Vinyl Decals On Canvas

August 9, 2018 5:10 am by maryrosh

Vinyl Decals On Canvas

While you wait for your canvases to dry COMPLETELY, cut out all your decals.

Lay the decal face down and center the canvas (also face down) on top. You want to make sure the corners of the canvas are inside all four of the squares cut out from the corners. Keep your plastic card handy.

(Wash and dry your hands really well before you touch the adhesive part of the decal. You will get a better bond that way.)

← A Little Taste of Mexico: Salted Lime PeanutsFondant Kitty Cat Cupcakes →

I scoured the internet for tropical beach art prints and finally found this gem:

If you start to smooth edges over and notice there’s a gap, just use the squares you cut from the corner earlier to place them underneath. No one will be able to tell, I promise.

Peel back the paper backing on your decals and place lightly on your canvases in the layout you desire.

But I need to be in a home that makes me happy. I can’t live without art I love until my loans are paid off. That’s no way to live! So I figured out a budget conscious way to have art until I am free of those nasty L- words:

Considering most canvas art this size runs about a hundred bucks, I’d say that’s a pretty impressive savings!

*Save those little corner pieces just in case you need to patch a corner later.

The Secret to Sticking 651 Vinyl on A Canvas Recently, a family friend’s son got married. It was such a fun event and I was happy to help when I could. The bride asked if I could make a welcome sign that her sister would than paint.

At first I broke out in a cold sweat thinking about how well my last sign making experience went {a total fail!} and started to do some research. Why won’t 651 vinyl stick to my canvas or wood? Turns out vinyl needs a solid surface to stick to.

  A canvas isn’t smooth, it has a weird texture. Same thing with wood. Last year when I was making this corn hole game I had a little issue with the vinyl sticking to the wood. I remedied that by sealing it with a polycrylic coat.

  I learned from making the corn hole game that vinyl needs a sealer underneath to help adhere to.I was a little nervous about using a sealer since the canvas would then get painted on. I didn’t want any reason for the paint not to stick and for the signs to not look how the bride wanted them.

So here’s what I did.I started by printing off the vinyl and weeding it. For more tips on how to cut vinyl, check out this tutorial.I used transfer paper and yes, that is a cooking spatula to rub down the vinyl and get the letters to stick to my transfer paper.

Once the letters were sticking to my transfer paper, I carefully pulled the paper back making sure all the text stuck to the paper. I hate losing the dots on the “i’s”! What is the secret for getting vinyl to stick on a canvas? Now here my friends is the magic weapon.

The secret to sticking vinyl on canvas is… WAIT FOR IT spray adhesive! I took my canvas outside and used spray adhesive on the whole canvas. After I sprayed it, I came inside and placed my vinyl on top.

I put a book underneath my canvas so I could really press down in the middle and get those letters to stick. The whole canvas was dry in under and hour and paint could still be applied to it and holy of holy’s the vinyl stuck! It can be done! I think it was a beautiful addition to the wedding and it was such a sweet personal touch that didn’t cost too much money.

Now go forth and stick vinyl to all of the things! I know I will be! disclaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Rachel Teodoro.

Thank you!

Begin to lift up the contact paper from your decals to reveal your beautiful finished product.

I am totally digging our newest Little Miss Momma sponsor, Dali Decals–because not only do they have tons of the most fabulous vinyl wall art out there, but their products inspire me to be a little miss crafty pants.

Once I figured out about where the decal needed to lay, I carefully flipped the decal and canvas over. I knew based on  the design that the bottom edge of the canvas would be 5/8’’ from the bottom of the decal.

Carefully, gently, use the card to squeeze out any air bubbles, one section at a time.

Well, when I chose this piece, I had other plans in mind for my decal.

I love that it’s unassuming. Raw, even.  It’s art as the artist intended it to be seen and experienced. It’s exactly as it was when the artist stepped back from the canvas to look over their work one final time. No frame or matt to clutter the design.  It just is.

I wanted to make sure the starfish didn’t get cut off so I payed close attention to the lower left hand corner.

And now, here’s the tutorial so you can make your very own Dali Decals canvas wall art.

Not Pictured: Super Glue. See Step 4 of All the Details for more info.

I’ll start with the Short and Sweet directions, follow up with the full tutorial in All the Details, and wrap things up with a breakdown of the Total Cost of the project.

