The Art of Cornhole Decal Application – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

So often people buy cornhole decals only to receive the package in the mail and have no clue how to handle them. Often it is overwhelming to see that enormous weeded out model of the cornhole decal full of masking and all. I understand, I have already been through this as well. I hope you can easily follow these instructions to help you.

Number one, prime all your cornhole boards, usually with 2 coats of a good, thick primer. Never be sloppy using it, just perform two very good coats and permit to dry for at least 2 days. I suggest you leave the boards at a room temperature environment, 68-72 degrees.

As soon as the primer is dry, sand your board by using a high grit sand paper to rough out any sort of splinter patches that may still be present on the surface.

When you have completed sanding using a fine grit paper you want to clean all of the dust off as good as you possibly can. This is important because any fine particles left behind can and will affect the adherence of the cornhole decal. This is easily achieved by using a tacky cloth, such as a cheese cloth and then following that with an ammonia cleaner, Windex would work.

You are ready to begin applying the cornhole decal.

Just take that giant masked vinyl you were given and place it up on your cornhole board, masking part up, meaning you can read the print. Line it up exactly the place you want it and in the top middle part place a piece of blue painters tape half on the masking of the decal, and the extra half on the board to hold the decal in place for application. Repeat this step on the bottom.

Now the fun can begin. Take the right side of the masking and gently begin to pull the tape back so that the decal is only stuck to the masking and the paper backing is left laying on the board. It is essential that you GO SLOW! Try to pull gently at a 45-60 degree angle from the paper.

After you have finished separating the decal from the paper it will be stuck only to the masking at this point. Carefully lay the sticky side up on the other side of the decal that we haven’t done anything with to this point and grab your scissors. Cut the vinyl paper backing, the part where the decal was cut from, starting at the bottom and working your way to the top. A quick tip, if you get it started, close the scissor blades to an almost closed position and run the scissors upward. You shouldn’t have to work your hands on the scissors, you should only have to move your arm up the paper like cutting wrapping paper quickly. You must have a sharp pair in order to do this. The reason is we are trying to cut clean, and straight so the other side is an easier task to complete. This particular cut must be as straight as possible. It is most beneficial to use an extremely sharp pair of scissors and just work it from bottom to top.

You are ready to apply the first half of the cornhole decal. Begin by holding the masking tape perpendicular to the cornhole board. Take your squeegee and begin to stroke the masking tape up and down pressing the decal against the board. You can use anything from a credit card to your license if you don’t have a squeegee used to make signs.

After you’ve laid it down completely you are ready to remove the blue tape that was holding the entire design in place. Once you remove the tape, repeat the steps above to apply the other side. It is much easier this time to remove the paper backing from where you cut it pulling to the outer edge where the masking is still stuck to the paper.

The time has come to reveal the decal on the board. You start by choosing the upper right hand corner and pulling the masking tape at a 180 degree level to the board. This means as we are pulling the masking tape away, we are keeping our hand as close to the board while pulling in the direction of the lower left hand corner. It is very important to go slow. If any part of the cornhole decal is not stuck properly it will come with the masking and rip away for any part that is stuck to the board. If this happens, simply put the masking tape back over the section and rub vigorously with your squeegee to make sure it will stick. Continue until you have completely removed the masking. If you see any bubbles in the decal you can easily remove these with a small pin or nail. Be careful not to rub the decal with the squeegee once the masking is removed, rather use your hand and gently push the bubbles out.

Well, you should now be staring at your new cornhole board complete with a new decal. Hopefully you were able to follow along with these directions to ensure you didn’t ruin the decal as they are very fragile upon arrival. You can now move on to a clear coat to protect the decal from the wear and tear of the game.