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Decal Replacement..

Paul

Staff member
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
11,544
Location
South Wales
Alias
Toibs
Materials

A prepared cabinet

Windex

Sawhorses or equivalent

Lint free clean cloths for wiping

Small ruler

Small (6â€) squeegee

Flashlight

Sewing needle

Hammer and small nails

A friend to help

Long straightedge (a level works well)

Fresh razor knife



Set-up

Select a clean, wide open, dust and draft free area Good lighting

Set up cabinet at a comfortable working height Large flat table to prepare decal

Protect floor from Windex overspray



Steps

Dry Fit

Set up the cabinet with one side facing up

Place the correct decal on the cabinet, face up

Trim any very large excess decal with a scissors

Be sure the decal covers the entire side, paying careful attention to get the IMAGE (NOT the edge of the decal) parallel to the lower cabinet edge

Be sure the image is properly centered on the side, up-down and side-to-side. Some decal sets have art that needs to match decal to decal

Remove the decal and place it, release paper side up, on the table



Preparation

Clean the cabinet side carefully and thoroughly with Windex and cloths. Leave nothing on the surface

Spray a heavy wet coat of Windex on the cabinet side

With your friend, start peeling the release paper off one end of the decal

As soon as a few inches of adhesive are exposed, spray the adhesive completely with Windex

Continue to peel off the release paper while spraying until the release paper is completely off and the entire adhesive surface is wet with Windex

Double check that all of the cabinet side and decal adhesive are wet



Application

With your friend, lift the decal, flip it and place it on the cabinet

Take your time and get the decal exactly where you want it, remembering to align the image to the lower cabinet edge and be aware of any matching needed with other sides

Go around the outside and be sure you have excess decal to trim on all edges

Tricks to line up the decal: Sight along the edge from below the decal; you can also gently bend the excess over in a few places to “see†the edge of the cabinet; and also try shining a flashlight from below to give an ‘X-ray†view of the edge looking from above

When you are satisfied with the alignment, take a small nail and hammer it (shallow, not deep) into one corner of the decal, WHERE IT WILL BE HIDDEN BY THE LEGS

Now spray a coat of Windex over the entire top surface of the decal

This is your last chance to get the alignment right- check all edges

With your friend using their hands in the center of the decal to help stabilize it, start to squeegee off the Windex (and the Windex under the decal) from the center out to the edges, working carefully and methodically-don’t hurry, don’t let the decal shift

When a good area is stuck down in the middle, your friend can move their hands

As you squeegee, check for bubbles by sighting across the decal at a low angle

When you get within a foot or so of the nail, pull it out

Spray on more Windex if needed so the squeegee moves easily

When you are done, go over the decal surface with a clean cloth

Check again for bubbles and press them down- you may want to prick them with a sewing needle

Other sides follow the same basic procedure



Trimming

Place the straightedge on the edge you want to trim, about 1/32†(the thickness of a credit card) away from the edge of the wood

Tricks to line up the straight edge: Sight along the edge from below the decal; you can also gently bend the excess over in a few places to “see†the edge of the cabinet; and also try shining a flashlight from below to give an ‘X-ray†view of the edge looking from above

One person should press down on the straight edge (not too hard) the other should do the cutting

Use a fresh razor knife, start in the middle, cut toward the ends, and don’t hurry

Use light pressure and multiple strokes to cut through- don’t cut through in one stroke

Start on the bottom edge of a side

Move to the back edge, then the top edge (top edge will be hidden by side armor)

If you want to match the front artwork perfectly, keep the straightedge exactly lined up with the front edge of the cabinet, no offset

Be careful when passing over holes for leg bolts, remember to use light pressure

Seal the edges by wiping across them from inside to outside in a straight line- one direction only, never scrubbing up and down or back and forth

Allow to dry for 24 hours before moving on to the next side, starting with Preparation.
 
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