How Do I Stick Wall Decals?

I’ve put up dozens of wall stickers and I thought it might be an idea to do a ‘how to’ article listing the things I’ve found are a great help but aren’t always in the instructions. The main over-riding thing to remember at every stage when you put them up is to take your time, it’s easy to get carried away when the first bit goes up easily and this can lead to stretches and tears.

·         Preparation.  First of all, is the surface suitable? Wall stickers will stick on painted plastered walls, glass, metal, ceramic, stone (if it’s smooth) polished concrete and on top of untextured wallpaper. Basically, if it’s a smooth surface a wall sticker will stick. One thing they don’t always tell you is that the paint on a painted plastered wall needs to be at least a fortnight old otherwise when you’ve had enough of the sticker and peel it off it will take the paint with it. Now to check the wall; is it free from dust? Is it free from grease? (That’ll teach you to rub chips on the wall!) Is it free from those little knobbly bits that I always seem to get with an emulsion roller? Pick ‘em off with your thumbnail.

·         The Sticker.  Remove it from its packaging, look at it, compare it to the picture on the website or the instructions that came with it. Do you know which bit goes where? Does it make sense? Will it fit? Wall stickers are easily trimmed down to size with a craft knife or scissors but will it look weird if you cut half that tree trunk off? Once you’ve got a handle on all the bits then divide the sheet into its component parts. Cut close to the sticker and you’ll have less backing and transfer sheet flapping around when you come to stick it. If the sticker is just one big design then this is the point at which you trim off the excess backing. Again, go close to the sticker and it’ll be easier to stick.

·         Sticking. The sticker comes between two sheets: the transfer sheet which you can see through and the backing sheet which you can’t. Peel about three or four inches of the backing sheet away from the back of the sticker at its top and fold it over flat, with a crease. Stick the sticker gently where you want it and walk across the room. Turn around. Is it straight? Is it where you want it?  If it’s no you can move it because you haven’t squashed it down too hard. Once you’re happy it’s right (A helper can pull it taught if it’s not clear if it’s straight) then you can stick for real. This is the part where you need to be extra vigilant.

·         Backing Sheet.  Slowly pull the backing sheet downwards from underneath the sicker while at the same time smoothing out the sticker onto the wall using a straight edge. A credit card or old store card is ideal for this. It’s important to take this part slowly as it’s easy for some parts of the design to stay on the backing sheet and slide out of view causing stretches and tears. If you see a part not want to come off then encourage it with a craft knife or your trusty thumbnail. Once the backing sheet is off completely, go over the sticker with your straight edge and squash it down firmly.

·         Transfer Sheet.  Now it’s time to take off the transfer sheet. Peel off a corner at the top, fold it over flat and start to pull it down. Keep the transfer sheet flat against the wall as you pull it and when you have enough transfer sheet folded over put both your hands on the sticky side and keep sliding slowly down. If you get any bits of the sticker lifting at this stage, smooth them out with a clean dry cloth. If extremeties lift completely and flop back loose remember to stick them back from where they are stuck out to the tip and so avoid rucks. If you get any air bubbles right in the middle, pop them with a pin.

·         Multi-element stickers.  If you get a big sticker in several bits (a tree trunk perhaps) don’t try and get them to abut, It’s impossible to get exactly right. Arrange them so they overlap by a couple of millimetres and if there’s a step in the design as a result then trim it with a sharp craft knife.

And that’s it! Once you’ve finished go over the whole thing with your clean dry cloth and squash down any bits you’ve missed. Your wall sticker will last at least five years outside and indefinitely inside!