Installation
instructions. Please print this page for future reference.
1. Clean your hands and the application surface thoroughly.
2. Make a solution of 1-cup water and 2-3 drops of
liquid dishwashing detergent. You want a mixture that will cause water
to evenly spread over a surface like a film and not like a freshly
waxed car. If you remove all wax from the application surface, you
can use plain water alone.
3. Hold up the decal to the surface and mark it’s
position with a reference tape such as masking tape. Decide on position
now and not while handling the decal. Usually two markers applied
will guide you during installation. When installing, you will be aligning
the decal to the reference points pre determined before you actually
install the decal.
4. Apply the solution evenly to the object to receive
the decal. Make sure the object is fully wet and saturated.
5. Remove the decal from the backing (fully for small
objects or partially only for large objects). Wet the adhesive side
of the decal with the solution and carefully put it in place against
your pre-marked locations. It is ok for the decal to be sloppy at
this point. You are only laying the decal on the object at this point,
nothing more. Once you have the position you want start at the broadest
end of the decal and using your fingers as a squeegee, begin to push
the solution out from under the decal... Work your way down the most
center point of the decal until you reach the longest end. As you
apply the decal, you might notice the beginning of a fold or roll
just ahead of your pressure point. In this case, lift the unstuck
portion of the deal and tug slightly to clear the fold or roll. The
centerline is the only part of a decal that will not have to be stretched
during installation when applying on an irregular surface.
6. Inspect now for air or water pockets in the centerline.
If there are no issues, you are ready to complete the remainder of
the decal installation. Note: During installation, do not apply any
ends or tips of decals until the last step. These are your lift and
tug points should you need to start over. Leave all tips unapplied
until the very last step.
7. Once you have applied the center of the decal,
then starting from the center begin to apply the decal to the edges,
always using your finger as a squeegee and not skipping over any section.
Here you can apply slight stretching techniques to conform a flat
decal over a curved surface. Just don’t stretch more than necessary,
excessive stretching will cause durability problems including cracking
later as the decal cures. You want to push all the water solution
from under the decal.
8. Once the decal is fully applied, now you can start
applying a little more pressure. If the decal lifts at any end or
on the inside of curve, just push it back down. Eventually the adhesive
will begin to cure and the decal will stay in place.
How to solve problems:
Blisters — the best way to avoid them is to not allow pockets
of air to form as you install. However, if the decal installation
is perfect except for blisters, you can solve problems by simply pricking
a tiny hole with a very sharp sewing needle on the side of the wart.
Use only brand new fine point hand sewing needles to puncture a wart
or blister. Any other needle will leave a visual mark. This will allow
you to push down the blister as the air or solution exits from the
tiny hole. DO NOT PUSH ON WARTS WIHTOUT A PINHOLE OR YOU WILL STRETCH
THE DECAL CAUSING A Permanent WRINKLE
Warts or pimples. The only way to solve these problems is to remove
contaminants prior to installation. Once you have installed a decal
with a speck of dirt or lint under it, you cannot get it out again.
Folds— a fold usually happens at a point where excess material
collects resulting from bending the decal around an irregular shape.
Minor folds can just be pushed down and held against the surface until
the adhesive bonds. Severe folds must be resolved by gentle stretching
the decal in opposing directions to remove some of the excess vinyl
at the fold. If you manhandle the decal while stretching, in the case
of reflective decals, you can expect the decal to crack within a few
days to weeks. Typically, you can stretch branches of decals without
harming the decal as long as your stretch is no more than necessary
to correct the fold. Another option is to cut the folds out with the
edge of a new razor. Cutting out a fold does not look bad. Experts
do this trick all the time and only the installer notices it usually.
You can also slit the fold and overlap which really is not noticeable
to any one except for you. Please see illustration link below for
examples of how to cut out a fold.
