Need advice on a big graphic on an interior wall

[JJGraphics]

A customer of mine is asking me to print a graphic to cover this entire wall and I've never done anything like this before.

The full width of the wall is 28' and the height is 14'

The wall has wallpaper on it now, and some damage spots on it from where the previous tenant had a very big picture as well. (though certainly not a full wall mural) Do I need to worry about the existing wallpaper or just go right over it?

I'm considering a material like General Formulations Wall-Tux which comes in 60" x 100' rolls.

My thought is to print it in 6 14' tall sections with around an inch of overlap then cut the overlap to create a nice seam. I'm going to do my best to keep the seams in the white areas between the big blue dots. I think the whole project will be more forgiving that way.

I would attach the material at the top of the wall, then remove the liner as I work down each section. When I get to the bottom, I would begin the next section.

Any tips or suggestions for me? I'm printing this on a Mimaki solvent printer and I've made plenty of vehicle stickers and yard signs so I'm comfortable with the idea of sticking vinyl to things, just never something this big.

Is there a different way of doing this that would work better than what I'm currently thinking?

As a total newbie to this kind of mural, How long should I expect it to take to install? I'll have 2 people and 2 tall A frame ladders to work from.

Thanks!

 

[Solid Retail]

Wall Mural

We perform these everyday. First I would strongly suggest you remove the existing wall paper. It most certainly will require you to sand off all wall paper adhesive and prime and paint with semi gloss paint for application of your vinyl mural. Whether or mot you are installing vinyl or wall paper, removal and wall prep is key. Especially if you do not want to put a product out there that you can stand behind.
Depending of the size of panels your are installing. (assuming 54' material) You will probably spend about 1 1/2 days with removal and wall prep and painting. Following manufactures recommendations. You will be forced to wait for Primer and Pint to gas out before you can apply the vinyl to the wall. That is if you or your client would like any manufacturers warranty for the product.

If you or your client chooses not to remove the wallpaper, IMO, I would walk away. You do not want the edges or damage showing through on the new wall vinyl.
Being you a new in the field, you do not want any quality issues floating around about your work ethic or processes.

Hypothetically, on a complete prepped wall of this size with the right tools. 2 seasoned installers can have this installed in about 3 hours.

Not sure about your Material. We always use 3M. I would certainly suggest you use a quality material. Again to avoid adhesion and application issues.

 

[0igo]

wall installations are easy af but like the guy above me said, prep is key

 

[heyskull]

Personally I would insist the client gets a decorator into strip and prepare the surface of the wall as we are signmakers not painters.
Also I agree the better the material the better the application.
This is a bit like any piece of vinyl application, it is only as good as the surface it is applied to and if anything exagerates defects when applied.

SC

 

[BigfishDM]

What type of printer do you use? There are some better options then the GF material depending on your equipment.

 

[JJGraphics]

What type of printer do you use? There are some better options then the GF material depending on your equipment.

Mimaki cjv30-160 with ss21 inks

 

[JJGraphics]

I forgot to mention: The customer wants it installed by next Friday (7 calendar days from today)

*shakes my head*

 

[CanuckSigns]

Look into photo-tex, it's the only wall material I've found that will stick to pretty much anything and remove cleanly, get the opaque version.

 

[2B]

from our experience wall graphics are just like any other surface, prep is key, when you do a re-face you are only as good as the base adhesive and if there is any flaw on the surface the wall graphics will show it through

 

[BigfishDM]

Mimaki cjv30-160 with ss21 inks

Ok here are some options you should check with your vendors on:

GFIOP212 (Latex Saturated paper that you would use like wallpaper stock)
General Form 226 Wallmark (This is a rigid vinyl that is pretty easy to install but is more expensive then wallpaper stock)
Adhesive Fabric (This is an expensive solution but is very easy to install)
Cast Vinyl (Many companies use their wrap vinyl for this application but is also on the higher end price range)

 

[JJGraphics]

Look into photo-tex, it's the only wall material I've found that will stick to pretty much anything and remove cleanly, get the opaque version.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Have you ever put this over existing wall paper?


At this point I'm looking into the Lind SignSpring system. I can install the track on the existing wall without any surface prep. Their system also has about 5" wide covers that will hide all the mounting points, giving it a nice clean finish. It will be cheaper and faster than removing wall paper and painting, but not quite as nice as applying a graphic to a smooth clean wall. The president of their company is flying in from China in 10 days so they absolutely want this done before then.

Thanks again everyone for your help on this!

 

[biggmann]

Personally I would insist the client gets a decorator into strip and prepare the surface of the wall as we are signmakers not painters.
Also I agree the better the material the better the application.
This is a bit like any piece of vinyl application, it is only as good as the surface it is applied to and if anything exagerates defects when applied.

SC

Some excellent advice here!!! We just did a wall that had a curve in it so there was a lot of drywall compound so I insisted they primer the wall before I wrapped it and the area that had the curve didnt accept paint properly so that panel pulled away from the wall, I suspect they didn't hire true painters just did it themselves.