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Application Guides

EXTREME-GRAPHICS 18" or less

Your decal is made up of 3 layers a stiff backing paper with a silicone shiny surface, the vinyl decal and the adhesive retaining sheet (application tape). The backing sheet keeps the adhesive surface side of the vinyl protected and the retaining sheet (application tape) keeps the vinyl in position when the backing paper is removed when applying the graphic. The sticky surface on the retaining application sheet is low tack whereby the actual vinyl graphic is hi-tack and therefore once on the car the retaining application sheet can be pulled away leaving everything in place

IMPORTANT: All surfaces must be considered dirty and must be cleaned prior to the application of vinyl any oil or wax should be removed. Wipe the surface dry with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth, a quality kitchen roll is ideal. For best results the air and surface temperature must be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit for the application of the vinyl so choose a warm day or a warm garage.

Apply the vinyl using the following steps:

Measure and mark the area you wish to apply your vinyl using either a piece of masking tape and a pencil mark as a guide or straight onto the surface with a water-soluble pencil. Water soluble pencils are available from a good stationer. Precision marking will help assure a level and straight application. Once you have the overall area defined and marked, you should have a good idea as to where the upper right and left corners of the decal should be placed. At this time, take your decal (backing paper and all) and tape the right upper corner of it to your predetermined area. Stand back and make sure it is straight and looks good where you have it. Adjust as necessary and move on to step 2. While the decal is attached to the surface by your masking tape, carefully peel off the backing paper keeping the vinyl and retaining sheet away from the surface of the car the decal should stay stuck to the application tape at this time but take care to ensure it does. With the application tape still intact, start to squeegee the retaining sheet / decal onto the surface by applying pressure with smooth even strokes a bit at a time to ensure no bubbles creases etc. For best results use an applicator as pictured or you can do it with your finger and the back of nail to burnish it flat. Start at the middle of the decal and work your way out to the left and then the right. Note: Before you squeegee make sure there are no wrinkles in the decal or application tape. It is a good Idea to wait just a couple of minutes before you remove the application tape to prevent the decal from trying to come up. Once it is adhered to the surface, squeegee the entire decal a second time. Then carefully peel the tape off the entire decal. It is common for there to be some small bubbles throughout the decal. These bubbles will leave by themselves within a few weeks. If you have any major bubbles you can eliminate them by carefully heating the area with a hair dryer, and then puncturing them with a needle and applying pressure with your thumb. Note: You can do more damage than good by chasing the smaller bubbles. They will leave by themselves as the vinyl breathes. Congratulations; you are finished! If you have any questions, please contact us at info@extreme-graphics.co.uk

Extreme - Graphics over 18" long

All surfaces must be considered dirty and cleaned prior to the application of vinyl. Cleaners such as Windex are acceptable, however, we recommend a 2 to 1 mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. Wipe the surface dry with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.

Air and surface temperature must be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit for the application of the vinyl.

Apply the vinyl using the following steps:
Note: It is recommended that a novice installer have a helper present on the following steps. It is not a requirement, however, it will help insure a quality installation.

