My Vinyl is not sticking to Wood!

What to do when your vinyl isn’t sticking to Wood

Permanent vinyl usually sticks decently to untreated wood but sometimes you have to prepare your wood for application. Here are a few tips to ensure vinyl adheres. Please note that the smoother and shinier the surface of the wood, the better vinyl will adhere.  

Step 1

Sand down whatever wood you're working with. The more you sand it down the better your vinyl will stick, so make sure to use lots of elbow grease!

Step 2

Treat your wood. You need to add some sort of coating or primer that the vinyl can grip to such as water-based polycrylic, wood stain or acrylic paint, all of which you can find at your favorite craft store. Spray or coat your wood in this base coat and wait 24-48 hours until your base coat is completely cured.

Now that your wood is ready, you can move on to the Application instructions included in your order.

VIDEOS:

POLYCRYLIC FINISH

If your vinyl isn’t still sticking!

The following are other strategies to use if your vinyl isn’t sticking:

Using heat gun or iron:

Apply the vinyl as usual and then apply a blow dryer or heat gun to activate adhesive to stick better to wood.

Using home iron: 

Apply vinyl to wood and with a teflon sheet between your project and iron, iron the decal onto the wood by applying firm pressure for 10-15 seconds without moving the decal around

Using spray adhesive

Apply spray adhesive on top of your wood then apply decal as usual. This will provide a tacky surface that will definitely help your vinyl cling. One downside of this solution is that it will make your entire project a bit sticky but shouldn’t be a problem when making a sign or decor.