• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Suggestions Applying acrylic deminsional letters with VHB to a freshly painted wall

cthammond

New Member
We are applying acrylic dimensional letters to a freshly painted drywall. We are using VHB tape and wanted to see if anyone had suggestions on cure time. Our client has an event and is looking to install the letters 3 days after the painting was completed. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
 

KMC

Graphic Artist
may the odds be ever in your favor ......get them to sign something stating that the recommended wait time to install on fresh paint is 2 weeks and that if it fails you are not liable
** prime the back of the letters with primer 94 before you apply the tape and also where the tape will attach to the wall to give it more adhesion
 

bannertime

Active Member
Yeah, no bueno. If they are thinner letters like 1/8in, then you'll probably be fine, but if they are thicker, good luck.
 

eahicks

Magna Cum Laude - School of Hard Knocks
How thick are they? Height? Small stuff can go up and be no problem. Anything thicker that 1/4" and taller than maybe 6" I would tell them they aren't going up for 2 weeks so paint cures.
 

cthammond

New Member
may the odds be ever in your favor ......get them to sign something stating that the recommended wait time to install on fresh paint is 2 weeks and that if it fails you are not liable
** prime the back of the letters with primer 94 before you apply the tape and also where the tape will attach to the wall to give it more adhesion
How thick are they? Height? Small stuff can go up and be no problem. Anything thicker that 1/4" and taller than maybe 6" I would tell them they aren't going up for 2 weeks so paint cures.
They are just under 1/2" thick and just under 4" tall.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Before you give them a cure time, what kinda paint did they use ?? Some paints are designed to not accept tape and certain glues/adhesives. Next, the sheen will also play a factor in receiving them. We generally go in after about 10 days curing time, with more time hoped for, but not always given. However, we're generally using gator letters, not acrylic 1/2" thick.
 

Ian Stewart-Koster

Older Greyer Brushie
I've had 10mm thick 12" tall letters thankfully stay put, using the MP467 tape over the full reverse area.
That's on a wall that had cured only 4 days...2 years ago, and still up!
Only one letter came off a 15mm high tiny one, with little surface area for letter depth.

Sometimes, it's nice to be lucky!
 

JTBoh

I sell signage and signage accessories.
I'd stud em. Even if they sign a waiver, the shhhshow that would result in peeled latex during an event is not worth the hassle.

"YOUR letters came off!" (note that they are definitely your letters)
"I warned you, and you signed a waiver"
"You're a professional company, and this was a horrible install! All our customers are laughing at us! The letters are on the floor in a pool of blood and excrement! I want my money back!"
<1 star google review>
 

fuzzy_cam

The Granbury Wrap & Sign Guy
As others have said, not enough cure time here. Explain this to the customer, as well as you're not responsible for any paint coming as a result of mounting or hanging your template... assuming you're using one. I noticed someone else said to primer 94 the backs of the acrylics - I do not see a need for that as the surface tension of the acrylic is quite sufficient, especially since your using VHB.
 

JTBoh

I sell signage and signage accessories.
Us Balmorons are weird... we bleed orange in summer, and purple in winter. B'leve it.
 

spectrum maine

New Member
4 days? in a heated building? latex? can the letters be touched by public?i am sure that it will be fine. use ds tape & dots of real ge silicone. you will be fine, never heard of 30 day cure on interior latex.
 

SheBeau

New Member
Gorilla glue. Hey... Ya never know! Seriously though, studding them is the professional answer for any permanent drywall application.
(Our experience with 1-week-cured paint and tape wasn’t pretty).
 

cthammond

New Member
Thanks for all the advise, we made sure the client knew we did not recommend applying the letters so quickly. They still wanted us to install so they are up for now with VHB goop and we applied some 3m primer 94 to the wall.
 
Top