One thing we have learnt over our time making decals, is that it is easier to stick decals to some types of paint than others. In this guide we will share what we know, to help you understand the best fit for you and get the best outcome for your walls.

Why paint type matters so much

Not all decals are alike. Our standard decals are low tack - designed to be friendly to walls, repositionable and easy to use. We do not believe there is a way to do decals well, without offering a choice of tackiness.  Find out more about the difference between high tack and standard here. 
 

Should I get High Tack?

Perfect for harder to stick to surfaces. The key is to understand whether you have:

I don’t know what paint is on the wall

If you have time, we recommend that you try samples to check your paint for yourself. If you already have your decals, we would recommend putting just one decal up first and monitoring it over 48 hours to make sure it stays well adhered before putting further decals up. This is most important if you are putting the decal above a crib or bed of a young child as it is possible for the decal to appear to be well stuck immediately after application, but to then peel off slowly over the course of the next day or so.

We’ve recently painted - when should we put the decals up?

Wait approx 1 month

Standard paints will take about a month to thoroughly dry and de-gas. The exact timescale depends on a number of factors including the time of year and how well ventilated the room is. Whilst paint appears to be dry within a day or two, we would not recommend placing decals up within a month as you could possibly damage the paint. If the paint is still de-gassing it may also cause the decals to lift away from the wall, and may cause your painted surface to blister.

When to wait longer

1- High tack. We recommend waiting 6-8 weeks when using these. The level of tackiness decals is 50% stronger compared to our standard decals and so we recommend giving your paint extra time to harden.
 
2- Low/zero VOC paint. These paints take longer than standard paints to fully dry. In fact, they can be de-gassing for several months (this isn’t as scary as it sounds, as they emit less harmful gas than traditional paints, but it is a slower process) and so we recommend waiting 6-8 weeks.
 
If, after this waiting period, you apply the decals and they are not adhering well, you may need to prepare the surface using the following method:
Mix 70% isopropyl alcohol with 30% water (you must not use more than 70% alcohol as this can cause issues such as bubbling of the paint surface). Wipe this across the wall (you may see a little paint on the paper towel). Let it dry completely and then do this again, before trying to put the decals up. 

Can I use high tack with standard paint?

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend using the lowest tack option that works with your paint, as it will be the gentlest. However, in some situations, making sure the decals are very securely adhered to the wall becomes the priority, and it is worth considering high tack. 

For example, in commercial and clinical environments, or in areas where children may play unsupervised for short periods. High tack decals are a lot more difficult for little fingers to prise from the wall than standard decals. Please note some decals have small parts and could therefore pose a choking risk for children under 36 months. We strongly recommend these are not placed within easy reach of children this age or below. If you are placing standard decals above a crib or similar you must ensure the decals are well adhered over a period of 48 hours as decals are most likely to lift away during this time if they are going to have problems adhering over the longer term. 
 
As the adhesive is 50% stronger, these will test the wall surface more than our standard decals do when it comes to removing/moving them and so any weakness or damage in the paint could be made worse.

My decals are lifting/peeling away from the wall - what can I do?

- If your decals are peeling to the point where they might fall off the wall, take them down and put them back on their backing straight away. If they pick up fluff and dust from the floor, it will be harder to resolve. If you have already thrown the backing away, you can use baking/parchment paper. 

- If you haven’t done so yet, check what paint you have on the wall and then read this guide.

- Have you put the decals up too soon after painting? The de-gassing process can cause decals to peel so it’s worth thinking about this before doing anything else (timescales in ‘we’ve recently painted’ section above

- If you have low/zero VOC paint read the ‘we’ve recently painted’ section above.

- If you have a paint type that we recommend high tack for, but you have already applied standard decals, contact us. One thing we can do is to send you a sheet of ‘high tack dots’ which will allow you to add patches of the stronger tack to the decals you already have. Depending on the decals you have this can be a fiddly process, but is a great fix.