Removable Wall Decals/vinyl

[Luke Lockridge]

Hey guys. I am looking for a vinyl that is low tack that I can use for cutting out wall decals and sayings. I need to be able to remove the vinyl when it is no longer wanted without doing harm to the wall or paint. Are there any suggestions on products? Thanks.

[Scott Shepherd]

You can buy the stuff they are making the "Fathead" products from, print your own stuff and it's supposed to remove nicely. Check with Fellers for JarHead Vinyl or Oracal 3268.

I've not used either, but I know they are available.

[Doug Bergstrom]

What type of printer are you using?

We print all the time on this material. There are several out there with different properties depending on the printer and type of work i.e. coverage, life etc.

[Joe Pelonio]

It sounded to me like he was looking for colored vinyl for plotter cutting, not printing.

The removables mentioned come only in white or clear, so would have to be painted or screenprinted before cutting. There is such a beast, like Macmark 8900 (14 colors) http://www.meyerplastics.com/signand...3008900pro.pdf

and Avery 2850 series (black or white)

You could also use 3m 180C ControlTac and then not burnish it enough to activate the adhesive fully.

[Luke Lockridge]

It sounded to me like he was looking for colored vinyl for plotter cutting, not printing.

The removables mentioned come only in white or clear, so would have to be painted or screenprinted before cutting. There is such a beast, like Macmark 8900 (14 colors) http://www.meyerplastics.com/signand...3008900pro.pdf

and Avery 2850 series (black or white)

You could also use 3m 180C ControlTac and then not burnish it enough to activate the adhesive fully.

You are correct Joe. I am looking for vinyl to use in my Roland Stika. What about Oracal 631 Exhibition vinyl?

[Joe Pelonio]

You are correct Joe. I am looking for vinyl to use in my Roland Stika. What about Oracal 631 Exhibition vinyl?

Yes, that's a good one to use.

[Luke Lockridge]

Yes, that's a good one to use.

Good. I think that I have some at home. Plus, signwarehouse.com has it in several colors. Thanks to everybody who has provided feedback. I am trying to get my foot in the door to the vinyl business and am looking for different options to provide to customers.

[Joe Pelonio]

For future reference, I have been able to remove regular cast vinyl from interior walls using a hair dryer without damaging the wall. On the other hand, I have had the paint come off with blue masking tape when applying vinyl to interior walls. It's strictly a matter of how good the paint was and the prep job. Unfortunately you never know that ahead of time.

[Luke Lockridge]

Thanks for the info. What would be a good way to test to see how well the wall is prepped/painted? I would assume that the walls are not painted the same in all areas, so would testing the paint in a low key place give a good analysis of the prepping of the paint/wall?

[Joe Pelonio]

A test would help but there are no guarantees so you will always want to give a disclaimer. I've even had masking tape pull paint off a used but recently repainted truck body.

For example here in my 30 year old home, I know (from doing the work) that there are at least 3 coats for good paint. If I place regular masking tape and yank it off there's no sign of it having been there. On the other hand, at a brand new building I worked on last week the blue tape pulled off the paint to the drywall.

[James Stokes]

One thing you can do with any vinyl is spray it with repositional tack spray. That will take 90% of the stick out of it.

[Scott Shepherd]

I'm with Joe, I pulled the paint off a wall when using a stencil not too long ago. Having done more sheetrock work and painting than I care to admit, it was quite easy to see the problem. They used no primer and painted directly over the sanded sheetrock compound. So they painted over a thin laser of dust.

Of course I found out who painted it when I told them I messed up the wall and they told me they had the paint in the back, because they had painted it themselves to save money. I was able to touch it up and be okay, but I was sweating as the paint came off.

There is just no way to tell what's under the paint. Primer? Nothing? No idea.

[Jon Behnke]

I work in the printing industry and there are a several options for repositionable vinyl. Check with GPA at: www.labelexperts.com
They have a 4mil vinyl in clear and white with repositionable or low tac adhesive. You could also check with a local screen printer, they may have samples of different substrates.