DIY Windshield Banner Installation!

Installation instructions for banners! This guide should work for any car or truck.

for starters you will need a few supplies.

• Felt Tipped squeegee ( http://straitupd.bigcartel.com/product/vinyl-application-squeegee)
• Water bottle with a small amount of dish soap 
• Masking tape 
• Razor Blade 

Now that you have your banner and supplies all ready to go you should start by cleaning the surface where the banner will be getting installed. If there is any dust or dirt under the sticker it will show through in the banner itself. So once the window is all clean you can place your banner centered and use a pice of masking tape to align it. I like to have the vinyl go about 1/4 inch above the top - outside edges of the windshield. 

With the banner in place take one side and flip it over to peal the backer off and trim the backer off of that one side. Spray plenty of water on the back side of the sticker and the glass where the banner is to be applied. This will give you some time to move the banner around a little bit and when you squeegee the water out it will take the air bubbles out with it. 

Squeegee some of the water out starting at the center and moving to the outside, now it will not move from the glass. Now repeat these steps for the other side of the window.

Squeegee as much of the water out of the banner as possible, use the felt end of the squeegee only so it does not scratch the banner, when squeegeeing to the edges you will start seeing the line for the window trim, this is where you use your razor blade and hand trim the outside edges, you may notice some extra water there continue to squeegee all of this water out. Now wipe the window down and you should be ready to go! 

Now you have a sweet banner; feel free to take photos and show your friends how cool you are!

Corolla GT-S Zenki Side Graphics DIY Installation

Over the past few weeks I have gotten a few question on how to install the Straitup D graphics packages on AE86's so I decided it was a good time to do a DIY with some step-by-step instructions!

To install you will need the following:

• squeegee or credit card
• cleaning supplies
• masking tape or painters tape

When you get your order it will look something like this.

Notice that the graphics will ALWAYS be rolled image out, this will keep the vinyl from sticking to itself.

Step 1
Unroll graphics and place them image down and use a squeegee or credit card  to re-press and get all of the air out of the graphic that could have gotten in there while it was being shipped.

Step 2
Notice that there is a "P" and a "D" on the graphics. These indicate the Driver side and the Passenger side of the car. You will need to trim the graphics out with a scissors or utility knife, trim them down to the box outside of the graphic.

 
Step 3
Now that you have your graphic prepped and ready to go its a good time to clean the surface of the car, I like to use a spray bottle with a small amount of dish soap and water.
PRO TIP: Stay away from cleaners with ammonia, also any soaps that have degreaser, both will not be good for the adhesive

Step 4
The graphic is prepped and the car is clean - you are ready to get the graphic on the car! Using some masking tape mock the graphic up on the car. When the graphic is in position place a piece of tape perpendicular to the graphic. For proper alignment, the outside edge of the graphic should be about 1/4" down from the trim.

   
Step 5
Peel the graphic away from the backer, and use a small pice of tape (I used a scrap from when I was mocking the tape up) to hold the pre mask with the graphic sticker out of the way. Use a scissors to trim the paper backer close to the vertical tape line. Use your squeegee and slowly with light pressure apply the graphic onto the cars surface. Now that the graphic is down, start in the center and work your way out words with firm strokes up and down. Repeat these steps for the other side of the graphic.

Step 6
Slowly peel the pre mask away from the car revealing the finished product!
PRO TIP: Use that spray bottle and wet the graphic down with a small amount of water, this will make the pre mask peal super easy!
After the pre mask is taken off peal away the P/D indicator.

Step 7
Repeat Step 5 and 6 for the other side of the graphic

Step 8
Show all of your friends how cool you are.

Vinyl Installation DIY

I have been doing vinyl for about 10 years now, and I have seen just about every way to prep and install it. I have developed my own way to apply it without having any issues with wrinkles or bubbles, and also keeping correct alignment. Below are a few simple steps to apply vinyl to a flat surface.

When you get your vinyl from Straitup D, either by mail or when you pick it up, it will be on a roll. This helps save space for shipping and prevents damage.

Step 1
Unroll the vinyl and place it face down on a flat surface. Squeegee from the center up and down overlapping each stroke slightly. It is important NOT to get ahead of yourself. This process will get out any of the wrinkles that may have formed from it being rolled up.

Step 2
Now that you have your vinyl ready, place it over where it is going to be applied. Measure it to be sure it is in the right spot. For this application, I am centering it on the back window of a car.

Step 3 

Now that you have the graphic where you want it, place a strip of painters tape across the middle of the graphic (as the photo show below).

Step 4
With the graphic taped on the glass take one side and tear the tape (I started on the right side) and flip it over to the opposite side. Always peal the backer away from the graphic. After you have the backer pulled from half of the graphic, cut the backer as shown below.

Step 5
For the application itself hold the backer at less than a 45 degree angle to the glass, and with your squeegee work your way from the inside to the outside slowly with firm pressure. Work the squeegee up and down slightly overlapping each stroke until you get the the end of the graphic. Use the tape that was ripped as an alignment to be sure that the graphic is going down straight.

Step 6

For the opposite side, follow the same as step 5, rip the tape, flip and peel the backer from the graphic, and slowly and firmly squeegee the graphic into place. 

Step 7

Pealing the pre-mask, start on one of the corners and slowly peel it at a low angle. Be sure that the vinyl is staying down while pealing the pre-mask.

Step 8

Enjoy your new graphics!