Wall decorative stickers (stickers)

The idea of ​​decorating walls is far from new, but drawing pictures, weaving tapestries or make bas-reliefs, often there is no time, and there are not enough skills. Today there is a quick way to decorate and change the interior - interior wall stickers. They are ready to go. All you have to do is find a suitable place and stick it on. Moreover, the glue is applied to the reverse side. The whole operation takes a couple of tens of minutes.

What are Wall Stickers

Sometimes you really want to change the "mood" of the interior, to introduce something new. Undertaking repairs - even cosmetic ones - is long and expensive. Wall stickers can quickly transform a room or add accents. They are also called interior, decorative.

It's easy to decorate a boring wall

The name "stickers" is often used, as this type of decor is attached by means of an adhesive layer. Just like regular paper stickers. It is a good alternative to painting andstencils... Wall stickers differ in ease of application (glued), a wide variety of themes, sizes and types.

What are decorative wall stickers?

First, let's talk about what the stickers are. If we talk about the technical side, then they are made from vinyl film (polyvinyl chloride or PVC). On one side, a drawing is applied (this is if the image is multi-colored), on the other - a layer of glue. There are two additional layers to protect the image and glue. The glue is covered with paper (bottom), the drawing is covered with a transparent film. The covering film is stiffer than vinyl. It prevents the sticker from pulling or tearing during application.

What are the stickers in operation

Before the first experience of sticking stickers on the walls, questions arise about what surfaces you can glue them on, how they will behave, whether they will peel off, whether they can be removed if you do not like them or get bored, will the surface be damaged after removing the sticker, will there be no traces. Etc. The questions are clear. Let's talk about all these nuances.

Wall decals are a quick way to change designs

What surfaces can be glued and how well they will hold

You can glue on any not too embossed and not too soft and delicate surfaces. And not only on the walls, but also on the ceiling, furniture, doors, etc. So, what materials you can stick stickers on:

• For paint (including water-based paint).
• On the wallpaper. They normally stick to vinyl and non-woven ones. On smooth surfaces - generally very good, with a not very embossed surface - not bad. With a relief surface - you have to try, as the result is difficult to predict. You can stick it on soft paper, but you will most likely remove it with a piece of wallpaper.
  

  As you can see, it sticks well on vinyl embossed wallpaper.

• Furniture from any material. On painted facades too.
• On glass, mirror.
• Ceramic tiles.
• On metal (refrigerators).

In general, without question, stickers can be glued to any rigid materials: smooth or with a not pronounced relief. The rest must be checked. How? Some manufacturers put a test sticker in each kit (DesignStickers, for example). In this case, glue this test sticker according to all the rules on the intended surface. Leave it on for 24 hours. After this period, check how the picture behaves. If it has not disappeared in a day, the edges hold, then in a year or two nothing will happen to it.If it comes off, look for another surface.

Best background - solid color

But that's not all. It is necessary to check if there are any traces left after removal. To do this, take and remove a test sticker. We shoot correctly: we pry on the top edge, wrap it up and pull it down, not "towards ourselves." Usually, it comes off “clean, no problem. If you are unlucky and some of the paint or fragments of wallpaper remain on the surface, we are looking for another place.

What if there is no trial sticker? Your wall decal may have multiple pieces. Pick one small one and go through the whole process. Only do not remove the protective film (transparent). If it comes off without "wall fragments", it can be re-glued. And for the third time. Maybe in the fourth ... Depends on the adhesive composition and the strength of the film. But the walls must be clean.

Types of wall stickers

Generally speaking, wall stickers can be divided into several groups:

• mirror (acrylic);
  

  Mirror Acrylic Wall Stickers

• vinyl:
  • monochrome (plain);
  • colored;
  • volumetric (3D).

Mirror stickers are made of acrylic. This material is covered with a special metallized layer. Outwardly, it also turns out a mirror, but not on the glass. The accuracy of the image may be insufficient, but this is not a mirror, but an element of decor. Such material is also called "flexible mirror". Various shapes are cut out of it, glue is applied to the reverse side, which is protected with a film. Such a sticker will not replace an ordinary mirror, but it can be an interesting interior move.

