Car stickers and decals are among the most effective and economical ways of dressing up your vehicle to make it stand out from the millions of others on the road.
Car stickers are also a great way to make a statement, underline your personality, show support for a cause, or even your favourite football club. Moreover, if you have a business, these stickers are a good way of advertising.
However, the stickers must be applied correctly to the car for the result to look good. Some of the techniques of applying car stickers used by car detailing professionals are explained:
Table of Contents
How to Apply Car Sticker and Decals like a Pro
Identify the sticker location:
Car decals can be applied on virtually all vehicle surfaces, including the sides, windows, back, and bumpers. You can either select a spot and buy a sticker of an appropriate size or do it the other way around.
When you have homed in on the location, you should use some electrical tape to stick the decal on the surface and step back to see if the appearance is to your liking; otherwise, you can reposition it until you get a location that achieves the effect you want.
Prep the surface:
Since the sticker will not adhere properly on a dirty surface, the first step if applying a sticker on your car is to clean the surface where you are planning to apply the sticker. The best way of doing it is to dust it and then use warm soapy water and a soft lint-free cloth to wash the surface. Rinse the surface with clean water and dry it completely.
If there are gummy deposits left over from earlier car stickers, you can use rubbing alcohol to wipe them off. It is better not to use commercial glass cleaning products because they tend to leave behind deposits that prevent the sticker from adhering properly.
Apply the sticker carefully:
Peel away about one-third of the backing film from the sticker, but be careful not to remove the entire backing as it is easy to contaminate the adhesive with dust and grime.
Hold the sticker by its edge so that you do touch the adhesive side, and place the exposed edge of the decal on the surface of the car. Smooth it out evenly so that the entire sticker is applied on the surface, leaving the backing in your hand.
Finish the application:
If the sticker goes over some obstructions like the taillights, door handles, etc., you should trim the sticker to look neat. If there are any bubbles, you can use a flat piece of plastic to remove them; however, to remove the stubborn ones, you can prick them with a pin to let out the air, according to WCMA Net.
Conclusion
Stickers and decals are a fun way of customizing your vehicle. However, you must apply car stickers and decals at the right location to achieve the best impact. Using the correct application technique is also vital for ensuring that it looks neat and does not peel away in time.
