Can't find the perfect font for your logo?
Get hundreds of logo designs in under 5 minutes by completing 5 easy steps
  • 1 Choose some designs that you like
  • 2 Choose your colors
  • 3 Add your company name
  • 4 Pick some icons
  • 5 Download your logo

Give it a try:

Top 9 Tips To Apply Wall Decals With Perfection

by Henny Kel Tweet - in Sticker Design

Wall Decals

Last updated on December 6th, 2022

Art has been a medium of expression for humans since prehistoric times. There are archeological pieces of evidence that prove that primitive men also decorated the walls of their homes with icons, figures, and motifs from their everyday life. The best examples are caves at Lascaux in France and Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, India. If it were possible, I would buy Indian art pieces with the impression of these prehistoric scribbles and turn them into wall decals.

Later, man became conscious of other resources that were available at his disposal. He started painting and drawing on various surfaces like palm leaves, clay tiles, cloth, and canvases made from natural things. He developed multiple shades of colors made from natural extracts of leaves, flowers, tree barks, soil, minerals, etc.

Transformation Of Wall Decals

Wall decals are modern canvases referred to as wall tattoos and wall decor stickers that beautify the surroundings and amplify the positivity manifold. Earlier, the first generation of wall decals was made of only one color in different sizes. They were made of PVC, or Polyvinyl chloride, which is a widely used plastic polymer.

The second generation was upgraded to be made available in different colors, but they had white edges. There was no scope of custom made decals. The third generation has made a significant improvement in terms of aestheticism. The modern wall decal and sticker design are pleasing to the eyes, much more than their predecessors. Wall decals now have transparent borders. You may order a custom made decal. They are more environment-friendly as they may be removed and reused.

You can also come out with a wall decor of your own that conveys your specific brand message. To create, you should first look for sticker design inspiration or wall decal inspiration to stimulate your creative mind. For inspiration, you can visit your own collection of stickers or get it online.

Manufacturers offer a wide range of wall decals to choose from. Some of them are given below:-

a. Floral Wall Decals

b. Video Game Wall Decals

c. Animal Wall Decals

d. Sports Wall Decals

e. Tribal Wall Decals

f. Children’s Cartoon Wall Decals

g. Comedic Wall Decals

h. Measuring Chart Wall Decals

i. Religious Wall Decals

j. Inspirational Phrases Wall Decals

Avoid Situational Hazards In Applying Wall Decals

You are excited about the new home you have bought recently and want to decorate it with your hands. Applying beautiful wall art decals may do wonders. Dull and inanimate walls would start conversing in their own way after they are beautified with these ‘wall tattoos.’

You may be concerned that you can apply custom made decal and online sticker design you have bought to stick, at the wrong places. You bought some beautiful and maybe expensive wall stickers/decals. You definitely don’t want to mess up when sticking them to your walls. Keeping this in mind, here are some tips for applying the decal effectively without any difficulty. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions if they differ from the steps I have listed below.

You will need the following:-

1. A pair of scissors

2. A scale

3. Masking tape

4. Level

Here Are The Top 9 Tips To Apply Wall Decals With Perfection

01. Different Parts Of A Wall Decal

A wall sticker may be made of the following:

1. The decal

2. Transfer paper

3. Backing paper

Parts Of A Wall Decal

02. Clean The Surface On Which You Want To Apply

The place where you want to put that decal is to be selected wisely. Make sure the lighting and other things are in tune with the color and nature of the decal.

Clean The Surface

Wipe the area gently with a dry cloth and be a little cautious not to rub it hard as that could make it rough. There should not be any particles of dust or oil left as then; vinyl decal won’t stick.

Avoid applying any wall decal in the rainy season as walls retain moisture in them due to the damp weather. If the walls were painted a while ago, then wait for some days to let them dry properly.

03. Stick The Wall Decal At The Desired Location On The Wall

Take the decal with its back paper still attached to the transfer paper and place it where you have decided to put it.

Stick The Wall Decal

The masking tape is to be applied to the decal for sticking that on the wall. This will help in keeping the wall decal in place.

Looking For a Sticker Design?

We have helped thousands of business owners from all around the world with their graphic design needs such as sticker design, logo design, website design, social media posts, banner design and much more.
Get Your Sticker DesignGet a Free Quote

04. Time To Remove The Backing

Start removing the backing paper from the back of the decal. This would directly apply your decal on the surface. Make sure that you are not letting any air bubbles form while removing the backing paper. The backing is to be folded onto itself.

Remove The Backing

Doing this with the hinge of masking paper makes it a lot easier. The backing paper is to be rolled on to itself so that it may come out easily. The corners may also be secured with tape to keep the sticker in place.

In case the decal is very large, and the backing is becoming unmanageable, you may cut the excess. For that, you will need a paper cutter.

05. Here Comes Your Wall Decal

By now, you are left only with the most significant step of the entire process. Transfer tape remains with the graphic on the wall.

You may now remove the hinges you applied with the masking tape to keep the decal in place.

Wall Decal

Gently, place a squeegee in the middle of the custom wall art decals and smooth it. It will stick the graphic in place and lessen the chances of any air bubbles that might have gotten trapped.

You need to be extra cautious about applying the squeegee or any other hard material for smoothening out the decal as it may tear through it and cause severe and irreparable damage. If the surface is a textured wall, applying more pressure than necessary may damage it. You may use a towel instead of a squeegee and apply pressure gently.

