Wall Decal Not Sticking to Wall - Help me troubleshoot?

[blackpaws 18]

So let me preface by saying I've sold over a thousand wall decals in the last year probably, and have been blessed so far with not having one complaint of vinyl sticking to the wall! I use Oracal 631 for everything. 

 

Unfortunately I sold someone a larger tree decal (I've sold several of these with no issues so far) and they sent me these pictures the other day. 

 

 

 

So I immediately asked the person a million questions, and they have been so gracious so far to answer them and try to help me figure out what's going on. The paint on the wall is flat, has been painted for at least 5 years. It's drywall, just painted, ever so slightly textured (as typical drywall probably) but also have another wall decal (from another buyer) that is sticking fine. I know that it can't be the roll of vinyl itself, because as you can see it's happened with both colors. They said a day prior they wiped the wall off with a slightly damp towel. 

 

I just noticed that the black decal there is a haze on the wall after it fell off...I'm wondering what that could be from?

 

They mentioned that it's 30 degrees out where they lived and it did set outside all day until they got home. Could that have anything to do with it? Maybe it froze and something happened to the glue? 

 

Any ideas guys? I really want to figure this out so that I can prevent it from happening in the future. Any help is much appreciated!! Thanks in advance. 

 

 

 

 

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

the haze is interesting, I read on here certain brands of paint won't let the vinyl adhere to it . . . .

[theishkid 13]

My parents paint is a very porous matte finish with very little texture. They claim it's eggshell but it's almost too rough for that. My decals do the exact same thing to certain parts of their wall. Some stuff sticks great, other things just fall right off after a day. That paint is probably the reason it's not sticking but I haven't had one like this happen yet.

Do you know how long ago it was painted?

 

I too am curious about that weird halo effect they have going around the decal. 

[OWJones 1,981]

Did they allow the vinyl to come to room temperature for a few hours before installation?

 

Is the paint a "dirt resistant/stain resistant" variety?  Many paints contain Teflon or other ingredients to keep fingerprints off and that same feature keeps the adhesive from properly adhering.

 

Looks like there are also some 'ripples' and bubbles in the vinyl.

 

The white ghosting around where the vinyl was makes me think it was some sort of evaporation - did the dark 'shadow' left by the vinyl disappear after a few hours or overnight?

[TimnAng 56]

It's strange, because the haze doesn't appear to be where the actual vinyl was, but surrounding the vinyl itself... 

[HybridThread 14]

Without being there to install it's hard to know the reason. The temp could have allowed condensation to get under the decal when they brought it inside from the cold. They may also touch their wall a lot and have a lot of oil soaked or built up on the wall. I see the "haze" on the black decal and it looks like its from them rubbing the decal over and over to get it to stick. When I have these issues I use flame. Either and lighter if size permits or a big Bernzo TS4000 propane torch. A heat gun will work as well. Also be careful if you use a lighter as it can leave black carbon all over the wall if not done right. Keep in mind you should never let your customer do this or even recommend it as far as I'm concerned. 

 

Even without knowing the cause of your issues heat should take care of it. I do this with 631 all the time, just be careful and practice first, but not on the customers wall. Not sure what to do if you can't go there in person. I don't do any large wall decals unless I can install for them usually.

 

I've been looking at that "haze" it has to be scuff marks from rubbing all around it. I see it a good bit from people installing for the first few times. I'm with OW on the stain resistant paints. If you haven't asked them about that you need to. As far as I know there isn't much you can do if that's the paint, besides heat.

[blackpaws 18]

Thank you all SO Much for your replies. I'm seriously thinking it has to do with the temperature at this point, because they are claiming they had another wall decal stick fine. Otherwise I would believe it was a paint issue. If I didn't use one of the top rated vinyls in the industry (Oracal 631 is the best, right??) then I would start to blame the vinyl. I am going to ask them to use a blow dryer to heat up the decal and see if that works. 

 

On second thought, another idea about the paint. Correct me if I'm wrong but if you use just a regular flat paint, you can't really wipe down the walls with a wet rag or paint is going to wipe off with it? Maybe that depends on paint brand? I always thought gloss you can wipe down, but flat kind you shouldn't for that reason. I know in my old apartment before I moved out I wiped the flat painted walls down because they were dirty, which defeated the purpose because it wiped paint off with it so they just needed painted in the end anyways.

