How to apply vinyl decals (pic heavy) (video added)

[J2K66]

First, I'd like to thank billm75 for the decals and instructions on how to apply them. I thought that I would take step by step pictures of the process though, and post them here for others to see and hopefully benefit from. I applied both a big decal, and a 1" circle around the hole on each of my boards.

Step 1: Figure out where you want your decal positioned and tape it down.

Hole decal:


Step 2: Fold the decal over towards the side that you had taped down.



Step 3: Remove the backing paper from the decal to expose the decals adhesive side.



Step 4: Fold the decal back over onto your board slowly, adhering the decal to the board as you go.





Step 5: Use a credit card to smooth out any air bubbles that form at this point, working your way from the middle of the decal to the outside. (no picture of this step, but it's pretty self-explanatory I think)

Step 6: Remove the application tape from the decal to expose the vinyl.



Step 7: Continue to smooth out the vinyl with your fingers to remove any air bubbles. If you still have air bubbles, stick them with a small pin and then smooth them out with your fingers. The poly you put on after will fill the holes and you won't notice them at all.

And now here's a picture step-by-step of the larger decal too. I used the same steps, so I won't explain them again, but the pictures should be in order.

[BuckIBoards]

Nicely done, going to be helpful to many on here.

[Jymbo]

Great photos and instructions as well.

Jymbo

[Milky]

I'm so glad someone finally did this. This will help out so many people. Great job. If it's ok with you, I might add a video to this thread of the process, including the credit card technique. Hopefully then we can get Jeremy to "sticky" this thread for all future users. Is that cool with you?

Milky

[J2K66]

No problem, add whatever you'd like to the thread. I let Bill know about the thread too, and told him that if there were any edits that he'd like to add to let me know.

We're all just trying to make it easier for everyone here

[Milky]

........We're all just trying to make it easier for everyone here

That's the spirit! Glad we share the same outlook.

Milky

[Milky]

I made the video tonight on a set of replacement boards I had sitting around. I hope this helps to show people not to stress too much about the decal application process. It's really quite simple, especially after you practice it.



Milky

[billm75]

Incredible job on the tutorials here guys. I'm proud of ya!

I was going to put together a similar thing, but I never have the time to work on my second set of boards.....maybe this winter. LOL

Thanks for sharing all the steps, the photos combined with the video should make everyone a pro at applying these things!

[BuckIBoards]

Great job guys, many thanks!

[CHRIS_ACO_LOU]

I personally apply mine like window tint..A lil soap and water in a spray bottle. This way it allows you to move the decal 360' if you want with out any mistakes. This is the way SignCrafters told me to apply. You cant peel it of right away you have to let it dry but the out come is excellent

[Milky]

Certainly. No matter where you're applying them, there are two main methods. You have the dry method and the wet method. I personally have found that the wet method makes it very difficult to seperate the decal from the backing when you're applying them to cornhole boards. Again, in my opinion, if you are making sure you have all of your measurements correct, you should be able to just lay down your decal, dry, use the credit card technique, and peel back the paper, the end result being a perfect application.

Milky

[J2K66]

I actually used the wet method for my first board (Bucky Badger) and the dry method for my second board (Wisco W). I preferred the dry method, there seemed to be less air bubbles and they were still relatively easy to push out.

[Jeremy]

I took some pix while I applied the decals to my Bobcat boards, but you took WAY better pictures, and beat me to it. Great post! This will help a ton of people. Thanks!!

[billm75]

Just wanted to let you guys know, I got permission from Jeremy to link this post on my web site. This is a great photo illustrated tutorial and will go a long way towards helping everyone learn how best to apply their decals to the boards.

[GlowBags]

Those are terrific instructions!

I hope you don't get mad, but I wanted to send a copy of them to a customer and turned the whole thing into a PDF file so I could print it out. If someone can tell me how to attach a PDF file, I will, otherwise, I can attach the WORD file (if it will let me)