For adhesive-backed vinyl decals.

Note: the decal comes layered between transfer tape (front) and backing paper (behind). You can see the design through the transfer tape. The backing paper is white with a blue “grid” printed on it.

Prepare Wall

Be sure your wall is clean and dry. Walls should be primed and painted with matte / eggshell paint. Glossy / semi-gloss paint can hinder the adhesive. Give a newly painted wall ample time to dry before applying decals. (Generally 2 weeks—up to 3 weeks in cold / damp climates). Use a dry rag or old t-shirt to remove any dirt or particles. Other surfaces that work well with decals are metal, plastic, glass, and smooth, sealed cement. Vinyl adheres more strongly to less porous surfaces—like glass and metal—and will be harder to remove.

Arrange Decals

Create a composition before sticking the decals down. Use masking tape to hang your decals (before you peel the backing paper—grid pattern toward wall) and arrange them in whatever configuration you want. Cut out decals if there are more than one on a sheet, and cut loosely around shapes to help with arranging.

Peel

You can peel the backing paper off in two ways…

1) Take decal  off the wall but keep a piece of masking tape up to mark the spot. Place decal on a flat surface with backing paper up / transfer tape down. Take a plastic squeegee or credit card and rub the surface firmly to smooth out any air bubbles. Fold backing paper over at an edge and slowly peel away, keeping the paper parallel with surface—peeling it “back” rather than “up”.

2) Leave decal on the wall. Take a plastic squeegee or credit card and smooth out any air bubbles. Flip it up (you might need to add some masking tape) and peel backing paper upward. (see photo)

Go slowly! If the decal sticks to the backing paper, stop. Press the decal back onto the transfer tape, rub the area, fold paper over tighter, and slowly re-peel.

Stick

The backing paper removed, the decal now has exposed adhesive on one side and transfer tape on the other. Be careful not to let the adhesive fold on itself. Slowly apply decal to the wall. Smooth out as you go with the squeegee or credit card. When fully applied, squeegee the whole sticker to the wall again.

Peel Again

Now peel the transfer tape as you did the backing paper. Slowly peel away, parallel to the face of the decal—peeling it back rather than pulling straight away from the wall (see photo). As before, stop peeling if decal sticks to the transfer tape. Re-press the decal back against the wall, rub it down, fold the transfer tape back, and slowly re-peel.

You can squeegee over the decal again if desired. Take the original backing paper and keep that between the squeegee and the decal (see photo).

For large, 42″+ Sphere designs, the art comes in two sections (top & bottom)

Install upper piece first.  Align second piece with first (see photo). Optional: With the first half applied, cut loosely around the second piece of the decal to help align the two pieces visually.

Follow the rest of the installation steps above.

Removal

Adhesive backed vinyl is designed to be removable. Removal requires no special tools, but a razor blade glass scraper and hair dryer make it easier. Removing vinyl will cause minimal-to-no damage to properly painted walls and other surfaces. A small amount of paint flecking may occur on walls. Vinyl adheres more strongly to less-porous surfaces such as glass and metal, and will take more time to remove, but should leave surfaces undamaged. The longer vinyl remains on a surface, the more time it will take to remove. For easiest removal, warm the vinyl with a hair dryer, pick up edges with glass scraper, and peel. Without tools, simply pick up edges with a fingernail and peel.