Happy crafting, friends.  And whatever you make, make it yours!

And smoothing as you go until you get to the bottom edge of the canvas.

In Crafts Tags Canvas Art Pojects, Vinyl Wall Decals Prjoects, DIY Home Decor, Student Loans Suck

And guess what? No one is the wiser. No one has to know I am a cheapass with “fake” art displayed. Except that I am unashamed of that title so they probably know that about me already.

No, I can’t deal with the price of canvas art because I have student loans.  And those fuckers are relentless; dictating my budget and my life.

{I think this is such a genius marketing tool–get it, marketing “tool”}.

*Different companies use a different strength adhesive on the backs of their vinyl decals. Depending on the decal, you may or may not need the super glue.

My decals were a bit larger than my canvas, so I chose to have my decal go all the way over the edge of the canvas.

And again, smooth it down with the card, a little at a time.

Once your canvases are dry, you are ready to apply your decals following the instructions included in your order.  {see summary in below steps}

I think this project would also be fun with these other decals from Dali Decals:

The Short and Sweet:  Find an art print you love and order it in Vinyl Wall Decal form. (I love the selection at cafepress.com. And no, they are not paying me to say that.) Purchase a blank canvas similar in size.

 Center it, measure it if you need to, and decide how you want to address the corners. (Either a mitered cut or 90° angle cut). Peel the backing off and apply the decal to the art either from top to bottom or left to right.

The most important part is to make sure to smooth any air bubbles as you go. A plastic gift card comes in handy for this.  Wrap the edges around the side and back, securing with a little super glue if need be.

 Display it on a shelf or hang it on the wall and be proud of your craftiness!All the Details:1.       Plan your picture placement.

Set the vinyl transfer on top of the canvas and figure out if you are going to center it or not based on the design of the print.  (My print was 24”x18” and my canvas was only 20”x16”.)

Lookie there… you made a fantastic fake-out piece of art! And it looks awesome!

Vinyl wall art is the perfect way to add some flare to those bare walls in your home–without breaking the bank!  Head over to Dali Decals and get lost in their vast world of fab vinyl wall art–you’ll be happy you did!

Once your decals are in place, use the tool included in your order {or the edge of a credit card} to press down your decal.  Be sure to all get the edges of the decal VERY well.

 In the interest of sanity that was the measurement I used on all of the sides. I used my ruler to measure 5/8 out and draw lines on each side.

I’m Ashley. Sometimes I craft, occasionally I cook, everyday I write, and I’m always Momma. This is my blog. I keep it real while still seeing the rainbows and butterflies in all of life’s lessons.

I will be linking this tutorial up to these fabulous parties!

If you liked this tutorial, I’m gonna bet you’ll like these, too:

It’s no secret that I love my Silhouette machine. It’s fun to see the different projects that I can create but I must confess, I’m falling on a steeper learning curve when I use my machine than I probably should.

I’m glad I have friends like Melissa at Silhouette School to help bail me out {where was she when I was making these invitations that ended up costing me $115 EACH!}, but sometimes I need to come up with my own solutions.

Several years ago, I had a friend ask me to make some canvases for an event. I told her I would but then when it came time to adhere the vinyl to the canvas, I couldn’t for the life of me get it to stick.

I spent far more hours on it than I should have only to come to the conclusion that it couldn’t be done. BUT IT CAN! Why did it take me years to figure it out??? Friends, if you are like me and need a solution to help your vinyl to stick a canvas, I found one.

Read on. It will save you!

Do you have similar projects you have made to help save money (and pay off the student loans)? Please share ‘em below in the comments!

I didn’t have a permanent location in mind, so I decided to apply the decal to canvases.

Once the decal is smoothed and flush against the canvas, reach under and pull down the backing a couple more inches. Keep the decal elevated …

Then I figured out I prefer the 90° method for applying the decal to the corners, so I used my ruler to mark a square in each of the corners.

If I’m being honest, I had originally planned to buy a print and Mod Podge it onto a canvas, but I was 1-1 in my record of success with that method. So when I saw the wall decal option, I was sold.

Peel either the top or the side of the backing back about 2 inches or so.

Working from the center out, one at a time, smooth the sides of the decal down over the sides of the canvas.

Not because I don’t think the art, the experience, is worth the money. It totally is.