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DIY Vinyl Wall Art

You walk into your new apartment, and it seems a bit bare. You can add a frilly pillow here and a fancy lamp in the corner, but it won’t do much to capture your attention. And let’s not forget about how tedious it is to paint walls, much less having to think about repainting before you move. Your living room has looked the same for several years, and you can tell it’s time for an upgrade, too.

Removable wall decals can enrich the style of any space, whether it be a child’s room, kitchen or hallway. Vinyl sticker decals are your best bet to brighten up a room without the hassle of painting. From inspirational quotes and remarkable graphics to movie characters and patterns, decals can make your bedroom or dining room more interesting.

You have the freedom to coordinate your wall art with the current scheme and decorations of your home, or you can completely freshen up an entire area and create a theme throughout each room. Rvinyl thrives by supporting DIY projects, and our vinyl options make interior design simple and fun.

What Is Vinyl Wall Art?

At Rvinyl, our philosophy is that anything larger than life is always cool. We provide an extensive inventory of vinyl you can design into large decals.

Vinyl is a self-adhesive, thin material that acts like a sticker. However, it has a stronger and longer-lasting hold. Whether you want to apply small lettering decals in your kitchen or a massive picture in your child's bedroom, a decal can customize any area and boost the room’s image. The large-scale wall stickers are also temporary. You can peel them off when you want to start on another DIY decal project or if you’re moving.

Vinyl is a material that helps transfer your image to another surface such as a wall. It has a pressure-sensitive backing, which means the adhesive properties will activate only when you press on the vinyl.

What You Can Make With Vinyl Wall Decals

Think about your favorite quote, the ultimate movie character your kids love and various artistic designs that can fill your home with artistry. Whatever you can imagine, you can turn it into DIY vinyl wall art — anything from quotes and verses to inspirational words and images, plus many more, such as:

  • Cartoon characters
  • Contemporary patterns
  • Geometric patterns
  • Hearts
  • Polka dots
  • Positive messages
  • Song lyrics

Vinyl art decals help remind you of what’s special, like your family, friends, health and home. You can decorate your baby’s room with soft pastel colors in the shape of animals, or work with a more sophisticated look for your master bedroom. If your kids are a little bit older, you can even indulge your creative side and make decal crafting a fun project for the whole family.

Choose from different colors and styles of vinyl and form eye-catching designs for various holidays and celebrations like birthdays. Think about all the spooky stickers you can make for Halloween or heartwarming graphics for Valentine’s Day. Choose bright colors to add a burst of personality to a room, or more subtle tones for a relaxed vibe.

Although you can always go out and buy wall art, you gain more pride in a project you completed, and DIYs are often more cost-effective. Wall decals allow you to create anything that represents your personality and style. Demonstrate your love for your family or show off your artistic ability with unique patterns and graphics.

Do your children adore Disney animations or have a favorite animal? Does your kitchen need a more sophisticated design around the trim? What about your living room? Do you think it needs a focal point like a geometric abstract or statement words? Anything you generate adds a streak of pizzazz to the walls.

Materials You Need to Get Started

You have three options when it comes to cut vinyl wall decorations.

  • Custom images
  • Lettering
  • Machine designs

DIY wall stickers are simple to create, whether you freehand your art or use a die-cutting machine. If you’re a natural artist and want to draw your decals, more power to you. But if you prefer to use the precision of a machine, you can invest in many different brands and models. Customizing decals involves materials such as:

  • Transfer tape
  • A design
  • Cutting mat
  • Pencil
  • Squeegee
  • Weeding hook
  • Vinyl sheet
  • Scissors

Working with a die-cutting machine includes the same tools, plus software that parallels your device. It will help you download images and set up how you want your lettering or photo. A die-cutting machine will produce precise cuts of vinyl with clean lines. If you have a machine, work with the following materials.

  • Die-cutting machine
  • Software
  • Transfer tape
  • Cutting mat
  • Squeegee
  • Vinyl
  • Weeding hook

Quick Tips Before Diving In

Fabricating customized wall sticker decals is an enjoyable project for everyone. But there are a few things to keep in mind as you’re working with vinyl. It’s best to work with basic photo outlines, as opposed to intricate images with elaborate detailing. Not only is it trickier to work with, but it may be difficult to see.

For example, printing out different sections of the Hulk to place in your child's room is more accessible than weeding through the intricacies of a realistic portrait. Here are a few other guidelines to consider.

  • Draw out your ideas first on paper and make different versions to determine which you like best.
  • Take photos of the space you’re creating and digitize your ideas, using an editing program to design over the area.
  • Place your wall art decals in large sections at a time, as opposed to pasting it on all at once — start with one part and continue adding on until the final product comes to life.
  • Keep your scraps to create smaller decals later on or in other rooms.
  • Invest in calendered vinyl or another type that is ideal for wall art.
  • Always work with a clean surface, because dirt and grime can decrease the vinyl’s adhesive properties.
  • Decide where you want to place your wall art beforehand.
  • Try not to touch the back of the sticker to keep dirt and oils from deactivating the glue.
  • Never rip off your wall art sticker, because it can take paint with it.