1.Measure and mark the area you wish to apply your vinyl using a water-soluble pencil. Water soluble pencils are available on our accessory pages. Precision marking will help assure a level application. Once you have the overall area defined and marked, you should have a good idea as to where the upper right and left corners of the decal should be placed. At this time, take your decal (paper and all) and tape the right upper corner of it to your predetermined area. Have your assistant hold the upper left corner of the decal in place while you stand back a few feet and look at it. If you like it's placement, move on to step 2. 2.Tape the left corner in place and put a piece of tape down the center of the decal ** This is called a hinge.  Lift one half of your decal up from the hinge and peel away the backing paper up to the hinge point, keeping your graphic away from the surface of the car, (The decal should stay stuck to the application tape at this time) Cut the paper as close to the center as you can, without scratching your surface. **TIP wrap some masking tape around the blade that will be closest to the surface of the car to avoid scratching.  3.Check a second time that the surface of the car is clean from dust etc. Spray the surface of the car with application fluid or alternative use a tiny drop of of washing up liquid miked with water soapy water (we recommend the application fluid as it evaporates quicker and also it activates the adhesive as it dry's) Note: do not spray water or application fluid when using reflective vinyl. Reflective vinyl should be applied on a dry surface. 4.From the hinge using an aplicator, squeegee the graphic down onto the surface of the car, do this slowly and evenly pushing the graphics down onto the surface gradually, this allows the air that might trap to disperse from under the vinyl. Also taking care not to get any kinks or distortion if you do then carefully lift the vinyl back up and re-sqeegee (the application fluid alloys you to do manipulate the vinyl to a certain degree but if you still have trouble spray some more fluid on which will give more flexibility) squeegee the decal to the surface of the car by applying pressure with smooth even strokes. Start at the middle of the decal and work your way out to the left then to the right.**TIP with a long graphic it will be easier if you get an assitant to help to hold the graphic up whilst you squeegee it down. 5.Ok once this half is all squeegeed down to the surface reapeat on the second half of the decal**TIP you might find it easier at any stage of application to split your graphic up to make easier application do not be affraid of doing this but remember to support the loose bits to retain their exact postion in relationship to the part you split from. 6.OK your now ready to remove you application paper to reveal your graphic. **TIP It is a good Idea to wait just a couple of minutes before you remove the application tape. This allows the application fluid to begin drying and will prevent the decal from trying to come up. Once it is adhered to the surface, squeegee the entire decal a second time. Then carefully peel the tape off the entire decal. 7.It is common for there to be some small bubbles throughout the decal. These bubbles will leave by themselves within a few weeks. If you have any larger bubbles you can disperse these by puncturing the bubble with a pin prick and sqeegeeing the air out, any major, bubbles you can eliminate them by carefully by heating the area with a hair dryer or heat gun, then puncturing them with a needle and applying pressure with your thumb. Note: You can do more damage than good by chasing the smaller bubbles. They will leave themselves as the vinyl breathes and the application fluid evaporates. 8.Where you have any mouldings, rivets, raised objects you can simply heat the area surrounding the object and with a stif brush or your thumb or applicator, mould the heated now plyable vinyl exactly to the shape. This also seals the vinyl to stop water getting under any part which will cause it to lift later in life. Do this for all areas that have awkward shapes to ensure a good fit.  Congratulations; you are finished! If you have any questions, please contact us at info@extreme-graphics.co.uk

Common problems:

Vinyl won't stick to the surface
Is the surface properly clean? Is it dust-free, free from grease, oil or waxy residues? Is it too warm or too cold? Is it wet? Is it a suitable surface (for example, bare untreated wood or concrete are not suitable surfaces)? If you are sure that the conditions are good for vinyl application but it still won't stick, ask your supplier for further advice.

Despite my best efforts I get loads of air bubbles
You generally can't squeegee the bubbles out once the vinyl is stuck down. However it is possible to pin-prick the offending bubbles and carefully push the air out of the pin hole.

The vinyl won't stick to the application paper - it stays on the backing sheet
Unfortunately this is a common problem. If you try to remove the backing sheet, but the graphics stay firmly on the backing sheet instead of sticking to the application paper, then you should follow a couple of procedures. Firstly, lay the graphics flat and firmly squeegee the graphics to try ensure the application paper has a good adhesive grip on the vinyl. Then you should slowly peel the backing paper off at a 180º angle, using your other hand to apply pressure against the vinyl to help it onto the application paper. While this may slow the job down, it will eventually work.

The vinyl has stuck hard to the backing sheet and rips when I try to remove it
This may happen if the backing sheet becomes wet. Make sure you keep the backing sheet dry during the application. It is particularly important to ensure the surface is dry after cleaning.

I've heard it is possible to apply vinyl wet
This is true, larger vinyls can be applied wet using a mild detergent mixed with water. (not Washing up liquid) The water should be sprayed to the surface and to the rear (glue side) of the vinyl and then once the vinyl is in position, the water can be squeegeed out through the edges. This method is generally only for very large graphics and is usually best left to experienced vinyl fitters. The ideal solution for this rather than mild detergent is Application Fluid as it allows movment but also contains an activator to speed up adhesion once the liquid has been squeezed out.