Types of Vinyl Wall Stickers

Vinyl decorative decals can be solid or colored. Solid ones are most often black, gray can be found. Other colors on sale are rare, most likely they will be made to order. Colored stickers can be ordinary - two-dimensional - and three-dimensional. The so-called 3D. How much such a picture will fit into the interior - you need to look, as they attract too much attention. If you need to distract this attention from something, then a 3D wall sticker is the best option.

By appointment

The first and main task of stickers is to change the existing design. It takes just a few minutes and the result is impressive. In addition to their direct function - to decorate the wall - vinyl stickers can have a special purpose:

Even the simplest stickers - like dandelions - make the interior more expressive

• Height meter. A useful thing in a children's room.
• Alphabet. Allows children to learn letters faster.
• For chalk drawings. Black foil stickers in the shape of various animals. You can draw on them with chalk many times. Can be used instead of a message board, describing who needs to do what and when. If you solve school assignments on such a "board", then a boring lesson will turn into a game.
  

  Stickers can be used in many ways

• The calendar. There is a weekly - from Monday to Sunday, there is a month. So all your tasks will be before your eyes. They say it improves efficiency.
• Use the map as a travel plan, or mark places you've already visited. Not a bad method of improving knowledge in geography.
• For the holiday. Create a festive mood with themed pictures - quickly and conveniently.
  

  Themed pictures for the holidays

These are the ideas that lie on the surface. Surely you can use it in another way.

By subject

Wall decals are not as easy as they seem. Deciding on a color scheme is not very difficult. It is either monochrome black or colors that are already there or are planned in the design of the room. But there are so many drawings that you can't even imagine where and what to look for. To make it a little easier, here is a list of topics. This will make it easier for you to find stickers.

The first thing that will facilitate the search is a specific room or object where the sticker is planned. You can separately search for stickers for the following objects:

• Toilet with bath:
  • on the toilet cistern;
  • on the toilet lid;
    

    Many interesting ideas for bathrooms

  • on a glass partition (they are double-sided);
  • on the wall.
• Kitchen and dining room:
  • on the wall;
  • on the tile;
    

    The theme is clear, but the stickers on the refrigerator can be very different

  • on furniture;
  • on the refrigerator;
• children's;
• car.

In each of the categories there is where to unfold, there are quite a few options in colors, shapes. But such a division does not exclude the use of pictures from "neutral" categories, which are difficult to attribute to any zone / device. Here are the topics you can search for:

• Abstraction.
• Vintage.
• Around the world:
  • East;
  • world maps;
  • trains, planes, buses;
  • attractions;
  • ethnic motives.
    

    Vinyl car stickers can hide scratches, dents, but not necessarily

• Nature:
  • trees;
  • animals;
  • birds;
  • flowers;
  • cats.
• Landscapes:
  • marine;
  • urban;
  • forests and fields.
    

    The brighter the picture, the harder it is to "fit" it

• Celebrities.
• Music.
• Romance:
  • a family;
  • inscriptions.
• Sport.
• Fishing and hunting.
• Ornaments and patterns.
• Clock.
• Erotica.

From just one list of topics it is clear that there is plenty to choose from. And if you consider that many companies offer all this or a lot, in different sizes and colors, it becomes absolutely clear that it will not be easy to choose.

How to choose

In general, choosing the right sticker is not easy at all, because it should be part of the interior. Therefore, we choose the type based on the task that the sticker will perform. If it is the center of the composition, then something bright, catchy is possible. Like a big picture or even a 3D painting. But just remember that the rest of the setting must match.

A certain style of the sticker, dictates the presence of features of the same style in other objects and design

For example, you want to use a Japanese or Chinese landscape. Fine. But in the design of the room this theme should also be present. Such or a similar bright thematic picture in the usual average design will look "no way". If you have an interior in the process of development, you can try to build everything around the found theme. In fact, it is not that difficult. But it is almost impossible to "attach" a bright big picture to the existing interior. The exception, perhaps, is the children's room. Here are bright pictures in the subject. The good thing is that vinyl stickers can be changed as the child grows, his tastes and preferences change. Make the background of the walls neutral, and the drawings may contain the characters of the currently favorite cartoon or images of a toy.