[HybridThread 14]

They should wipe them down with a damp and only just damp cloth and let dry. Also what transfer tape do you use. I assume you use the Oracal HT55 made specifically for 631. Just checking the obvious. I have never used a hair dryer before but it may get hot enough for what they're doing.

 

Let us know how it goes in the end.

[julie77 0]

I'm having a similar issue with a customer.  Just wondering what the results were of this, and how the issue was resolved?  Did you resend a new decall for free or refund the customer?
 

thanks.

[tekcorps 50]

Was the decals that did not stick applied to a outer wall? If so, might be a cold wall.

[blackpaws 18]

I unfortunately had to send them a refund. Do you notice the haze in the picture? Someone mentioned it was likely from them rubbing it over and over. I think it's b/c they wet it, because my paint does a similar effect when its wet. I mean, I just can't understand why the bottom of the tree stuck, but nothing else. They had to have done something different, and what else could they have done besides maybe wet it? Nothing else makes sense to me. 

 

Sure, it could be the paint, but then why is the bottom of the tree sticking? They did send the decal back to me, and it wouldn't stick to my wall either. Idk. 

 

On second thought, I find it interesting that the wall was painted "5 years ago", (they said it was that color when they bought the house), but their nursery bedding seems to match it perfectly. Sure, maybe it was painted like that and they got lucky that they liked the color, and also were having a girl. The paint looks pretty vibrant too for being 5 years old. So idk, maybe it was fresh paint too. Maybe not. We'll never know!! lol 

[angelfyre020 0]

I found this forum because I am a 'customer' having an issue with decals sticking and thought was what being said was interesting.  Our walls were painted for two weeks when we added part of our decal.  It wouldn't stick at all in about 90% of the decal.  I contacted the seller and they graciously sent me a new decal for free.  Four weeks after wall was painted we gave it another shot.  The replacement decal sticks now in almost all areas except a corner so I'm happy with that but the rest of the decals are slowing peeling off of the wall.  My husband installs decals for work on vehicles so I'm pretty confident he knows what he's doing.  

A few facts.....I too live in a colder weather area but our decals were kept inside for at least a week to get to room temperature.  Our walls have a slight texture to them but not a lot.  Paint is a semi-gloss, and not the expensive anti-staining type.  Second time around we rubbed rubbing alcohol on the wall (as instructed) where the decal goes.  

I am now looking for advice to get my decals to stick completely.  Adhesive spray maybe?   

I think the customer mentioned above could be having legitimate issues with their decals so I wouldn't rule it out that it could be a fault decal.  I don't feel like I did anything wrong with the installation of my decals.  They just don't want to stick.  

[blackpaws 18]

I found this forum because I am a 'customer' having an issue with decals sticking and thought was what being said was interesting.  Our walls were painted for two weeks when we added part of our decal.  It wouldn't stick at all in about 90% of the decal.  I contacted the seller and they graciously sent me a new decal for free.  Four weeks after wall was painted we gave it another shot.  The replacement decal sticks now in almost all areas except a corner so I'm happy with that but the rest of the decals are slowing peeling off of the wall.  My husband installs decals for work on vehicles so I'm pretty confident he knows what he's doing.  

A few facts.....I too live in a colder weather area but our decals were kept inside for at least a week to get to room temperature.  Our walls have a slight texture to them but not a lot.  Paint is a semi-gloss, and not the expensive anti-staining type.  Second time around we rubbed rubbing alcohol on the wall (as instructed) where the decal goes.  

I am now looking for advice to get my decals to stick completely.  Adhesive spray maybe?   

I think the customer mentioned above could be having legitimate issues with their decals so I wouldn't rule it out that it could be a fault decal.  I don't feel like I did anything wrong with the installation of my decals.  They just don't want to stick.  

 

 

The slight wall texture might be it, could you upload a pic? Adhesive spray should most definitely work. 

[LPWash 75]

I just read an article on the newer High Viscocity (HVOC) paint won't allow decals to stick.  Looking for the article.  

[LPWash 75]

Wall decals can only be applied to smooth surfaces.  The exception to this is paints with “Teflon”, “silicone” or similar additives to make them “wash and wearbase which you will find difficult to put decals up on as they will tend to drop off the wall.  

