Vinyl-friendly adhesion surfaces

• Surfaces must be clean, smooth and non-porous

• Magnetic sheets

• Metals and fiberglass painted with glossy enamel

• Most plastics depending on their chemical composition - plastics not mentioned below should be suitable. Corflute is perfect!

• Glass and vehicle paint are perfect!

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Unsuitable or difficult surfaces for adhesion

• Cement and bricks (these are too porous and rough)

• Leather (this tends to absorb the adhesive, leaving nothing on the surface to hold the film)

• Oxidized, faded or peeling paint, and raw metals (it is difficult to get a complete bond across the whole surface)

• Painted surfaces that have not sufficiently dried (vaporisation of the paint chemicals can cause outgassing and bubbles)

• Plastics likely to outgas:

  • Polycarbonates (often used as equipment housings, exterior automotive components, outdoor lighting fixtures, and non-automotive vehicle windows)

  • Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a clear plastic often used as shatterproof replacement for glass. Successful adhesion is possible by using a wet application to avoid bubbles

  • Polyethylene (used for plastic bags, shampoo bottles and tarps) requires special adhesives, high temperatures and a dry application method to ensure a solid bond with vinyl

  • Polystyrene is a hard plastic used for computer housings and styrofoam – it can change its adhesive properties resulting in the film shrinking away from the surface

  • Polyvinylchloride (PVC) is usually suitable for adhesion but if the PVC is very rigid, the vinyl may be very difficult to remove. Softer PVCs also require special adhesives to bond efficiently enough to resist the vinyl‘s tendency to shrink away from the surface.