How to properly lay a door decal ?

CanadianJK72

CanadianJK72

New member
Hi guys , not sure if there is a thread or not but just ordered the newest wayalife door decals for each side of the jeep.
Anyone have any tips or suggestions when time to instal ?
 
toxicwaste29 said:
Take your time. Make sure it isn't windy. Also be sure the doors are clean and dry before applying
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Would you recommend doing it indoors ?

Charlie Mike said:
http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-ups/project-jk-decal-application-write-up

Hot day always helps. Not sure if you can manage that in Canada. lol.
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Ha! That's perfect haven't seen that thankyou , an lol not usually that hot here but should be warm enough lmao
Would a heat gun help ?
 
Doing it indoors depends on what your comfortable with but I never applies decals if its colder than 60 but that's my preference.
 
With any vinyl decal applied to any part of your Jeep, the best thing you can do is make sure the surface you are placing it on is thoroughly clean. I like to use rubbing alcohol as it helps to safely remove any oils or grease from the surface and it helps to make the adhesive stick better to it. Be sure to wipe the surface clean again with a clean towel before applying the decal.

Try to apply the decal on a warm day. If it's too cold out, moisture can develop on the surface and it will make it difficult for the adhesive to stick/transfer off the paper backing.

If you can do this in a garage, you'll be doing yourself a HUGE favor. Wind, dust and debris is a problem you will have to fight with outside.

A day before you apply the decal, lay it out as flat as you can (decals ship rolled up) in a warm room to help relax it. Place the decal on a table and use a credit card or something like it to burnish in the decal to the transfer paper. Leave it flat until you're ready to apply it.

Take your time and use blue painters tape to mock up the decal on your doors. Place a strip of tape on the top and bottom of the center of the decal paper and then place a piece on either end. This will help you to hold it in place while you set it up. I like to use a ruler and measure it to known points like the bottom of the doors for accuracy.

Stand back, double check your placement, smooth out the decal flat and reapply the blue tape as needed and then make sure it's still straight.

Apply more tape to the center (use B-pillar as a guide) about a foot apart to stabilize the decal and then, remove the tape on just one end. Peel it back almost to the taped up point in the center and then cut the backing.

Holding the decal, slowly burnish in the decal starting from the center and pushing out toward the end in soft circular fashion. This will help prevent air bubbles from occurring.

Use a flat razor to carefully cut the decal between the door and the B-pillar. Remove the tape, and backing and slowly and softly burnish in the remaining side. At the door gap, just wrap the decal around the edge.

Go to the other half of the decal and repeat.

I should note that this is just how I do it. There are people who just spray something like Windex on the doors as that allows you to float the decal around until you're ready to burnish it in but, I've never had much luck with it. If you have bubbles after applying the decal, don't worry. Time and sun will help them to disappear.

hope that helps.
 
I make measurements and mark with blue painters tape. Then spray a amonia free glass cleaner that has alcohol in its contents. This helps with drying and bonding since alcohol evaporates and help the decal from pulling off when removing the backing. apply decal spraying decal and surface, align, squeegee out and sit in the sunlight or use a heatgun/blow dryer to speed up the process in cold temps. Then carefully remove the backing. Out of high school I put decals on hundreds of semi trucks and trailers
 
wayoflife said:
With any vinyl decal applied to any part of your Jeep, the best thing you can do is make sure the surface you are placing it on is thoroughly clean. I like to use rubbing alcohol as it helps to safely remove any oils or grease from the surface and it helps to make the adhesive stick better to it. Be sure to wipe the surface clean again with a clean towel before applying the decal.

Try to apply the decal on a warm day. If it's too cold out, moisture can develop on the surface and it will make it difficult for the adhesive to stick/transfer off the paper backing.

If you can do this in a garage, you'll be doing yourself a HUGE favor. Wind, dust and debris is a problem you will have to fight with outside.

A day before you apply the decal, lay it out as flat as you can (decals ship rolled up) in a warm room to help relax it. Place the decal on a table and use a credit card or something like it to burnish in the decal to the transfer paper. Leave it flat until you're ready to apply it.

Take your time and use blue painters tape to mock up the decal on your doors. Place a strip of tape on the top and bottom of the center of the decal paper and then place a piece on either end. This will help you to hold it in place while you set it up. I like to use a ruler and measure it to known points like the bottom of the doors for accuracy.

Stand back, double check your placement, smooth out the decal flat and reapply the blue tape as needed and then make sure it's still straight.

Apply more tape to the center (use B-pillar as a guide) about a foot apart to stabilize the decal and then, remove the tape on just one end. Peel it back almost to the taped up point in the center and then cut the backing.

Holding the decal, slowly burnish in the decal starting from the center and pushing out toward the end in soft circular fashion. This will help prevent air bubbles from occurring.

Use a flat razor to carefully cut the decal between the door and the B-pillar. Remove the tape, and backing and slowly and softly burnish in the remaining side. At the door gap, just wrap the decal around the edge.

Go to the other half of the decal and repeat.

