Removal of any wall decal is like a simple tug of war. No matter how easily removable the adhesive is, the paint might still peel off if it is not attached to the wall behind. The trickiest part with assessing if the wall decal will damage your wall or not is trying to figure out how solid your paint in the first place. The second part in this interplay between the decal and the wall is, you guessed it, the wall. A wet rag won't save peeling paint, however, so it's important to also try to determine the quality of your paint.

That means that if the decals would end up leaving any adhesive remains on the wall, these can just be wiped off with a damp rag. Be mindful of how long they have been attached, and gently warm up the stickers with a hairdryer before slowly peeling them off (perpendicular to the wall).īy the way, the great thing with water based adhesives is that they dissolve in water. If you are worried about your walls: look at how smooth it is and how well the stickers stick. Heat makes the bonds of the adhesive soft more elastic, making removal easier (aim for warm, not hot).

Temperature: All adhesives harden in colder temperatures.Depending on the adhesive this happens faster or slower, but all stickers will become more difficult to remove as time passes. Air gets trapped in between the decal and the surface, weakening the bond and making the sticker easier to remove. Smoothness: A sticker attached on a slightly irregular surface will always be easier to remove than one attached to a completely smooth one.Three main factors affect how strong these bonds become: smoothness of surface, time and temperature. Don't mind us, were just bondingįrom the moment you attach a sticker on your wall, the water in the adhesive slowly starts to evaporate and bonds start to form between the sticker and the surface. We won't go into all possible adhesives out there but instead focus on the most common one and the one we use: water based acrylic adhesive (the other common group are solvent based adhesives, which are more stable over time but contain solvents). Wall decals come in all shapes, sizes and materials. Part 1: understanding wall decal adhesives and how they work

If you are worried about your walls, always use a hairdryer to gently warm up the adhesive of the stickers before removal. Aim for warm, not hot. The most important thing to remember: heat is your best friend when removing any wall decal. Have you looked into decorating with wall decals but still wonder about if they might leave lasting marks on your walls? This is one of the most common questions we get (for a good reason), because who would not want to know what happens to your walls when it finally is time to remove your precious designs (specially if you are renting).įor the ones in a hurry, the short answer is: yes, although this very rarely happens it is still possible. There is however so much to wall decals that this needs a bit more explaining, so read on if you want to know more.

Vinyl wall decals