Is wall stickers harmful to the wall

Have you looked into decorating with wall stickers but still wonder about if they might leave lasting marks on your walls? This is a question we get a lot, and for a good reason, because who would not want to know what happens to your walls when it finally is time to remove the decals (specially if you are renting).

 

If you are impatient or in a hurry, the answer in a nutshell is: they might (if you choose the wrong decals), because not every wall decal company out there cares about the environment or your walls. There is however so much to wall decals that this needs a bit more explaining, so read on if you want to know more.

 

The good and the bad wall decals

Wall decals, like clothes, come in all shapes, sizes and materials. And just like in the fashion industry, many wall decal companies take the cheapest route and use materials that were never intended for home walls (or homes in general). The most important thing for anyone looking for wall stickers is to find out what kind of material the are printed on, because not all materials are equal. Two important questions are:

 

How strong is the wall decal glue

The producers of decal materials normally have a wide assortment of different glue strengths. Stickers made for use on indoor walls normally have less strong glue, while the materials for outdoor use might come with very strong permanent glue.

 

If a wall decal company have chosen a material with a too strong glue then it is also likely that they will be hard to remove and leave marks when finally removed (you need heat to soften up a hard glue before removal). If you are in doubt, ask the seller more about what kind of glue they use in their stickers. You’ll want to hear words like re-positionable, low-tack, temporary, low-adhesive and/or removable.

 

You could also check with the seller if the stickers are re-positionable, because usually this means that the material is of higher quality with a milder adhesive that is easier to remove.

 

Keep in mind that most glues do harden with time, so even a removable glue can become more difficult to remove if it has been attached for many years. Often stickers that have been on the wall for a very long time will leave some light marking even with the right glue (usually these are more prominent on eggshell/matte surfaces, and less so on glossy paints). If you want to be absolutely sure, we recommend to use the stickers only for 1-2 years before removing or re-positioning them, no matter what the material or glue.