I should note that this is just how I do it. There are people who just spray something like Windex on the doors as that allows you to float the decal around until you're ready to burnish it in but, I've never had much luck with it. If you have bubbles after applying the decal, don't worry. Time and sun will help them to disappear.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks Eddie , I appreciate the response , right from the maker of the decal ! I will keep all of that in mind when applying it. I have a shop I am able to use that is heated so I will be doing it there hadn't thought about the dust an wind so very good point. I can't wait for the new decals ! Gonna look awesome

Is the decal your running on moby the 54 inch ? That is the one I ordered.
Thanks again!
 
wayoflife said:
With any vinyl decal applied to any part of your Jeep, the best thing you can do is make sure the surface you are placing it on is thoroughly clean. I like to use rubbing alcohol as it helps to safely remove any oils or grease from the surface and it helps to make the adhesive stick better to it. Be sure to wipe the surface clean again with a clean towel before applying the decal.
Click to expand...

I always put on a fresh coat of wax too. But I always think about whether or not I want to remove them in the future. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. :idontknow:
 
I've done a number of decal kits on 70-81 Trans Ams.....if you know the cars, you'll know they have a roughly 4 foot x 4 foot phoenix decal on the hood which scares the heck out of people to put on.

I always do the decals wet......this means applying them over a sprayed on solution of water with a few drops of pure dishwashing soap in it to break the surface tension....the mix just needs to be a little bit soapy to the touch.

-Clean the area thoroughly with wax and grease remover or de-natured alcohol and lint free soft cloth.
-I position the decal using a couple of small pieces of masking tape (the "easy remove" stuff works best). I mark a centre line in pencil on the decal cover paper then measure to ensure the decal is square and centred where I want.
-Once positioned correctly, I then apply a series of small pieces of decal around the outer edges of the decal cover paper onto the car and jsut butting up to the decal. This allows me to draw penciled lines across from the decal cover paper onto the pieces of masking tape. You end up with a series of "locating" marks around edge that will allow you to line up the decal when applying it.
-Lay the decal face down on a flat surface and remove the the backing paper.
-Spray the back of the decal and the surface where the decal will go on the car with the soapy water solution (use a trigger spray bottle)
-Lay the decal in position and float it around to align with all the previously marked alignment lines.
-Starting from the middle, use a squeegee and work the water/soap solution out from the centre of the decal to the edges....take your time and ensure the decal doesn't shift. After getting the initial water out, the decal pretty much starts to stick down.....keep working and ensure you work all bubbles out to an edge. Lettering is easier in this respect as there are lots of edges and not a lot of actual decal area.
-After getting all the water/soap mix out, leave the top paper on the decal and let it dry for 3-4 hours (warm day) or even overnight.
-When removing the cover paper, get one edge of the paper up, then slowly peel it back against itself ensuring that you do not pull the cover paper "away" from the surface (90 degrees to the surface) but you pull basically at 180 degrees to the starting point.....this is so there is minimal load on the fresh decal.
-Any small bubbles can be pricked with a pin, then use the sqeegee to work any solution out. Very slight bubbling/mottled appearance will dry out over a few days, depending how warm it is.

Heres a pic of one of he decal kits I put on a friend's 73 Trans Am using the above method. Its not the only way to do it, but it makes it easier to stop wrinkles and ensure the alignment is correct.

 
wayoflife said:
With any vinyl decal applied to any part of your Jeep, the best thing you can do is make sure the surface you are placing it on is thoroughly clean. I like to use rubbing alcohol as it helps to safely remove any oils or grease from the surface and it helps to make the adhesive stick better to it. Be sure to wipe the surface clean again with a clean towel before applying the decal.

Try to apply the decal on a warm day. If it's too cold out, moisture can develop on the surface and it will make it difficult for the adhesive to stick/transfer off the paper backing.

If you can do this in a garage, you'll be doing yourself a HUGE favor. Wind, dust and debris is a problem you will have to fight with outside.

A day before you apply the decal, lay it out as flat as you can (decals ship rolled up) in a warm room to help relax it. Place the decal on a table and use a credit card or something like it to burnish in the decal to the transfer paper. Leave it flat until you're ready to apply it.

Take your time and use blue painters tape to mock up the decal on your doors. Place a strip of tape on the top and bottom of the center of the decal paper and then place a piece on either end. This will help you to hold it in place while you set it up. I like to use a ruler and measure it to known points like the bottom of the doors for accuracy.

Stand back, double check your placement, smooth out the decal flat and reapply the blue tape as needed and then make sure it's still straight.

Apply more tape to the center (use B-pillar as a guide) about a foot apart to stabilize the decal and then, remove the tape on just one end. Peel it back almost to the taped up point in the center and then cut the backing.

Holding the decal, slowly burnish in the decal starting from the center and pushing out toward the end in soft circular fashion. This will help prevent air bubbles from occurring.

Use a flat razor to carefully cut the decal between the door and the B-pillar. Remove the tape, and backing and slowly and softly burnish in the remaining side. At the door gap, just wrap the decal around the edge.

Go to the other half of the decal and repeat.

I should note that this is just how I do it. There are people who just spray something like Windex on the doors as that allows you to float the decal around until you're ready to burnish it in but, I've never had much luck with it. If you have bubbles after applying the decal, don't worry. Time and sun will help them to disappear.

hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Awesome! I wish I would have taken a little more time when put the ORE hood decals on. Ill be re-doing those soon. Eddie, can you tell me how tall the 30" door decal is? Thanks!
 
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