Should I apply a clear coat polyurethane over my decals?

From time to time we have customers ask about sealing their decals.  Usually they are applying decals to a board or tile and want to make it last for many years.  Here we have a little info about decal stickers and polurethane.

If you are ordering a wall decal, it should be a matte finish and the adhesive is not super strong (to allow you to take it off without wrecking your painted walls).  Here is a picture of what can happen if you apply a thick coat of polyurethane over a wall decal sticker.

 

Polyurethane can cause the edges of the decal to curl.  Now I am not saying you CANNOT seal your decal sticker.... we have had customers tell us they have done it without any problems.

Here is some things to consider:

If you have a Wall Decal (matte finish and not super-strong adhesive), use a VERY light coat of polyurethane.  Mod Podge is another product that I have heard customers state they have used over their wall decal stickers.  The polyurethane tends to curl the edges of a vinyl sticker and with the lighter adhesive, the strength of the adhesive can break down.... on a Wall Decal Sticker. 

 

Another factor on the above board might have been the seams of the wood - this allowed the polyurethane to seep under the decal sticker just a bit and this reacted adversely with the adhesive on the decal sticker.

When our customer sent us this photo with "Help!" as the subject line, we suggested we get her another decal (we generally offer a mess-up decal replacement at half price).  The second decal sticker would be made with the GLOSSY OUTDOOR grade material, though.  

The glossy was not a factor seeing the polyurethane she added made the decal glossy-looking anyway.  And our outdoor grade material has a MUCH stronger adhesive... once that sticker sticks to a spot, there is very little chance you have to pick it up and move it to a correct spot!  So the stronger adhesive of our Glossy vinyl material was a much better fit for this project.  The strength of the adhesive allowed for a strong application to the wood and therefore wouldn't curl the edges of the decal when a light coat of polyurethane was applied.

Generally a seal is not needed for a decal made with our Glossy outdoor grade material, but if you want to feel safer, go ahead and apply a coat over your decal, but, please, make it a LIGHT coat! The beanbag toss board picture below is an example of using a light sealant coat over top the decal stickers.

Looking for a personalized or customized Wall Decal design?  Visit our website and use the Contact Us form.

5 Ways to Make Going Back to School Easy & Fun

Hi all! Summer is a wonderful, even magical time of year for the kiddos. Long, lazy summer days filled with playing outside all day, swimming, going to the beach and so many more fun things! But as we all know it's already August, and stores are putting out the back to school supplies as fast as possible! I want to help the transition from lazy days to busy days to be as fun, and easy, as possible for you!

1. Host an end-of-summer party or barbeque! Turning this party into an annual tradition would help the kids look forward to school starting, and also who doesn't love a good party??

2. Personalize your child's supplies! Add their name to a water bottle, pencil case, folders. trapper keepers and more with one of these vinyl decals!

3. Talk to your kids. Ask them what has them worried or scared about going back to school.

4. Give them a special treat on the first day of school! Serving up a buffet breakfast or just baking homemade cinnamon rolls, is a tradition on the first day of school is a great and easy way to help them be ready for the new school year. Plus a good breakfast helps them to stay alert and focused in school!

5. Start a school-like routine a week or two before it actually starts. It will help make the adjustment of getting up early instead of sleeping in much easier.

Mailbox Mania - Outdoor Decals

Is your mailbox dirty and unreadable from all the winter weather? Or maybe you are sick of the mailman asking if he has the right address? And worse yet, your mail going to the neighbor because someone can't read the house number on your mailbox?
Revitalize your mailbox with mailbox decals by adding one of ours!

We have a variety of mailbox decals to offer. Choose from a simple design to a more detailed floral monogram with address. You can even make a mailbox decal to go on an apartment door!

Add some stick people to symbolize your family! It is a super cute and fun way to personalize your mailbox. 

Putting a mailbox decal on the house door is a great idea too! That way you have your address available in plain sight, or even in two places! And this decal doesn't have a name on it, making it ideal for an apartment or house door.

All of our mailbox decals are made with outdoor vinyl. It has a stronger adhesive than regular vinyl, allowing it to last up to ten years! You can choose from a variety of colors including black, white, pink, yellow, green and
more!

Make it a family project to come up with a new mailbox design! Have fun planning and hope you like your new mailbox decal!
Cassie

Custom Designs from Wall Decor Plus More

Check out our custom words category on our website!

Have you ever wanted to customize or personalize a specific part of your house? Maybe the living room, family room or kitchen? I have the answer for you! Wall Decor Plus More offers custom word wall sticker designs and personalization. We can take any font that you like and turn it into the design you've always dreamed of.

An example of how we do custom designed wall stickers are in the picture to the left. My mom was looking for something to spruce up her kitchen  a bit. So she called me. She told me what she wanted, and I sent her a few different variations of the kitchen words she was looking for.  

The wall stickers are all different languages which roughly translate to "Eat Well" in English. The first (starting left to right) is Spanish. The next one is Dutch (because my mom immigrated from the Netherlands as a girl), and the third one is French.

