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Ardor Printing · 12531 Old Snohomish Monroe Rd., Snohomish, WA 98290
Mon–Fri 7am–5pm · Closed weekends
Module 01 · How it's made
A vinyl wall wrap is a stack: clear laminate, ink, printable film, adhesive and your wall. Here is what each layer does, how Ardor prints and installs it, and why the paint gets tested before anyone quotes a film.
The short version
Your design is printed on a roll of printable wall film. A clear laminate goes over the print to protect it. The printed sheet is cut into panels the width of the roll, then installers apply the panels to a clean, cured wall, overlapping each seam.
Four of the five layers are made in a factory and chosen by the printer. The fifth is your wall. Everything above it is only as good as the bond between paint and wall, which is why this module spends as much time on paint as on print.
Layer stack
Thicknesses come from manufacturer data sheets for common wall products. Your job may use a different film, so ask which one your quote names.
Layers, top to bottom
Layer 1 of 5 · Avery DOL 3060/3070/3080: 3.2 mil face + 1.0 mil adhesive
Protects the print from scuffs, cleaning and UV, and sets the sheen.
Comes in gloss, luster and matte. Avery rates its DOL 3000 family at 85, 55 and 8 on a 60-degree gloss meter. For textured walls, 3M pairs its IJ8624 film with 8524 luster laminate. Dry-erase and anti-graffiti laminates exist for special jobs.
Fact Some films skip this layer. Avery says its textured MPI 2630 and 2631 films should not be laminated.
Layer 2 of 5 · Not rated by thickness; capped by total ink load (Avery MPI 2903: 270% max)
Carries the image. In occupied rooms it also decides odor and how long prints must rest.
HP Latex inks are water-based, and HP says Latex prints need no wait before laminating or installing. Eco-solvent prints must dry first: ORAFOL calls for at least 24 hours, ideally 48 to 72, before cutting or laminating. UV-curable inks are a third option.
Fact HP states its Latex inks are UL GREENGUARD Gold certified (UL 2818).
Layer 3 of 5 · 2 to 8 mil face film (3M IJ8624: 2 mil; ORAJET 3628: 3 mil; Avery MPI 2600 series: 6 to 8 mil)
The sheet the ink sits on. Chosen for wall texture, removal plans and fire code.
Smooth calendered vinyl suits smooth painted walls. Textured-look films add a canvas, stucco or crushed-stone surface. Films built for brick and block, like 3M IJ8624, conform to texture with heat. PVC-free films such as 3M Envision 48C (3 mil) are also made for walls.
Fact ORAFOL's Americas data sheet lists ORAJET 3628 wall film as ASTM E84 Class A.
Layer 4 of 5 · About 1 mil (Avery MPI 2600: 1.0 mil clear acrylic)
Holds the film to the wall and decides how it comes off.
Removable and permanent acrylic adhesives are the main split. Some add air-release channels so trapped air escapes, or repositionable tack so a panel can be lifted and re-laid during install.
Fact Adhesion builds after install. Avery's removable wall film goes from 0.5 to 1.0 lb/in at 15 minutes to 1.5 lb/in at 24 hours; the permanent version reaches 4.0 lb/in.
Layer 5 of 5 · Your wall
The foundation. Everything above is only as good as the paint-to-wall bond.
Avery's target is smooth, primed, fully cured semi-gloss or gloss paint. Flat, matte, satin, scrubbable, and silicone or Teflon-additive paints cause trouble. 3M warns that film is less likely to adhere to low-VOC paint.
Fact Problem walls can often be fixed with a primer or sealer first. 3M lists ZINSSER Bulls Eye 1-2-3 (7-day cure) among its recommended primers and sealers.
Sources: Avery MPI 2600 PDS (Rev. 17); Avery DOL 3060/3070/3080 PDS; Avery MPI 2903 PDS; ORAFOL ORAJET 3628 Americas TDS; 3M IJ8624 and Envision 48C product pages; 3M Instruction Bulletin on substrate preparation; HP Latex sustainability and 730/830 printer pages. Added up, the film, adhesive and laminate values above total well under half a millimeter (our arithmetic).
Before anyone quotes a film
Paint has to cure before film goes on, or solvents escape under the vinyl and push it off the wall. Avery and Mactac both call for at least 7 days after the final coat, and Mactac notes that water-based latex can take 30 to 90 days to fully cure, with dark or intense colors running past 90. 3M says to follow the paint maker's cure time and to test every wall, because paints differ. Industry rule of thumb: many installers wait 2 to 4 weeks and trust the test over the calendar.
