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help please cant get vinyl to stick onto glass?
Hi Folks
Just thought I’d run this past you all. I have a customer (Fish & Chip shop), we have had real problems getting any vinyl to stick, or stay stuck to his large plate glass window! Started with a large piece of frosted vinyl, went on fine, came back the next and it was on the floor! Since then I reverted to normal vinyl, seemed ok at first, now a few weeks later it’s starting to lift in places. Now he admits they get a fair bit of steam/condensation on the glass from having the fryers on, but I have my doubts that that would lift the vinyl? Maybe someone out there knows what’s happening, personally I think we could do with some warmer weather and a good dose of sunshine to set it off, but I’m clutching at straws! Thanks in advance.
Spooky
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6 Replies
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Is it possible that a fine layer of grease is remaining on the window? I’ve never heard of a bit of steam causing this. What are you cleaning it with before application?
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its not only condensation, but grease/grime that you cannot see from chip fat burning.
clean down the glass repeatedly with clean paper towels and something like mentholated spirits.
apply the vinyl/etch DRY
apply the vinyl when the sun is up, if not in direct sunlight.
the glass is cold regardless, try heating it by "waving" a heat gun over the area you will apply to. don’t over heat one area at a time or the glass will crack.
once the vinyl is in place, again, heat the area with a heat gun to help activate adhesion.
tell the shop own the window should be left as long as possible before cleaning. (sometimes a cloth catching the vinyl will pull it away)
if you can, apply without app tape as the app tape will pull the vinyl away from, the glass when it is being removed. -
Like Robert and Andy have already said the problem is probably that the window is not as clean as it should be. I have done quite a lot of Take Aways and getting the windows squeeky clean is the biggest problem with them. They take far more cleaning than any other sort of shop window. I generally use IPA as a cleaner and although it does a very good job have seen myself having to clean a Take Away window 3 or 4 times to get it really clean enough to apply vinyl.
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As above, but I’d use something a bit more heavy duty than methylated spirit as a de-greasing agent.
Something like tar and glue remover, cellulose thinners, petrol – stuff like that. A final clean with meths to remove any residue and away you go. 😀
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Thanks for the replies. It is a mystery, but the shop wasn’t a take away before I put the vinyl on, so he has only just switched on his fryer! There did used to be something on the window (paint not vinyl) but this was all cleaned off before I came in? I did give the window a good clean before application, yet the frosted fell off! The normal vinyl went on much better, but perhaps I should have insisted that the window wasn’t cleaned for a month or so – I know the window cleaner has been in! I think it must be just a time thing, some warm sunny days would help, plus the window cleaner keeping away! Though the customer won’t like that as he likes spotless windows!!
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Maybe white spirit was used to clean the paint off the window? This would leave an invisible film behind, leaving it difficult to know if it had all been cleaned off.
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