Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: dema on September 09, 2005, 12:52:40 pm
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A couple nights ago I spent a few hours applying adhesive-backed vinyl to the front of my cabinet and I was thrilled with the results. However when I went into my garage the next evening I was pained to see that it had bubbled in several places and pulled in from a corner I butted into each other (I'm guessing from the heat), screwing up all the work I put into it the night before. When I pulled the vinyl off it came off pretty easy, so the adhesive was not as strong as I would have liked.
What would people suggest I do to get this attached better? Does it need to be out of the heat for a while so the adhesive holds better?
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Other factors might be involved here, such as dust on the surface that you stuck the vinyl to.
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What kind of vinyl did you use? Was it intended for this kind of application or for something like lining a drawer?
How hot is it where you are?
It's very possible that the adhesive just needed more time to set up, but depending on what kind of vinyl you used and what your surface was like, it's also possible that even letting it sit for a while wouldn't help.
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The vinyl is the kind from Happs, so it's used in the application of these things. In terms of the heat, it's hot in our garage. With the summer months and the temp from the garage it's probably around 115 degrees. I'm guessing that's the problem but I'm not sure. I'm applying it to MDF which I had painted before. I took a rag and got as much of the dust off as I could so I don't think it was a result of a dirty surface.
I was hoping to get this completed before the end of the month, when I'm moving, but if the heat is the cause I might have to wait longer, when I can move it into the house.
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It might have trouble sticking to the paint, I used MDF (without any paint) and made sure I cleaned and wiped it off before applying the vinyl and I have had no problems, I even had it stored in my garage for a month or two during the summer last year (which is around 100 degrees)
Anyway, not sure if that is your problem but you might want to look into it.
Allister Fiend
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I'll try sanding some of the paint off and see if that helps.
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If the paint was fairly fresh (applied within the last five days), it could still have been 'gassing off' when you applied the vinyl- this leads to lots of little bubbles.
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Give the following thread a read...I had great success using a small heat iron with the adhesive vinyl.