3M's test puts three 1 x 10 inch strips of film on the actual wall. After a 15-minute dwell, each strip is pulled back at 180 degrees, about 1 inch every 5 seconds. The average pull is compared with 3M's minimum for that adhesive. If paint comes off with a strip, the paint bond is too weak for film.
| 3M adhesive family (3M color code) | Minimum average pull |
|---|---|
| Ultra-removable (yellow) | 400 g |
| Removable with heat (black, red, orange) | 500 to 600 g |
| Permanent (blue, green) | 800 g |
| Permanent (white) | 1,000 g |
| 3M DI-NOC architectural film | 800 g |
Source: 3M Instruction Bulletin, Application, Substrate Selection and Preparation. Avery uses a longer test: a strip left on the wall for 2 to 3 days should be moderately difficult to remove without damaging the wall. Textured walls get 3M's one-week, heat-applied test, covered in the Wall surfaces guide.
Process
These steps follow Avery, 3M, ORAFOL and Mactac install guidance. Anything marked as installer practice is experience, not manufacturer text.
Same materials science, our process. Four steps from first photo to finished wall.
Step 1
Send photos and rough measurements, or we come on site to measure and check the surface.
Free on-site estimate
Step 2
Ardor's in-house designers build the art or prepare yours, then show a proof on your wall before anything prints. Design is quoted separately.
You approve the proof first
Step 3
We print on indoor or outdoor wall film matched to your surface, your removal plans and the fire rating your space needs.
Removable or permanent film
Step 4
Our own installers prep the wall and apply the graphic on site. A single wall usually takes one day. Multi-wall, floor and building projects take several days.
After-hours installs available
End of life
Removable wall film is made to come off in one piece, and it still carries some risk. Avery's install bulletins say to start at the top and pull slowly at 120 to 180 degrees, with no chemicals. Cutting the graphic into 12 to 24 inch strips makes removal easier, as long as the blade does not cut into the wall.
Heat helps on hard surfaces. Avery allows a wallpaper steamer only when the wall is not wallboard. On drywall, plan for a possible paint touch-up.
Avery does not warrant wall damage from removal, even with removable adhesive, and says removability is not guaranteed over aged paint or paint that is poorly bonded to the wall. Permanent films are made to stay, and removing them damages paint.
Reels
Short clips from Ardor jobs: panels rolling out, seams lining up and panels coming off the cutter.
Projects
Offices, churches, gyms and restaurants Ardor has printed and installed.
A floor-to-ceiling purple wall wrap lays out the Interrupting Privilege program's milestones year by year. Timeline walls like this turn a hallway into a story people walk through.
A Seattle skyline, the PureDry phoenix logo and a branded van wrap around four windows in one continuous office mural.
A large orange UMC logo and white UMC lettering span the front glass of a commercial building entrance.
A packed-stadium photo mural with the Alabama Crimson Tide logo runs edge to edge and wraps around a door in a finished room.
A blue wall graphic with the Armory Pickleballs crest and website greets players beside the entrance door.
A black-and-white historic street photo of vintage Ford cars fills a dealership wall next to the Bickford Ford logo.
The church's mission seal and four values, Abide, Love, Pray and Make Disciples, line the entry hallway.
Black and yellow wall wraps and large printed history panels titled First Year and Generation Mixed build an exhibit at the Northwest African American Museum.
No projects in this category yet.
FAQ
Four manufactured layers on top of your wall: a clear overlaminate, the printed ink, a printable wall film (usually vinyl, sometimes PVC-free) and a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The wall's paint is the fifth layer and the one everything depends on.
The wall is cleaned, then panels are applied dry from the top down with a squeegee, overlapping at seams by at least half an inch (Avery). Edges are trimmed at corners, doors and outlets, and the whole graphic gets a final firm pass.
Avery and Mactac say at least 7 days after the final coat. Some latex paints take 30 to 90 days to fully cure (Mactac), so an adhesion test on the wall is a better guide than the calendar.
Large walls are printed in panels, so yes. Panels overlap at least 0.5 inch (Avery), and seams are planned for spots where they show least.
Installing it does not. Removal can. Even removable films can lift aged or poorly bonded paint, and Avery does not warrant wall damage on removal. Permanent films damage paint when removed.
A single wall usually takes Ardor's crew one day. Larger multi-wall, floor or building projects take several days, and installs can be scheduled after hours.
Ardor backs wall installs with a 1-year installation warranty covering workmanship issues such as lifting edges, bubbles and loose seams. Failing paint underneath is not covered, which is one more reason to test the wall first.
Free on-site estimates · Ardor Printing
Ardor's free on-site estimate covers the measure, a look at your paint and surface, and a film recommendation. Call (425) 629-0796, Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, or request a quote online.