06. Removing The Transfer Paper

Peel off the transfer paper in the manner you used for removing the backing paper. The transfer paper is to be removed slowly.

Removing The Transfer Paper

In Case You Are Using A Decal That Has Several Parts

07. Try Removing The Backing From The Rest Of The Decal

There is only a part of the decal which is now left for peeling and the masking tape that you applied. The other half part with the backing still remains.

Rest Of The Decal

You need to remove the backing of the remaining part as prescribed above.

08. Second Half Of The Wall Decal Is To Be Applied Now

You need to follow the same procedure that was prescribed above for applying the second half of the decal.

Wall Decal

You need to remove the transfer paper that remains.

09. Smoothening The Actual Decal

By using a towel, you need to smooth out the decal. Start from the middle to the edges. Make sure that your pressure is gentle. You need not do that with a squeegee. It may tamper your decal, and unnecessary pressure may disfigure that completely.

Smoothening The Actual Decal

Here Are Some Points To Remember When Applying The Decal On Fresh Paint

The above instructions specifically mention not to apply a wall decal on a surface that is dirty, oily and filled with moisture. The decal may not stick to those surfaces.

It is advised to wait for at least fourteen days before anything, including your custom sticker design, is to be applied to a freshly painted wall. The paint or moisture content should dry out before trying out anything new as this adventure may turn into a misadventure.

Sometimes, the paint may seem to have dried, but it may not actually have dried out. So, you must wait to rule out any possibility of moisture being present in the paint on the wall.

It is pertinent to note that paints that have a volatile organic compound or paints that have zero V.O.C. take six to eight weeks to dry.

i. Applying Decals On Different Surfaces

Wall decals may be applied to different surfaces. Let us find out more as to what precautions you need to take while dealing with different surfaces.

There is a specific class of surfaces on which a wall decal may be applied. Following things are to be kept in mind while selecting a surface for applying a wall decal:-

a. It should be weather-resistant.

b. It needs to be smooth.

c. It must not have traces of oil and dirt in high proportions.

d. Highly textured surfaces must be avoided.

e. Following surfaces must not be used to apply a wall decal:-

i) Concrete surface

ii) Stucco

iii) Bricks

iv) Suede paints

v) Sand paint

vi) Any other uneven or rough surface

ii. Decals: Could They Be Featured On A Bathroom Wall?

The first thing you need to worry about after applying a wall decal on a bathroom wall is the variation of temperature. Vinyl and moisture don’t go along. Ensure drying out the walls completely so that no traces of moisture or humidity remain there. Tiles of a bathroom are perfect for applying decals.

iii. Could They Be Applied To Wooden Panels?

The ideal surface for applying a wall decal is painted walls and walls that are plastered. The dependency of vinyl depends upon the surface on which they are to be applied. Therefore, it will not stick if you apply them to cracked walls.

Wall decals are ideally made for those surfaces that are smooth. If a wall decal is applied to a rough surface, then there is a possibility that air bubbles may get trapped between the vinyl and the surface. These factors may cause vinyl to come out a short time after application. So, surfaces like smoothened metallic surfaces, surfaces made of glass, walls that are painted are best for that.

Wall decals are designed to be compatible with many surfaces as long as they are smooth and light-textured. Surfaces like flat metals, glass, and painted walls are ideal. The decal was not designed to stick to rough or uneven surfaces. Rough surfaces like stucco, porous aluminum, cinder block, and brick are not compatible. The walls must be free of dirt to avoid unnecessary peeling.

Another thing to keep in mind here is that your wall decal or sticker should stand out if you want to use it to promote the brand. You can also buy Indian art pieces and convert them in to wall decals. But make sure that you hire a professional graphic designer who knows how to create the decal or sticker as per your design needs of the brand.

Conclusion

You need to keep these things in mind when you are applying custom made wall decals. These decals make your home look lively and great. They ease out the day’s brooding by creating a refreshing and calm atmosphere. Choose a wall decal for transforming the interiors of your dwelling place and create a memory in each moment.

Get Your Sticker Design

I am a graphic, web designer and blogger with over 6 years experience. I am very passionate about anything related to design and spends copious amounts of time hidden behind a book or a screen and reading about design. Twitter

Contact

Posts

Share-this
Need a Logo?
A powerful logo can give a company easy recognition. Create your unique business logo using our AI powered logo maker tool. Or, hire a designer to get your logo.
Best for when you want a logo in minutes. Our Artificial Intelligence powered logo maker creates dozens of unique designs in minutes. You can also edit colors, texts, icons and elements.
  • Uses power of AI & Machine Learning
  • Uses library of more than 10,000 fonts and 1M+ icons
  • No design experience required
  • Pricing starts at $20 but you pay only when you find a design you love.
Best for when you want to crowdsource ideas. Multiple designers submit entries for you to rate and review before you award a winner.
  • Fixed price packages starting from $199
  • Hand crafted designs from World-class designers
  • Dozens of concepts to pick from
  • Get 50+ designs in 7 days
  • 100% money back guarantee
Best for when you want to work with a single designer only. Explore the range of creative services offered by our highly talented designers.
  • Work with a single designer
  • Hand crafted designs from World-class designers
  • Options within all price ranges
  • Flexible turnaround time
  • Multiple revisions