If you are looking for a different way of designing your room walls, you should ask around for a wall sticker. The practical decals are extremely varied and can be put on the wall in a comparatively short time. With large-format wall stickers, however, there are a few things to consider if you want them to sit correctly in the end. That is why we show in these assembly instructions how a large wall sticker can be attached – reliably and without cracks!
Stylish wall decorations
Wall stickers are a chic design idea that has become more and more popular in recent years and is technically not that demanding. Roughly speaking, the varied decorative motifs are scratch-off pictures for the wall. Accordingly, the stickers lie very thin on the surface and thus also take over their structuring. This is how the pictures look like they were painted!
We decided to spruce up the gable area of our newly renovated room with a wall sticker. The choice falls on a Nordic motif: Thor’s hammer. Since this is a large-format sticker, some additional rules must be followed that was not so important in our instructions for sticking small wall stickers. Therefore, it is shown here in more detail how a large wall sticker can also be attached.
Tools and materials
Applying a wall sticker does not in itself require any major preparations: While the material list has already been completed with a pleasant wall sticker, the tools you only need are a spirit level and a plastic spatula. And if you don’t have such a spatula in your house, you can use a dough scraper or a similarly functional tool instead. Given the right concentration, the following work is something for in between.
Set up a large wall sticker
So that a relatively large wall sticker can be applied cleanly, the correct alignment of the motif is essential. Tip: It is always advisable to keep the wall sticker dry at the planned location and let your partner decide whether it is as chic as it looked in your mind.
In our case, the central axis in the gable area of the wall is first determined, and this is drawn insufficient length at the planned position for the wall sticker with the spirit level. Then the wall sticker is stopped again, and the course of the axis is also marked on the upper and lower edge of the motif.
Even before it is attached, the large wall sticker is processed once with the spatula. To do this, the motif is placed on a smooth surface such as a table or floor, with the more translucent of the two protective films, the so-called transfer film, resting on the bottom. Then the backing paper, which is now facing up, is processed over its entire surface with the plastic spatula. This increases the adhesion between the sticker and the transfer film, and the motif can be removed more easily from the backing paper.
The wall sticker is then held in place with the backing paper facing downwards, and a narrow strip on the upper edge of this paper is peeled off. The now exposed adhesive surface is carefully attached to the wall.
Stick on the wall sticker
How can I apply the large wall sticker from here? Very simple: little by little, the backing paper is removed from the underside, and the motif is smoothly painted onto the wall with the hands in stages from top to bottom. Do not cover too much area at once. Otherwise, wrinkles can appear quickly! Immediately afterward, the glued areas are coated again with the spatula to ensure a proper hold.
Once the entire wall sticker has been put on the wall in this way, it is then completely wiped off again with the spatula. So the picture should mainly stick to the wall and not so much to the transfer film that is still on top.
Peel off the transfer film
Now follow the critical steps that determine the success of applying large wall stickers. Because the transfer film on top still has to be removed.
This is first carefully peeled off at the upper edge and then carefully removed centimeter by centimeter. This works best if the loosened edge area is folded back immediately, and the film is then pulled off at a very flat angle.
Tip: If individual areas of the motif stick to the transfer film, it is pushed back against the wall a little, and a renewed, careful attempt is made to remove the film.
Note: To guarantee the smoothest possible removal of the transfer film, pay attention to the folding path of the film. The fold should always be at right angles to the lines of the wall sticker. The detachment takes place lengthways along the motif structure.
The lines can change quickly, especially in the edge areas of the wall sticker. If possible, the direction of pull should be adjusted accordingly when removing the transfer film. Occasionally this requires a very detailed approach. But you have to be patient!
The transfer film is pulled off bit by bit. Already exposed areas of the wall sticker are processed immediately with the spatula to connect them more firmly to the wall. If a piece of the wall sticker does not want to come off the foil at all, press it against the wall with the spatula when pulling it off. If you proceed slowly, then everything should stay intact.
As soon as the foil has been completely removed, the sticker must be carefully rechecked. Especially if the peeling was somewhat tricky, some crooked or wrinkled areas are carefully peeled off, smoothed and pressed down again with the spatula.
Give the finishing touches.
To complete the work, all areas of the new wall decoration are gently wiped off with the plastic spatula. The surface structure of the wall should now also be visible in the wall sticker. When used correctly, the motif looks like it has been painted on the wall.
That’s it! Who would have thought that you can put a giant wall sticker on yourself without having to cry? In any case, we enjoy our Nordic god motif and are already busy thinking about how the interior design can be complemented!
