HELP! Orajet 3268 peeling!

[ashleighfiddler]

Good morning all- i've read through the forum archives and apparently this is a somewhat common problem D:

I installed a wall decal job on Dec. 17th and customer just emailed to let me know that the decals are peeling up! These were contour cut printed decals, some ±1" text, not laminated, allowed to sit a few days before installation.

Do I:
A) Try using a heat gun to tack the graphics down and hope they stay?

B) reprint the graphics, let them sit for a day or 2 before I contour cut (they were cut right after printing last time) and hope this solves the problem? Will laminating them help?

C) Order different material (Avery 2611) and try that?

Please advise on the best way to quickly correct this! My deepest appreciation for taking your time to answer!

 

[P Wagner]

Oracal 3268 recommends a minimum .25 inch wide unprinted border off of the ink to minimize edge curl with eco-solvent inks. That is almost impossible with one inch tall lettering.

I have found the Avery MPI 2611 to be more curl-resistant (though not entirely with solvent ink) on a variety of painted surfaces.

 

[ashleighfiddler]

I did a bunch of research before i picked this vinyl but somehow missed the detail about the white border. Do you think going back over with heat will fix the problem?

Or should I plan to redo it with the Avery?

 

[Gino]

What kind of surface were these graphics applied ?? Wall type, painted or not, gloss or flat paint... etc. ??

 

[ashleighfiddler]

sorry it is applied to an interior painted wall with a flat finish. The wall was painted Dec. 10, so they only allowed 8 days of drying before the graphics were installed. And they just told me that it's a zero-VOC latex. This is probably the issue. DAMN!!

Looks like it will need to be completely redone. OK- what material do you all recommend i use to fix the job? Please advise, thank you!!

 

[Gino]

After all the letters and graphics are removed, they will need to re-paint the wall with a satin type finish. I would 100% advise against digitally printing anything and apply a cast die-cut vinyl the closet you can get to the color they want.

 

[Bly]

You might want to view 3M's recommendations for putting vinyl on low VOC paint walls

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...ts/LowVOC/?WT.mc_id=www.3Mgraphics.com/LowVOC

 

[CanuckSigns]

The flat finish is your problem, insist on the wall being repainted with a semi-gloss or gloss paint. even a cast vinyl with permanent adhesive will fail on a flat latex wall.

secondly, for text I would use oracal 631 and die cut it.

 

[ashleighfiddler]

Unfortunately repainting the wall with a different paint is not an option at this point as this is for a gallery exhibit that opens in a week. They can only touch-up paint with the same paint as necessary after the graphics are removed. At this point I need a solution: something to stick to the wall for a few months. Might not be a textbook solution but the wall can be refinished later.

+1 to using 631! That's what I used for a huge 4' x 4' block of copy, and have used on this same paint without a problem before. That's why this 3268 failing is so frustrating. I'm going out tomorrow to check it out and see if heating it will tack it down.

if not......:

My boss suggested using superglue (!!!) on the edges to get them to stay down. I told him the issue and he's sure it's the flat 0-voc paint. He's a pretty knowledgeable sign guy with a make-it-happen perspective so i'm not ruling this out entirely. He's the boss.

Solution 2 is to print on a permanent adhesive vinyl (arlon 4560gtx) and reinstall after the paint's touched up. Also +1 on the post regarding 3m installation instructions on the low voc.

Solution 3 is to reprint everything on wall frog. The rep told me it can be contour cut and is guaranteed not to lift or curl. A large part of the graphic is an image that must be digitally printed and die-cut, but i'll be redoing the text in 631. so between all this i think i should have some kind of a solution for my customer.

AND THE CUSTOMER AND I WILL BE HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT PAINT SELECTION FOR THEIR NEXT EXHIBIT!

Thanks all for bearing with me, I very much appreciate all the input!

 

[Gman75]

Flat finish walls

Yes I agree flat or matte finish is the kryptonite to vinyl
but making customer repaint the wall may not sit well
with the customer depending on wall size. I have spoken
to a sales rep at WRI supply and they said that when in doubt
us wrap vinyl. But laminate it so you can work well with
it when applying it. 3M IJ180 works great!

 

[ashleighfiddler]

I am happy to report that after going over the edges of the 3268 wall graphics with a heat gun and roller, they are staying down and look good, per my client.

I applied arlon 4560GTX on a separate wall area. It was easy to install and stuck well. They are going to let me know how it is to remove.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I would test the superglue theory on a extra piece of vinyl. Superglue is pretty nasty stuff. If you drop superglue on a microfiber rag you can actually get it smoke some. I would wonder if it would mess up the vinyl. ie. melt it, discolor it.