Vinyl Adhesive: How It Affects The Durability Of Your Signs

Vinyl signs go through a lot of wear and tear because they see all kinds of weather, which breaks down the banner in a number of ways. Aside from extreme weather, the wind causes the most damage to vinyl banners because of the strain it puts on the material. Vinyl adhesive is an alternative way to affixing your banner to the structure that holds the banner up, which makes the banners less likely to break.

Wear and tear

Vinyl banners have eight or more holes with metal grommets along the length of the banner. Nylon ropes are threaded through the grommets, tied to something stable to fasten the banner, and pulled taut. If you’ve ever flown a kite on a windy day, you will know how much force pulls on the kite as you hold onto the string and reel, so the force will be even greater on a larger area. Some banners will have semi-circles cut into the vinyl to let the wind through, which helps to ease the pressure, but the basic stress is still there.

Types of adhesives

There are a number of commercial adhesives used in manufacturing; the adhesive that forms the backing of vinyl is on the milder end. In fact, some banners come with removable adhesive, which means that upon removal, there is no residue left behind. The largest drawback is that the banner doesn’t stick strongly to the surface it’s on—as such, self-adhering banners are best used indoors.

Most common acrylic adhesives are made of monomeric esters, and some are even used in aqueous form, which means that acrylic adhesive can wash away in the rain. Solvent adhesive on the other hand is far more durable but forms a permanent bond. Nearly immediately after application, the banner needs to go directly onto where it will be since the solvent dries rapidly. Because of this, the banner isn’t reusable.

Does it last?

When used under proper conditions, adhesive vinyl can last three to five years. Decals that are used on glass that’s facing outdoors are going to degrade at an accelerated rate. Vinyl adhesive can have a long lifespan shortened either by having a backing that’s too weak so that the banner falls off or too strong so that it can’t be repositioned.