In the nursery and not only, you can use stickers to combine everything into one ensemble. To do this, use the same type of stickers of different sizes. They can be glued to walls, furniture, ceilings. One of the techniques is moving from one wall to another, from a piece of furniture to a wall or to another object.

That's what we're talking about - one theme, stickers combine everything into one ensemble

For other rooms, the simplest and most versatile way is to use monochrome images. The most ideal and neutral option is lettering, silhouettes. They are easier to write. Patterns and abstractions are good in this sense.

The “calmer” and more neutral the picture, the easier it fits into the overall picture

How to stick

Sticking vinyl stickers is easy, but there are certain rules to follow. First, the room should be warm. Temperature not lower than + 15 ° C. Secondly, the humidity is normal, the walls or any other surface must be dry and clean. There must be no dust, grease or dirt. If possible, treat the adhesive area with a degreaser (solvent).

How to Apply Vinyl Wall Stickers Step by Step Photos

For work, you need a small plastic spatula, which can be successfully replaced with an old plastic bank card. If you don't like working with plastic, try a dry, clean, soft cloth. These devices will help to expel air bubbles from under the film.

We glue a large picture from vinyl film

The site was prepared for work, then the procedure is as follows:

• We disassemble the sticker, see how it will look. Very often it is a collection of fragments. We take the fragments and put them into a picture. We fasten them with pins or stationery tape in the intended place. We leave, we look. If everything suits you, we begin to glue.
• It is worth starting from the bottom, moving up. First, the central fragment is glued, others are joined to it. So it turns out that you have to move in two directions - from bottom to top and from the center to the edges.
  

  At first it is not clear what and how

• From the bottom of the fragment, peel off a small section of the backing that protects the adhesive layer. We apply it to the work surface. We try to glue evenly, but if it doesn't work out, it's okay - peel it off, try again. After the "start" has been glued correctly, we take plastic or a rag. Peel off, bending a small part of the protective paper, glue the strip. Separate the protective paper again and glue it on. Moving up and to the sides, glue the entire fragment.
  

  When sticking, we do not remove the protective film from the front part

• We looked, the fragment is glued exactly, everything is fine. Remove the protective film from the front.
• We repeat the operation with the next piece of the picture. But now we still need to dock the details. The slightest discrepancy will be visible, so we are not in a hurry. We glued it, checked it, removed the protective layer from the front part.
• We also glue all the parts.

That's all. A few notes on the process. It is important to try to expel air from under the vinyl. Therefore, we move slowly, avoiding gaps. Then there will be no bubbles. If the peel-off is in the way, you can trim it.

We remove the film, which is glued on the front side, after the fragment is completely glued, all air has been removed. At the same time, you cannot leave it on the part when the next one is glued - the seam will be visible.

Features of a small picture

Above, we described the process of pasting a large picture consisting of several pieces that must be joined together. But such complications are not always necessary. Some images are a set of elements that can be positioned relative to each other in any order. Such elements are usually glued on one sheet. They only need to be removed from the substrate and glued to the wall.

Small pieces are easier to glue: popular butterflies and cartoon characters (Kitty)

But in this case, in order not to make a mistake and not to glue the fragments from place to place, cut them out together with the substrate. It is not at all necessary strictly along the contour, you can capture free areas of the substrate. Now spread these pieces over the surface as you imagine, using pieces of masking tape. Evaluate the result. You may have to move something somewhere, change places. When you are satisfied with the result, start gluing.

How to remove a boring vinyl decal from a wall

The great thing about wall stickers is that they can be removed without harming the coating. Usually this is not difficult. Pry on the edge, wrap and pull down. Pay attention, not to yourself, but down. Then the paint and wallpaper remain in place.

This is how to peel off the wall sticker

If the vinyl is too familiar with the surface to rip off the edge, you will need a knife. This happens with smooth, even materials - glass, ceramic tiles, plastic, etc. In the most difficult situations, a hairdryer can be used. Warm up the film, pull it down. So, gradually, you shoot. Usually everything goes away without a trace.