Ikea Vinyl Decal Scam ?
December 13, 2009 by
Filed under Wall Vinyl Decals
There have been some comments going around that the adhesive on Ikea’s vinyl decal collection does not work very well. The thing to understand about the Ikea decals is that they are more like stickers than proper vinyl wall decals.
A true vinyl decal will be very thin and will come with an additional transfer layer that sits in front of the decal and the backing protective layer. The Ikea decals are thicker and behave like regular stickers that don’t require a transfer layer: you simply peel the backing sheet (which protects the adhesive side of the sticker) and apply the sticker anywhere you choose.
Peeling Corners : Problem No. 1
Being similar to regular stickers makes them more prone to peeling edges and corners. In fact, that is what seems to happen a lot if we are to believe online forums. Some have even reported that the stickers lasted less than a week before falling down entirely and repeatedly. It is no wonder the instructions that come with them insist on applying a lot of pressure on the decals’ contours.
As such, the Ikea decals won’t work well on anything but perfectly flat surfaces. Walls that have a little bit of texture can accommodate vinyl decals because they are thinner and can work themselves over the bumps and irregularities of the surface. Having a transfer sheet also allows for the vinyl decal stickers to be applied more easily and with more pressure as the transfer sheet supports the overall process.
Will Ikea Vinyl Decals Peel Off The Paint ?
Another problem we’ve seen reported in some Internet forums is that these decals peel off some of the paint when they are taken down. We haven’t tried them ourselves but we’ve seen comments to that effect in more than one place.
If you’ve already purchased them, you may try to work your way around this by leaving the back of the sticker on and putting up the decal using wall tack or some other non-damaging adhesive (glue stick perhaps) – though you may loose the look and effect of a perfectly adhered decal. Check out what you can do with wall vinyl decals that don’t stick.
This being said, the Ikea decals can be good for very temporary decor solutions like a party. You only need to accept that they probably will not last over extended periods of time. Given that these items have been discounted in some – possibly all – of the chain’s outlets, it may not be such a bad idea to create a unique room decor for a special occasion.
As you would when installing other wall decals, clean your wall before applying Ikea wall appliqués and make sure it is dry too.
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I’ve been buying wall decals for a while and the adage ‘you get what you pay for’ is as true with wall stickers/decals as with most things in life. The Ikea designs are good but they just don’t look the part when put up – it’s because of the quality of the adhesive used.
It’s a strange one because decent wall stickers are not expensive anyway and they take up a large piece of wall space so it’s worth going to a dedicated wall sticker merchant like http://www.mywallsticker.co.uk to but decals and stickers.
The quality of the My WallSticker decals is great and so they can be applied then removed without leaving any marks and even re-stuck easily.
I found these guys to have top quality proper Vinyl Decals, they are owned by a Signage Company so I would say they know what they doing when it comes to using the right vinyl for there wall stickers.
http://www.upondesign.com
I can verify this. I bought the Slatthult Ikea wall decal ( http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00120007 ) yesterday and within 12 hours 80% of it had fallen off my wall. I have textured (like bumpy, maybe 1/16 on an inch high) walls and would not recommend them on these for sure.
No paint came off, though, just the thing fell down.