How to Apply a Car Decal or Sticker

So you want to place a sticker on your vehicle? This is NOT a job for a professional. Anyone could easily complete this process.

StickerTalk vinyl stickers and decals for cars are designed to be very forgiving during application. Location is everything and choosing the correct placement of your sticker or decal is very important.  Our stickers work great on the windows, on the bumper, on the trunk or almost any of the painted surfaces.

However, in order to stick well, they should only be applied to a smooth, clean and dry surface of the car that doesn’t have any sharp curves. For example, you wouldn’t want to try to curve the sticker around the corner of the vehicle bumper.

In this article we will discuss placing stickers on your car. We sell two types of stickers, but both of them utilize the same high quality vinyl that will make application easy.

Let’s begin!

How to put sticker on car:

Our vinyl stickers are the easiest to apply to your car because they are simply peel and stick, but designed for long life and ease in application.

1. Temperature is a very important consideration when applying your sticker. Too much heat and the sticker will become too flexible and be very difficult to get proper placement. If it’s too cold then the sticker will not stick well. So, before you begin, please be sure that the temperature is between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Thoroughly clean the window or vehicle surface. Be sure the site is free from any dust or residue from previous stickers. Any dust or dirt will create an air bubble that can not be removed. We don’t recommend rubbing alcohol on painted surfaces, because it can remove your car’s wax. We recommend that you wet the area with just plain water without soap and a clean cloth to thoroughly clean the paint surface. If you are placing the sticker on a window, we do recommend using rubbing alcohol to clean the area, especially if you have applied a rain shed product to the window. This will help remove any chemical that may cause the sticker to fail prematurely.
3. Slowly peel the car sticker from its backing paper and apply it.
4. If you need to reposition the car sticker simply remove it and reposition as necessary. There are some surfaces that this will not work, such as paper, cardboard or other similar surfaces because the paper will peel up with the sticker.
5. Once you have your car sticker where you want it, firmly press it into place working from the center outward. If there are any air bubbles, simply smooth them out with your finger or thumb. We don’t recommend using a credit card as it may scratch the surface of the car sticker.
6. Step back and admire your new StickerTalk vinyl sticker. Laaaaaa!

Vinyl Car Decals with transfer tape:

Applying vinyl car decals is different than applying a vinyl sticker on your car. Decals are typically intricately cut stickers that have several pieces or small pieces that need to be kept in place by a transfer media. We don’t use the media that looks like masking tape. We use a clear PVC transfer media that will need to be removed once you apply the decal to the correct location. Since it is the clear media and doesn’t look like masking tape, it will allow to see the site that you are applying the decal and make it easier to get it into the correct position.

1. Temperature is a very important consideration when applying your decal. Too much heat and the sticker will become too flexible and be very difficult to get proper placement. If it’s too cold then the sticker will not stick well. So, before you begin, please be sure that the temperature is between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make sure you have cleaned the vehicle suface. It is important the the area is free from dust or residue from previous stickers. Any dust or dirt will create a air bubble that can not be removed. We don’t recommend rubbing alcohol on painted surfaces, because it can remove your car’s wax. We recommend that you wet the area with just plain water without soap and a clean cloth to thoroughly clean the paint surface. If you are placing the sticker on a window, we do recommend using rubbing alcohol to clean the area, especially if you have applied a rain shed product to the window. This will help remove any chemical that may cause the sticker to fail prematurely.
3. Slowly peel the car decal from its backing paper being careful that all pieces come up with it. If a piece of the decal stays stuck to the backing, simply lay the transfer tape back over it and press firmly with your finger to get it to stick to the transfer tape. Repeat this as many times as necessary to get all pieces of the decal to come up with the transfer tape.
4. Carefully choose the location for the car decal. Decals can not be easily removed and repositioned.
5. Firmly press the car decal into place working from the center outward across the entire surface using a finger, squeegee or credit card. If bubbles are present simply smooth them out with your finger or thumb.
6. Important: Now remove the transfer tape by slowing peeling it away. Make sure that any small pieces don’t peel up with the transfer tape. If they do, simply lay it back over the surface and firmly rub the offending piece. Repeat until all pieces are securely in place on your surface.
7. Inspect the car decal for bubbles. If there are any bubbles, simply smooth them out with a thumb or finger.
8. Step back and admire your new StickerTalk vinyl decal. Laaaaaa!

Where NOT to apply a sticker on your car.

Surfaces that are not flat

Sharply curved areas could cause your sticker or decal to fail.

Fabric Seats and Headrests

The surface of the seat will not allow the adhesive to properly adhere.

Leather Seats and Headrests

The leather is treated with conditioners that will not allow the adhesive to stick properly.

Sun Visors

Just like the seats and headrests, you shouldn’t put stickers on the sun visor. They will begin to peel shortly after being applied.

Dashboards

These surfaces are commonly treated with conditioners that will cause the adhesive to fail.

Carpeted floor mats

The adhesive will not stick well to carpet.

Rubber floor mats

The stickers and decals will not stick to rubber.

Tires

As with the floor mats, the stickers and decals will not stick well to rubber.

Engine

Our stickers and decals are designed to handle temperatures up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, but the heat from the engine will easily exceed that and will destroy your sticker or decal.

Tailpipe

Just like the engine, the heat of the auto exhaust will melt the sticker or decal.

Treated Glass

Windows that have been treated with rain shedding chemicals are difficult to stick to. These treatments leave an invisible film or residue that will prevent the decal or sticker from properly adhering to the glass.

Thank you for purchasing your Car Stickers and Car Decals from StickerTalk.

If you have followed the above directions, you should have a great sticker, in the correct position, that looks professional and will last for a very long time in most outdoor environments. It will be a fantastic conversation piece for family and friends and hopefully prompt some great interactions or at least a chuckle or two.

If you have any questions about our products or the proper process to apply a professional looking sticker, don’t hesitate to ask. We are always happy to answer any questions.