Royal How-To Guide: Vinyl Decal Installation

Vinyl graphics, decals and stickers have a wide variety of applications and can be installed on several different surfaces. Big or small, vinyl graphics are perfect for anything from posting office hours on a glass door, to decorating a vehicle with a company's logo and colours. When purchasing vinyl from Royal, it is important to know whether you would like our professional installers to apply the graphics for you, or if you'd like to tackle the installation process yourself. We recommend professional help with vinyl installations that are larger and more detailed. If you have something small and you'd like to do it yourself, the following guide will help!

How To Install Vinyl Decals

In order for your vinyl installation to go as smoothly as possible, you will require the following tools: masking tape, scissors (or a sharp knife), measuring tape, squeegee. If you do not have a squeegee, a small piece of hard plastic will also work (eg. bank card, ID, etc.)

Step 1: Thoroughly clean and dry the area where the vinyl decal is to be installed.  Using masking tape, tack the decal up in the approximate location it is to be installed. Once it is up, step back and make sure the placement looks correct. Make any necessary adjustments and repeat. Once you have the correct placement, use a tape measure to ensure the decal is level. You can do this by measuring both sides of the decal with a square surface (eg. door frame) adjusting up or down on either side until they both measure the same.

Step 2: Once your decal is in position and level, run a strip of masking tape along one edge. Usually with smaller decals, the top edge works best.

Step 3: Using your scissors or a sharp knife, cut the vinyl into smaller, more manageable pieces BETWEEN the characters. If your decal is one solid piece, this method will not work and you should continue to step 4. CAUTION: If you are using a knife, be aware of the surface you are cutting on. For example, a window may have a layer of tint which the knife could damage.

Step 4: Now to begin the application! Lift one section, remove the backer paper and using firm pressure, squeegee downward and outward onto the surface. Repeat this step until all pieces are applied.

  

Step 5: Slowly remove the masking tape and vinyl application tape.

If you've gone this far, you're done! Hopefully this guide has been helpful and if you have any further questions, our installation experts are here to help! Just give us a call, send us an email, or tweet us and we'll do everything we can to offer tips and advice or answer any questions.

 

 

 

Posted on September 3, 2013 - 2:49pm by Stefan.