These wall stickers are in chocolate brown, and are about 3 inches tall each. The font for each is different as well. For "salud", we used Vivaldi. It is a scrolling type of font. For "eet smakelijk", we used Benguiat. This is, as you can see, one of the bolder fonts. "Bon appetit" is actually a design that we have on www.WallDecorPlusMore.com, that we offer in the sizes 23"x7" or 36"x11".

Another way you can customize your home is by putting your name on it. Literally! Add a personalized wall sticker, like the one to the right!

This particular sticker is actually mine. I have it on the old beam running down the middle of our two rooms. I was sick of looking at the empty space and this wall sticker filled it up perfectly! I am so happy with it.

It is about 36 inches long and 10 inches high. I also added the names on the bottom of it. We could easily add your families' names to it! I also made the wall sticker in chocolate brown.  It took me a bit to get it up as I had to get up on a ladder to put it up
, but the end result is beautiful!

Check out www.walldecorplusmore.com if you would like to order your own personalized wall sticker now!

Have a great day!
Cassie

Scrabble Tile Wall Sticker Designs That Can Be Used in Home Decor

6 inch tiles shown

Do you love games, particularly Scrabble? Have you ever wondered if you could incorporate that love into something in your home? Well, put it to other uses with our scrabble tile wall stickers! They are such a fun addition to a room's decor, and the best part is that you can add them to any room in the house!

 You have a choice between the 3 inch wall sticker tiles or 6 inch wall sticker tiles.

They can come in any color on our website and you could spell out anything you please! Put them in the recreation room, in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or family room!

Laundry Room Wall Sticker

This is our laundry scrabble tile wall sticker. I have posted how many letters you would need so you get an idea of how to do it. When you are doing it yourself make sure to double check that the number is correct!

The letters needed for the laundry picture (below) are as follows: 2 A; 2 D; 1 E; 3 F; 1G; 1 H; 2 I; 3 L; 4 N; 1 O; 1 P; 2 R; 2 S; 2 U; 1 W; 1 Y.

Make your design two colors!

The total size of this particular wall sticker(left) is approximately 40"W x 20"H. It would be perfect in your laundry room!

Be  daring and spell out that favorite word that you always get the most points with!

Add it to your child's room if they love spelling! You can spell out the names of your family as seen in the picture on the top left of the page.

Kitchen Wall Tiles

Use your favorite spices in the kitchen - basil, curry, garlic, rosemary and so on, or design a layout with these kitchen words: pinch, dash, teaspoon, tablespoon, cup. There are so many ways to use these tiles and all of them are great!

43"X25" using 3 inch tiles

Give the tiles a try! Don't forget a little imagination goes a long way!

I would love to do a family themed scrabble tile wall design for my own house, but according to my hubby I have too many stickers already! So design one for yourself, order it, and if you share it on our Facebook page, tag us on Instagram or send us an email, you will get 30% off coupon code during our share promo going on right now!

Cassie

      

DIY Gifts with Vinyl Stickers and Decals

Here's another GREAT gift idea using Vinyl Decals.  Personalize a regular container or bowl using Vinyl Stickers. 

We offer a set of 3 Monogram Vinyl Decals in our Etsy store HERE for ONLY $12.  This Monogram is made with Glossy Outdoor grade vinyl material because it has a stronger adhesive than regular Wall Sticker material.  The stronger adhesive allows it to stand up to regular use and hand washing. 

We have tested our Glossy Decals on various containers and, after a year of moderate use, we can tell you that they were still stuck down nicely yet.  We do recommend hand-washing.  (Although I do know that my sister-in-law puts hers in the dishwasher - just be certain the decals have cooled down before use - the heat will soften the decal and make the adhesive loose).

Check out WallDecorPlusMore.com for more Personalized Stickers.

New Monogram Wall Stickers Using a Child's Initials

Monogram Initials ~ What a fun, unique way to personalize your Wall Decor!  Wall Decor Plus More has 2 new Monogram designs available on our Monogram Page. 

Monogram8 and Monogram7 are available in a 23" or 36" width - your height will vary on your letter choice.  Monogram7 is only $15 for the 23" width Wall Sticker!

There are 2 ways monogram initials are usually chosen.  If it is for a couple, you would use the first letter of the last name as the large middle letter and the small letters to signify the couples first names.  If the monogram is for a child or a 1 person, you could use the large middle letter for the first name initial, the left small letter as the initial of the middle name and the right small letter as the initial of the last name.  There is no set rules; so you may feel free to change the order of things to suit. =)

Visit our Monogram Page today for your Personalized Wall Decals!  http://walldecorplusmore.com/monograms.html

New Mailbox Decals added - 2-Color Bird design

Doesn't this spring weather get you in the mood to clean up and refresh your yard, spend a few hours outdoors?  Even if it doesn't, by the looks of our yard, WE still should.  But instead we have been designing to help YOU in your spring clean-up project! 

