By ICL Imaging
It comes down to 2 choices - Wallpaper or Adhesive
Vinyl,
But Which One?
~ 5
Things to Consider when Producing a Wall Mural ~
1. Removability
How long do you plan on having the wall covering
up? Short Term, less than a year or two - or longer term, up to 5 years
or more.
Wallpaper can be removed fairly easily if
the walls have been properly primed prior to the installation. After the wallpaper is removed the
walls can be lightly washed with soap and water to easily clean any residual
adhesive remaining.
Adhesive Vinyl: depending on the type,
permanent or removable, depends on how easily it will remove. Over the
long-term, permanent adhesive vinyl will perform better than wallpaper but will
be harder to remove. For short-term applications, a removable vinyl
adhesive is the choice.
FABJET II from Quality Media and Laminating is an
adhesive backed fabric that is ultra removable, excellent opacity and has water
fast coating suitable for cleaning.
2. Wall Surface
The surface texture of a wall can make or break the
success of an installation for both adhesive vinyl and wallpaper. Rough
textures do not hold the adhesives well and will show through both materials.
Glossy painted walls are difficult to adhere
to. Adhesive Vinyls won't adhere very well to matte wall surfaces.
Eggshell paint is a terrible surface to bond to
except for the FABJET II!
3. Finished Look of Wall Mural
Adhesive Vinyl material requires
overlapping seams due to the natural shrinkage of the material that will occur
early on after installation. These small seams, depending on your image, can be
noticeable. A vinyl adhesive material for long term will need an overlam
applied to it. Surface choices can be matte, lustre or gloss.
Wallpaper material can be overlapped, then
double cut creating very tight seams with no overlap. Wallpaper materials come
in a variety of surface textures however colors can appear a little flatter /
less saturated than on adhesive vinyl.
Wallpaper can allow for changes to be made after the installation because
of the removability. In most cases
pieces of the mural can be changed with the replacement pieces added without
notice, i.e.; dates, names, additions to time lines, etc.
4. Wall Variations
Windows and doorframes can cause installation
problems if the correct material is not used. If you want to cover your
walls, door and window casings with a wall graphic, wallpaper is probably not
going to work for you. Adhesive Vinyl will conform better to the corners
and angles of the casings and will adhere better with its' more aggressive
adhesive.
5. Installation
The Wall: before the installation takes place the
walls should be spackled and sanded wherever necessary and then wiped
clean.
Before hanging, determine if the wall should be
primed with a white primer to lessen any possible color bleed-through.
Priming promotes adhesion and less damaging removal.
Wallpaper: Shieldz brand primer products,
Clear – for solid painted walls and White – for new walls, need 2 days for
drying before applying a mural.
Do not use latex paint as the wallpaper paste can
soften the latex making the paper become part of the wall.
Adhesive Vinyl; It's best to use a latex
semi-gloss paint and allow to dry and cure for at least 2 weeks to eliminate
the out gassing that will create bubbles under the wall mural material. You can also use Kilz brand primers.
They have shown excellent results and reduce staining and bleed-through
problems. Allow at least 5 full days of drying for Kilz.
So what material should I use?
ICL Imaging's experienced account representatives will be able to answer
that question for you. Email us at info@icl-imaging.com, and
we'll be glad to review your wall-covering project and offer you the best solution
to your wall mural challenge.
For more information about ICL Imaging, its'
products and services, please contact us at
Tel: 508 872 3280
Email: info@icl-imaging.com
or check us out at
Contributing writer was Larry Johnson at AJ Robbins
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