How To Apply a Large Wall Decal
Applying vinyl to small things isn’t too bad once you get the hang of it. But what about something bigger? Here are some tips on how to apply a large wall decal.
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So what I’m talking about is a large vinyl decal on a wall. I recently got asked to put a quote on a wall in a nursery in a church. When I say large, I mean large – this vinyl quote measured almost 5 feet long and 3 feet tall.
I’ve done larger vinyl decals before. In fact, this on my classroom door was 28 inches wide.
Type of Vinyl to Use
The best type of vinyl to use on a wall is removable vinyl, such as Oracal 631 which is available in a number of colours. Let’s face it – nothing is forever and so you will want the option of being to remove the wall decal easily.
That said, removable vinyl can be picked off if someone wants to – so you’ll have to make sure that people know not to touch it and it will need hopefully not be accessible to curious little hands.
If you use permanent adhesive vinyl, when you go to remove it, you will also remove the paint and possibly the drywall as well! Yes, it’s that sticky – but it’s permanent and so it’s supposed to be.
Tips for Cutting out a Large Decal
As you may or may not know, your Cricut is limited in the size that it can cut. Using the largest mat, you can cut 11.5 x 23.5.
When I first typed out my wall decal and sized it accordingly, Cricut Design Space will tell you that it is too large. Remember that you can zoom out (the %age box in the bottom left corner) in order to see the entire wall decal.
You’ll want to figure out where the horizontal centre point is. I just noted what letters were the centres were on each line. This is very important as you’ll need to know this for application later and before you start the next step where you slice it up.
You’ll want to slice your decal into chunks so that your Cricut can cut it. Based on 11.5 x 23.5 you’ll want to slice in manageable places that will allow you to piece it back together. For me, I prefer to slice at points where it is a small connection – in between letters. Slicing in the middle of letters where you’ll have to line up more than one point is unnecessary. Keep things simple. If it means you have smaller chunks, so be it. Make life easy for yourself!
In order to slice I add a rectangle shape (left side of your Design Space screen) and resize it to 11.5 inches wide first to overlap and see what manageable chunks I can make. I unlock the sizing and change the height to make it fit (not exceeding 23.5 inches). I use this rectangle to slice my large wall decal into chunks.
The number of chunks you have is determined by how big your wall decal is. My simple “hello” on my classroom door was sliced into 3 chunks. The nursery quote had several chunks – 8 to be exact (mainly due to the swashes on the letters – some of them are quite tall).
How to Prep Your Vinyl Decal
Both my classroom door wall decal and the nursery decal involved me taking the decal to the location of the application. Therefore I was able to prep the decal at home.
This is what you need to do in order to prepare your large wall decal.
- cut the decal out on your Cricut
- weed the decal
- apply the transfer tape
- once on the transfer tape, I put the decal chunks on wax paper to keep it from sticking to everything. Parchment paper would also work.
For detailed information on adhesive vinyl, check out my post – All About Adhesive Vinyl for information on weeding and applying transfer tape.
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How to Prep the Wall
- the wall needs to be clean – depending on the size, it could simply be rubbing alcohol, but if it is a large wall decal, it either needs to be freshly painted (which is what was offered to me in this nursery) or cleaned with trisodium phosphate powder which seems to be the best when cleaning things like walls.
- you will want the surface to be as smooth and as flat as possible. So if applying on a wall, you will want to patch up any dings and dents and then make sure it is sanded smooth. Your vinyl will need a smooth, flat surface to adhere to.
- due to the size, I rolled mine up and put in a cardboard tube for easy transport (the large cardboard tubes that my vinyl comes with is super handy for this).
What You Need to Apply a Large Wall Decal
- tape measure
- scraper – I like the XL Cricut one. A bone folder would also work but it’s not as wide so it’s not as easy to handle
- laser level – I used a Bosch one, but really anyone will do; make sure it is mountable
- tripod – I used my camera tripod
- exacto knife – I have the Cricut one, but again, any will do.
- pencil and eraser
- 3 step ladder – this is a handy small step stool that I have in my house to reach high places. It folds up easily for storage. You really don’t need anything higher than this.
Some Things About the Laser Level
If you’re going to do a large wall decal, I will say that a laser level is very handy. The laser level will project a red line on the wall so that you can apply the vinyl level.
Laser levels will sometimes show both a horizontal and a vertical line. The Bosch one I used did not have a vertical line so I had to use a measuring tape to find the centre point. I marked it lightly with a pencil and later erased it.