AVOIDING PROBLEMS WITH REMOVABLE WALL DECALS
The following information will help you avoid problems with the sticking up of your stickers. Be assured we have not had problems with our products quality. This information is to help you avoid creating a problem that can cause your removables products not to adhere correctly. Nearly all problems with not sticking are related to the wall surface itself or when the wall is not prepared properly rather than the actual stickers themselves.

There are number events that can interfere with the adhesion of the stickers:

If you have recently repainted the wall, you need to wait about six weeks, especially in winter as paint drying time increases, before you can put anything on to the surface. This is because the drying process of paint is really evapouration of the solvents in the paint itself. These solvents will find their way into the adhesive on the stickers and render the “stick” ineffective.
The manufacturers recommend cleaning of walls before sticking up the product; we suggest you use a product like sugar soap or something similar to get rid of the grime that builds up over time in even the cleanest of households. Then all of the soap must be cleaned and rinsed away.
Make sure it is really dry & dust free before applying stickers.
Another problem is trying to put stickers on to painted surfaces that have “Teflon”, “silicone” or similar additives to make them “wash and wear“. Quite properly, these paints have been designed for things not to stick to them to make them easy to clean.
Apparently if you have “polyurethaned” the floor in the room recently this can cause a problem. Once again, the process for this drying is very slow (sometimes three months). The fumes that come off the floor are the solvents, which will affect the adhesive in the stickers.
Some customers have reported problems with concrete, cement and rendered walls. Also suede effects and other rough surface paints do not allow sufficient surface area to stick to the wall.
There are cases when little fingers kept removing and putting back the sticker so the adhesive just lost stickiness and got dirty.
Or occasionally the stickers are not pressed on hard enough.
It is also recommended that you lay the stickers flat under a phone book or similar for 24 hours.
Avoid keeping room doors closed in very hot weatherWall decals can only be applied to smooth surfaces.  The exception to this is paints with “Teflon”, “silicone” or similar additives to make them “wash and wearbase which you will find difficult to put decals up on as they will tend to drop off the wall.  We cannot be held responsible for your purchase as we are not there to inspect your wall surface.  If you wish to have a swatch sample to test on your wall please message us via any of the contact enquiry tabs.

If we do not have a design that suites your requirements please contact us as we will be happy to draft a new design for you.  Digital work is available.

AVOIDING PROBLEMS WITH REMOVABLE WALL DECALS
The following information will help you avoid problems with the sticking up of your stickers. Be assured we have not had problems with our products quality. This information is to help you avoid creating a problem that can cause your removables products not to adhere correctly. Nearly all problems with not sticking are related to the wall surface itself or when the wall is not prepared properly rather than the actual stickers themselves.

There are number events that can interfere with the adhesion of the stickers:

If you have recently repainted the wall, you need to wait about six weeks, especially in winter as paint drying time increases, before you can put anything on to the surface. This is because the drying process of paint is really evapouration of the solvents in the paint itself. These solvents will find their way into the adhesive on the stickers and render the “stick” ineffective.
The manufacturers recommend cleaning of walls before sticking up the product; we suggest you use a product like sugar soap or something similar to get rid of the grime that builds up over time in even the cleanest of households. Then all of the soap must be cleaned and rinsed away.
Make sure it is really dry & dust free before applying stickers.
Another problem is trying to put stickers on to painted surfaces that have “Teflon”, “silicone” or similar additives to make them “wash and wear“. Quite properly, these paints have been designed for things not to stick to them to make them easy to clean.
Apparently if you have “polyurethaned” the floor in the room recently this can cause a problem. Once again, the process for this drying is very slow (sometimes three months). The fumes that come off the floor are the solvents, which will affect the adhesive in the stickers.
Some customers have reported problems with concrete, cement and rendered walls. Also suede effects and other rough surface paints do not allow sufficient surface area to stick to the wall.
There are cases when little fingers kept removing and putting back the sticker so the adhesive just lost stickiness and got dirty.
Or occasionally the stickers are not pressed on hard enough.
It is also recommended that you lay the stickers flat under a phone book or similar for 24 hours.
Avoid keeping room doors closed in very hot weather

[knucklehead 530]

I'm having a couple customers having problems with adhesion too lately, but theirs seems to be more 'new' paint issues. I did a wall in my old house with the non-staining paint, to experiment with. Best process I found, was to take a grey scotchbrite pad, and lightly scuff the area the decal is being placed. Has worked for me, and my customers.