Update your mailbox with new, fresh Mailbox Decals!  If you don't have something on your mailbox, the postman will eventually ask you to do that.  So you may as well find something fun and unique to decorate that mailbox with!

Wall Decor Plus More has recently updated our Mailbox Decals page with some new designs.  We have the 2-color bird Mailbox Decal featured above - only $18 for a set of 2 stickers (one for each side) in the basic size.  We also brought out a simple design which features first initials of a couple with their last name.  Check out more Mailbox Decal Stickers HERE.

Graduate Stick People Decals - Great Gift Idea

Are you looking at your months ahead and thinking of GRADUATION time?  We have the perfect gift for everyone on that list!                                                          A personalized graduate decal featuring the neatest stick people graduate!  This decal would be most popular in a white outdoor glossy vinyl and adhered to a car or vehicle window.  Check out more graduation decals HERE.

Family Name and Established Date Wall Vinyl Sticker

Wall Decor Plus More has introduced a wider selection of Personalized Wall Stickers.  Recently added to this page is the Family Name and Established Date Wall Stickers.  We have a few different variations available. 

Pictured here is a 2-color option with the letter monogram in the background.  We also have one in which you can have the names of the entire house included.

These Family Name stickers are ideal for entryway and foyer.  They also make a great centerpiece for your family photo collage wall!

Family name stickers are special for young and old alike so they make a perfect gift.

Order yours today on the Personalized Wall Stickers page.

Wall Vinyl Stickers for your Wedding Decorations

Are wedding bells in your future?  Are you looking for ideas?  Wall Vinyl Stickers can be used in a dozen different ways.  Here are a few ideas:

1) Use vinyl lettering for make a customized banner to place above the head table.

2) Use vinyl stickers to adhere your personal monogram to table decorations - like candle holder, rose bowls, etc.

Note: the above globe is the perfect size to hold a votive candle.  The monogrammed initials are layered with black behind the silver.

3) Make unique and personalized favors, such as candy bars with the first letter of your last name applied to the wrapper.

4) Direct your guests with elegant signage.  Signs for gift table, card box, directions to reception, etc can easily be made with vinyl lettering.

These items would be unique for each couple, so feel free to contact us for a price quote or ideas and suggestions -email: walldecorplusmore@goldenwest.net

Mailbox Decals - Farm, Airplane...

We have been having fun with Mailbox Decals this summer!  Now is the time to decorate your mailbox with vinyl stickers - before the cold weather arrives.

Check out the custom mailboxes we have done recently.  The airplane mailbox is for a family that loves their Dad pilot!

Next we did a few for a farm family operation.

Keep in mind that all these images can be incorporated into a personalized Mailbox Decal for your home also.

We have a wider variety of outdoor vinyl in stock now.  The colors include: Black, White, Beige, Red, Yellow, Silver, Hot Pink, and Lime Green.

Personalized Graduate Decals available

Are you all in the middle of the hectic days of graduations one after the other, too?  We have been - it always sneaks up on me, it seems.  With trying to enjoy the nice weather when (or if) it comes in there also! 

So I have had these on the website for a little while already.  We have a new Graduation Page.  You can order a personalized decal for that special graduate - it would be a unique and memorable gift!  They can be ordered in the outdoor vinyl to be used as a car decal.  Or you can a choose a color from our larger selection of indoor colors to be used as a wall sticker! 

Check out the new Graduation page!

Baby Gift - Personalized Photo Frame with lettering

New item just added to our website - http://www.walldecorplusmore.com/.  Add vinyl lettering to the glass of a photo frame to make a unique gift for that special baby in your life!


Here's what you do:

1. Purchase a 11" x 14" photo frame that has a back that is removable.  You can purchase cheap wooden frames and paint it in the color of your choice - black is simple, easy and very popular!

2.  Next purchase your vinyl lettering from Wall Decor Plus More - you give us the details - baby name, birthdate, and baby's weight along with the color for the lettering.  Click HERE to order the Baby Frame Vinyl Decal in the Children's Wall Sayings section.  Ice Blue works great for a boy and hot pink is perfect for a girl. 

3.  Now you are ready to apply the vinyl lettering.  The vinyl lettering comes with a square around it to match the size of the 11" x 14" frame - this makes it WAY easy to line things up - you don't have to do near as much measuring.  The square can be taken off and thrown away after the lettering is in place.
Now for the application, watch this tutorial to see the simple process!


4. After you have the frame the color of choice (if you decided to paint it), you need to get the glass glued into the frame. I found the cleanest way to glue the glass in the frame is with hot glue and a hot glue gun. Gorilla Glue can be used also but it can be tricky to get glue ONLY on the frame where it won't show on the glass. 

Now about those ADORABLE polka dots on the frame... Check out the 1/2" polka dots in the Polka Dots Wall Sticker section!   These are a quick and easy way to make your gift even more unique!  Just little polka dot stickers that can be ordered in matching colors to coordinate with your vinyl lettering!

The vinyl lettering makes a shadow box look.  Since the back is no longer on the frame the lettering leaves a small shadow on the wall.