You’ll want a laser level that has a mount, that will allow it to attach to a tripod. I didn’t use a fancy tripod. I used the same tripod I use for our camera. This will allow you to adjust the laser level to any height.
Keep in mind that while the laser level will display a perfectly straight line, the wall may not be perfectly straight. Buildings and homes tend to shift so your perfectly straight line may not look perfectly straight. That happened to me in this nursery. So you may need to do some adjusting so that it looks level to the naked eye. I know – it kind of defeats the purpose of the laser level, but you still have that line to apply the wall decal.
How to Apply a Large Wall Decal
Just before applying, you will want to remove the wax paper (or parchment paper, depending on what you used). I find that if the wax paper stays on too long, parts of it stick to the vinyl and the carrier sheet. Use the Exacto knife to carefully lift up those ripped bits of wax paper.
You will want to work from the very centre, out. Not only the centre horizontally but vertically as well. Remember how earlier I mentioned that you need to know where the centre is? This is why.
My vinyl decal was 3 lines so I started with the middle or second line. Using the laser level as a guide, and knowing where the centre vertical point was – I had marked with a pencil), I applied the right side of the middle line. It was in pieces and so I went in order. Then I applied the left side, working right to left (backwards, in other words).
Once the second line was done, I raised the laser level in order to apply the top line. I applied the vinyl in the same manner, from the centre out.
Lastly, I applied the third line in the same manner. Move the laser level down again in order to help you.
I find that using my XL scraper, while I remove the carrier sheet helps. However, sometimes the vinyl needs a bit of help. Sometimes it separates from the transfer tape, but doesn’t actually stick to the wall – it is just loosely attached or not even attached. Use the exact knife to carefully straighten it out and then gently press it into place.
Once applied, you will want to burnish, or rub the vinyl down to make sure it adheres well. Use that wax paper that was stuck to the carrier sheets and with the large scraper, rub or burnish the vinyl well. You do not want to directly burnish it as you run the risk of catching a corner and lifting up the vinyl, or worse yet, tearing it.
As an added measure, you could also heat it up with a hairdryer. Sometimes a bit of extra heat helps in the adhesion of the vinyl.
The large wall decal turned out great. It took me a little over an hour to apply this, taking my time to be careful. The large size is quite impressive!
How to Apply a Large Wall Decal
Just before applying, you will want to remove the wax paper (or parchment paper, depending on what you used). I find that if the wax paper stays on too long, parts of it stick to the vinyl and the carrier sheet. Use the Exacto knife to carefully lift up those ripped bits of wax paper.
You will want to work from the very centre, out.
Not only the centre horizontally but vertically as well. Remember how earlier I mentioned that you need to know where the centre is? This is why.
Materials
- your prepared decal, cut out into chunks, with transfer tape and on wax paper or parchment paper.
Tools
- tape measure
- scraper - I like the XL Cricut one. A bone folder would also work but it's not as wide so it's not as easy to handle
- laser level - I used a Bosch one, but really anyone will do; make sure it is mountable
- tripod - I used my camera tripod
- exacto knife - I have the Cricut one, but again, any will do.
- pencil and eraser
- 3 step ladder - this is a handy small step stool that I have in my house to reach high places. It folds up easily for storage. You really don't need anything higher than this.
Instructions
- My vinyl decal was 3 lines and so I started with the middle or second line. Using the laser level as a guide, and knowing where the centre vertical point was - I had marked with a pencil), I applied the right side of the middle line. It was in pieces and so I went in order. Then I applied the left side, working right to left (backwards, in other words).
- Once the second line was done, I raised the laser level in order to apply the top line. I applied the vinyl in the same manner, from the centre out.
- Lastly, I applied the third line in the same manner. Move the laser level down again in order to help you.
- I find that using my XL scraper, while I remove the carrier sheet helps. However, sometimes the vinyl needs a bit of help. Sometimes it separates from the transfer tape, but doesn't actually stick to the wall - it is just loosely attached it or not even attached. Use the exact knife to carefully straighten it out and then gently press it into place.
- Once applied, you will want to burnish, or rub the vinyl down to make sure it adheres well. Use that wax paper that was stuck to the carrier sheets and with the large scraper, rub or burnish the vinyl well. You do not want to directly burnish it as you run the risk of catching a corner and lifting up the vinyl, or worse yet, tearing it
- As an added measure, you could also heat it up with a hairdryer. Sometimes a bit of extra heat helps in the adhesion of the vinyl.
Notes
The large wall decal turned out great. It took me a little over an hour to apply this, taking my time to be careful. The large size is quite impressive!
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