. You might want scissors to cut potions of your decal away, if you want to install half of it in one place on your wall and the other half elsewhere, for instance. A needle can be used to pierce any air bubbles in the decal after installation. Not shown, but also useful are a pencil, ruler, and a weak solution of rubbing alcohol and water.

Of course, you'll need a high quality vinyl decal, like this one I made yesterday and will be selling in my Etsy shop.

A vinyl decal has three layers. 1. A smooth backing layer. 2. The colored, cut vinyl. 3. The application tape which is sticky on the inside and smooth on the top.

Before you get started, clean your surface. A solution of water and rubbing alcohol will take any surface oils off of there that might prevent the vinyl from sticking, but test it in a small spot in the corner of the room first to make sure it won't mess up your paint. Here's how I did this installation.

The bottom of my transfer tape and backing make a straight line at the bottom of my decal. I use my ruler to measure off and and mark where I want the bottom of the decal to go. I make about four small marks in a line so I can put the decal up straight. I also figure the center of my area, because I want my decal to be centered between the windows. (I tested a corner of the room to make sure I would be able to erase the pencil marks.)

Here I am finding the center of my decal by folding it in half and creasing the backing material in the middle. This is a quick and easy way to do it but you could also measure it off and mark the transfer tape which easily accepts pen or pencil.

I have folded back the smooth backing to expose the sticky vinyl and transfer tape.

Carefully, I line up the bottom of my decal with the markings I made on my wall and then smooth the transfer tape down firmly with my hand. You don't have to be headless to do this, it just makes it easier for the camera person to see what's going on.

Firmly rubbing down the transfer tape the whole time, I slowly and carefully peel away the backing material.

Here I am almost done with this step.

Now I go over the whole decal with the edge my club card, pressing down just as hard as I can. If the wall were a smooth surface I could probably skip the next two steps. The vinyl would be firmly adhered to the wall now.

Since my wall is textured and the vinyl hasn't stuck down as well as I want, I go over the whole decal thoroughly with my hair dryer on high, rubbing with the card some more as I go.

Then I use the toothbrush to get the vinyl stuck down in all those teeny little crevices.

Then I very slowly and carefully pull off the application tape. Honestly, my arms got tired so I took a break in the middle of this step and checked my e-mail. This is the step where things can go wrong if your adhesion isn't good and you aren't careful. On smooth walls though, it would be a quick and easy job.

Since I still didn't feel like the decal was good and stuck down, I went back over it with the toothbrush. You might just want to rub it down with your fingers one last time. If you have any air bubbles you can pierce them with a needle and smooth them down now.

And here's the finished installation.

Most of the time it will actually be easier than this. It's important to buy your decals from a seller that gives you a small test decal to practice with and has a sensible return policy (like I do).

Vinyl is easily removable when you want to remodel. If it has been there a few years, or your paint wasn't well cured when you put it on, you may have to retouch the paint a little. If the vinyl has been on there a long time, warming it with a hairdryer helps in the removal process.