Applying wall stickers couldn't be easier.
Our wall stickers are designed to be a quick and easy, cost effective update to your walls. Our wall stickers can easily be applied as a group activity with your children to make a fun project of decorating their bedroom walls.
There are some steps to take to ensure maximum success when using your wall stickers. In this article we will list the main things you can do to lead to sticker success and happy walls!
Our decals are made of:
- Polyester fabric with a removable glue back
- Silicone-coated backing
- Paper and cardboard packaging (no plastic used)
Use them for:
- Clean and well painted indoor walls with smooth texture
- They can be wiped with a damp cloth
Not suitable for:
- Outdoor use
- Wet spaces
- Walls with strong or sharp texture
1. Prepare your wall
For low tack wall decals to stick well with no issues it is always best to prepare your walls first. This will encourage the low tack adhesive to cling well and for longer.
Dust, grime and grease should be removed from the wall, this can be done using a sugar soap solution. Ensure your wall is left to completely dry before application.
If the wall is painted but not newly painted, ensure paint is not cracked or flawed as this could result in pieces of paint coming away from the wall when the stickers are removed.
2. Paint choice
Painting the wall before you apply wall stickers will give you a nice, new smooth finish. However, the choice of paint is crucial. Low tack adhesives do not cling to a paint that has washable, scrubbable, wipeable qualities. Many paints these days don't list this as a feature on the front of the tin, it is often in the small print information. For example, all of F&B paint is wipeable but it doesn't advertise this as a feature on the front of the tin. Valspar Classic and Premium are also wipeable. Most of the Dulux range is wipeable too. We recommend Johnstones one coat matt paint or Johnstones My Colour Luxurious Durable Matt as a good base for our wall stickers and the Dulux Matt Walls and Ceilings or Dulux Simply Refresh One Coat. These paints offer a good base but other factors can affect stickiness too.
3. Curing
Allowing your new paint to gas off (24-48 hours) and then cure (up to 28 days) is essential if you want to protect your walls against damage when you remove the stickers. Uncured paint is much more likely to come away from the wall when something sticky is tugged against it when the decals are removed.
4. Sticking
Now you are ready to stick! All of our wall stickers are designed to be applied free hand. This means you do not need to measure out space and apply them precisely. That is of course unless you wish to!
Applying the stickers by eye is a simple and easy way to create your patterns. Placing the stickers close together can create the look of the trend for maximalist wallpaper styles. Spacing them out gives the clean, minimalist look of Scandi design.
Top tip: Place your stickers over the edges of the walls and the ceiling join. Then when you have them all in position use a craft knife to carefully slice off the excess sticker. This will create the look of wallpaper, just as you would slice a sheet of wallpaper when you reach the end of the wall.
Remember to remove everything from the wall including furniture that is against it, and treat the space as a blank canvas. Then replace your items when you have finished. Don't be tempted to go around things!
5. Peel and Stick vs Application Tape stickers
Peel and stick stickers do just what they say. These are a solid fill shape. You simply peel them off the backing paper and stick them straight to your wall.
Application tape stickers are wall stickers that have cut out / negative space within the design. (i.e. your wall colour will show through the gaps). The application tape (also referred to as transfer tape) keeps all the details in place until they are transferred to the wall.
Peel the backing paper (the thick white paper) away from the sticker and discard, then stick the sticker to the wall. When you have it in place, rub down hard, you can use the edge of a credit card to do this or carefully and with pressure run your finger around all the details of the sticker.
Begin to peel the application tape off the wall by slowly rolling it downwards along the surface of the wall. (Rather than pulling it up and off the wall). The application tape will remove, leaving the sticker attached to the wall.
6. Stand back and marvel your handy work
Once you have applied all of your stickers, you can replace all of your furniture, pictures and wall decor, stand back and be proud of your handy work! Upload it to Instagram and tag us! @babybelleboutique
Problem solving:
Help, my stickers are curling and/or peeling off the wall
Firstly we want to be very clear, we always make up for any stickers that fail to stick - so no worry, we got your back on this one!
Because there are unlimited combinations of different paints and walls out there, it is very possible that sometimes there will be issues with the stickers not sticking as they should. This is simply because the sticker adhesive needs to be soft enough to still come off easily.
What to do if the edges of the stickers are curling:
Sometimes it might happen that the edges of the stickers start to curl off after installation. This happens if the natural force of the material curling is stronger than the adhesion to the wall. The adhesive then gets in touch with air, and hardens - making it more difficult to press them back and keep them attached. If you have any problems with curling edges, follow these instructions:
- With a hair dryer on max setting, warm up the sticker/adhesive where the curling occurs.
- When you can feel that the sticker is clearly warm, just press all the parts firmly back on the wall. They should stick and this time remain attached.
- The reason for this is that the heat makes the adhesive softer and more elastic, making it stick better. The adhesive needs to remain attached to the wall for 12-48 hours for it to harden enough to remain stuck. By heating up the adhesive you are making it temporarily adhere better, giving it the time it needs to strengthen the bond and remain on the wall.
If the tip above is not helping or the sticker completely comes off, then it might simply be that the wall is too uneven or there is some issue with the paint. We are always here for you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if this happens.