How to Make Vinyl Wall Art and How to Apply It

Now that you know what you want to design, you now have to determine how. There are two methods you can rely on — freehand and machine. But with each, you have further options such as freehand with colored vinyl and freehand with painting. Sticker decals are fantastic DIYs that allow you to use your artistic ability or rely on software for a bit of support. Fashion a family tree for your living room, show off your love for wildlife in your foyer or place beautiful and motivating wording in your bedroom. Illustrate your personality and the values you hold in your home.

The Freehand Method With Lettering

Lettering is the easiest form of wall art stickers. Writing out words like “family,” “love” or “hope” is straightforward, and so is making quotes. Remember to place the letters face-down onto your transfer tape, meaning the sticky side is up. Also, spell words backward, because you will be flipping the letters when adhering them to the wall.

  1. Lay out your transfer tape on a flat surface and place your letters on the sticky portion.
  2. Write out your words backward and face-down.
  3. Transfer your lettering to a clean wall surface.
  4. Press the letters against the wall and use a credit card or squeegee to remove bubbles.
  5. Remove the transfer tape at an angle.

Using the Freehand Process With Images

If you choose to freehand your decal, you can write out lettering or design a masterful graphic that’s original to you. You can even rely on images from online. Refer to these several steps on how to freehand different wall stickers, whether you want a cartoon character or a stunning abstract.

  1. Draw your design on a piece of vinyl or print out an image from the Internet.
  2. If you print one, use a pencil to cover the back of the design.
  3. Place the lead surface onto your vinyl to help trace your picture.
  4. Cut the decal and remove any unwanted areas.
  5. Stick your wall art onto the transfer tape face-down and relocate it into position.
  6. Press your art onto the wall and smooth out the surface with a squeegee.
  7. Remove the tape at an angle.

Application or transfer tape is what adheres your project to the wall. You leave the vinyl backing behind once you have your DIY sticker in place, then the tape moves it to the wall. If you’re having difficulty placing your wall art into position, bring up both sides to form a bend at the bottom. Situate the base where you want and push both ends outward. Next, use pressure to activate the vinyl adhesive properties.

Implementing the Freehand Painting Technique

The only difference between the painting method and the regular freehand process is the type of vinyl you work with. In freehanding, you'll use colored vinyl like red, white, blue or green. You can even decal matte and chameleon vinyl. But with the painting procedure, you’re using transparent vinyl. Extra materials include paint and a paintbrush. Once you draw your graphics or lettering and cut them out, you can paint the image onto the vinyl.

  1. Draw your design on the paper side of the vinyl and cut it out.
  2. Paint your decal on the non-sticky side of the vinyl and allow it to dry.
  3. When dry, add more layers or paint until it’s coated.
  4. Peel the backing off and place the sticker on the wall.
  5. Squeegee your wall art to remove bubbles and wrinkles.

Working With the Machine Method

Now onto the more straightforward process. If you have a die-cutting machine, all you have to do is find the correct lettering or image and transfer it to your wall.

  1. Find a photo or string of words from your die-cut software.
  2. Put a sheet of vinyl face-down on a cutting mat.
  3. Pick your desired design and adjust the size as needed.
  4. Cut out the image and peel away the vinyl sections you don’t need.
  5. Cover your picture or wording with transfer tape and press with the squeegee to remove any bubbles and adhere the vinyl to the tape.
  6. Remove the transfer tape from the vinyl backing.
  7. Place your decal on a clean and dry surface with the tape facing outward.
  8. Adjust your project for exact positioning, then press your sticker onto the wall.
  9. Remove the transfer tape from the design at a 45-degree angle.
  10. Complete the final look by squeegeeing the design to release bubbles and seal the edges.

It’s suggested to set your cutting blade to three, and both the pressure and speed at two. That way, the blade will cut through the vinyl, but not the backing, to help with transferring. If you want to make something with multiple layers, complete steps one through four. From there, add each additional layer and place them over the bottom layer until you feel satisfied with the bolder look.

How to Remove Your Wall Art

As the holidays roll by and the seasons change, you may want to upgrade your space again. Decal sticker decorations are easy to remove when life moves on or if you’re feeling a new style. Maybe your children grew out of their younger days, or perhaps you’re moving out of your apartment.

  1. Surround the decal section with soapy water.
  2. Using a hairdryer or other heat source, warm up the decal to release the adhesives.
  3. Scrape under the wall art sticker with a razor blade or plastic card to lift it from the paint being careful not to make scratches.
  4. Wash with glue remover if the mixture doesn’t work.
  5. Clean the surface once more.

Why Vinyl Wall Stickers Are an Excellent DIY Project

Not only is vinyl wall art cost-effective and an ideal alternative to painting an entire room, but it’s also removable and renter-friendly. When you’re ready to redecorate or are moving out of your home, add a whole new style to each area. When you want to add your style and personality to a room without spending an extreme amount of time painting and repainting before you leave, DIY decals are a fun project the whole family can join in. You can get as creative as you want and freehand drawings, or you can stick to the basics to make your home come to life.

Start Revamping Your Walls Today

Rvinyl gives you the best of both worlds with affordability and style. We have an extensive inventory of vinyl ranging from snake skin films to galaxy, which can be an excellent idea for kids. Our products have a three-year warranty against cracking, fading and peeling. Shop our craft vinyl online and receive free shipping on orders of more than $59. You can even earn a rebate if you send us photos of your DIY wall art decal.