Client painted walls with zero VOC ProMar200 before we vinyl the walls...

[HWPhilly]

Client of ours renovated a room and we're to cover the walls (drywall) in vinyl graphics. I gave them a list of guidelines that I was given that sorta tells clients the do's and don't's when it comes to painting walls and vinyl graphics...and unfortunately they ignored the "do's" and did the "don't's". They ended using zero VOC Pro Mar 200 latex and from what I've read, this stuff SUCKS for applying vinyl graphics too. I'm going to do a test using a 3M adhesion scale just to confirm it's no good for the job, but if they have to repaint the walls, is there any specific paint you'd recommend that we should recommend for them to use? I assume they're going to ask us so I'd like to have a solid suggestion or two ready to go. Thank you.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

Low VOC paints leave a silicon deposit on the dried surface which prevents most adhesives from sticking (sort of like applying adhesive vinyl to a dusty wall). You can try agreesively cleaning with alcohol first, then burnishing the hell out of the vinyl before removing the transfer tape, but it is best to avoid low VOC paint altogether if you will be applying vinyl to the dried paint (and this goes for any kind of stain repellant paint as well). Regular latex paint works fine because it does not leave that silicon deposit (the glossier the better).
Note: I have used wallpaper size over the questionable paint with reasonable success.

 

[HWPhilly]

Okay, yeah I'm not too optimistic it's going to work as is. So stay away from matte/flat paint and use something like a semi gloss latex paint (that doesn't say Zero/No/Low VOC)?

 

[visual800]

eggshell is also fine, let it sit for about a week and do a test

 

[ikarasu]

This is why they make different tac vinyls. We do a lot of hospital work, and they use no voc, anti germ stuff that most vinyls won't stick to.... Wall vinyl and our usual ij40 just fall right off.

But we found if we use ij35, it sticks perfect - there are downsides though.... It comes off, however it may take a few chunks of paint and drywall with it in random spots (I'm guessing the low surface tension isn't equal all across the paint). If we put ij35 on a normal wall the wall would be missing half the paint, but we're talking maybe 1 or 2 dollar bill size chunks per 10 ft of wall with ij35.


Personally, I'd do a wall test with a permanent vinyl, tell them it'll take off the paint when removed and see if they're ok with that.

Telling them they'll have to repaint after it's removed is a lot easier to swallow than you have to repaint it before we apply.

 

[HWPhilly]

This is why they make different tac vinyls. We do a lot of hospital work, and they use no voc, anti germ stuff that most vinyls won't stick to.... Wall vinyl and our usual ij40 just fall right off.

But we found if we use ij35, it sticks perfect - there are downsides though.... It comes off, however it may take a few chunks of paint and drywall with it in random spots (I'm guessing the low surface tension isn't equal all across the paint). If we put ij35 on a normal walk the walk would be missing half the paint, but we're talking maybe 1 or 2 dollar bill size chunks per 10 ft of wall with ij35.


Personally, I'd do a walk test with a permanent vinyl, tell them it'll take off the paint when removed and see if they're ok with that.

Telling them they'll have to repaint after it's removed is a lot easier to swallow than you have to repaint it before we apply.

Hmm okay, yeah IJ35 is what we were planning on testing but looks like I'll need to explain everything beforehand about it removing some of the drywall when removed. Thanks for your insight.