• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Best vinyl for temporary museum wall wraps.

jawdavis

New Member
Wall graphics are my primary business. We've printed and shipped tens of thousands of wall murals in the last ten years, using a wide variety of materials, and covering a myriad of different types of wall surfaces. No two walls are alike and what may work for one, won't necessarily work for another, BUT we have fine-tuned our list to materials what will work the best on MOST surfaces. What I've found on this site is that alot of people suggest using 40c on painted drywall, which is a surface that it will stick to, but really wasnt intended for. First off, you're paying for air-release when you don't need it, and you're going to damage the wall when you remove it. I find that using 40c for wall graphics (especially temporary ones) is akin to the saying "to the man with a hammer, everything looks likes a nail." Every wall is a nail and 40c is going to beat it all to hell.

I would suggest let's start by looking at the most popular types of wall-specific medias out there. Phototex is the original fabric wall graphic, with many imitators, of which I've tried them all. If you can dial in the printing just right then it's a great product that will stick to most surfaces and remove cleanly, however it's far too expensive for what it is. I've also had other issues with Phototex but I won't go into that here. The RadGrafix (made by GF, sold by Grimco) is in my opinion a better product at a better price point, as is the WallTux by GF. Those are the only 3 products I'd use if the situation calls for self-adhesive fabric, which isn't as often as you might think.

The 6-7mil vinyl wall graphics like Avery 2611, GF 226, MacTac Roodle (this list goes on), are almost all the same and are a great option for "temporary" wall murals. I say "temporary" because if they are installed under the right conditions, they are as temporary or as permanent as you want them to be. I have installed hundreds and sold thousands of murals using a direct competitor of these vinyls and across the board it is the best product we carry and only runs a little more than a quarter a sqft. We have little old ladies install it themselves in their homes and we have professional hangers putting up 1000sqft murals in commercial office buildings with this material, it's just the best option when it comes to smooth painted drywall if you want a mural that won't damage the wall when it's removed, as it will inevitably be in a handful of years.

The other main product we sell is a type II commercial vinyl wallpaper and if you ever decide to get serious about wallcoverings, you will find that your educated customers who understand wallcoverings will be requesting this left and right. It is the industry standard for long-term removable wallcoverings and meets every certification required by serious architects and fire inspectors. The best part is that you can keep a couple of experienced wallpaper hangers in your back pocket, sub them out to install the job for you, and you get to stay in your shop making money and selling more graphics. The nice thing about this is that unlike subbing out to other installers, wallpaper guys don't have any interest in stealing your client, they just want to get the job done and done right. No offense to any vinyl installers here (since I'm one of them) but I'll trust a man/woman who's been hanging wallpaper for 30+ years more than anyone.

At the end of the day, if I were doing this project for a museum and it were only to last 3-4 months, I'd get a decent-sized sample of the Avery 2611 or another one of the 6 mil microspheric adhesive vinyls and try it on their wall surface. It should work well if it's smooth and they have a quality paint job (if it's slightly textured, like orange peel, then you'll need to look at phototex). Then, latex print that material and use a cheap matte laminate if the budget allows it, the combination will still be a good bit cheaper than a phototex-type product. Will take no time to install it if you know what you're doing and the laminate will help you sleep at night for those 3-4 months. Rinse, repeat, profit.
 

shoresigns

New Member
I agree with the recommendations for Avery 2611.

And everyone suggesting laminate is nuts. You don't need laminate on an indoor job that's meant to last only a few months. The only reason to waste money on laminate is if it makes the install job easier, which is only a factor if you're printing solvent on a thinner vinyl (Avery 2611 is thick and is not compatible with laminate).
 

jawdavis

New Member
Shoresigns, I agree for the most part about the laminate, but it all depends on traffic/demands in the area. I've had a customer who was too cheap to opt for laminate, then their cleaning crew came in and sprayed it down with a solvent cleaner and were clueless as to why the ink was damaged. It's really about educating the customer about limitations of each product, but laminate (if you can convince them to pay for it) is a nice insurance policy against the unexpected.
 

Ldiprinting

New Member
I'm taking on a big client for our small print shop. The client is a large museum that gets temporary wall wraps for each of their exhibitions that last 3 or 4 months.

I'd like to know what's the best vinyl and laminates to use on their walls that will produce the least amount of damage when removed and will reliably stick for the time needed.

I've been using 3m 40c calendar vinyl with 8510m laminate for most wall wraps. I was also considering using 3m ultra Matt cast laminate over 40c. Has anyone done this? Is it ok to use cast laminate over calendar vinyl?

Also, I'd like if someone can go through best practices on install procedures for museum walls. I know museums often use more expensive paints that sometime repel vinyl.
I have a casino client that changes out their customer service desk graphics every few weeks with new shows and events. I use Retac no need to laminate and easy to install and remove. https://www.drytac.com/products/retac/
 

MarkSnelling

Mark Snelling - Hasco Graphics
Retac is thicker, more opaque, and less expensive than PhotoTex. The adhesive performs the same. It's a killer product for walls.
 
Top