Applying vinyl to glass (or other non-porous surfaces like tile) can be especially hard to avoid getting bubbles under the vinyl.
The method shown in this tutorial can help you do just that, and all you're going to need, you probably already have in your kitchen - dish soap and a spray bottle.
Start by grabbing a spray bottle that sprays a fine mist and mix in 1 drop of dish soap to 1/2 cup water. Set aside.
Cut out your decal in permanent adhesive vinyl like Oracal 651. This Cheer Coach design comes from the Sports SVG Starter Bundle available at So Fontsy. There's a variety of sports designs (126 SVGs in total) across multiple sports, so you'll find that perfect design for you or your teammate!
Apply transfer tape to the cut and weeded vinyl. Remove the vinyl's paper backing and replace it with a piece of parchment paper. This will help when aligning the decal later on.
How to Prep Glass Before Applying Vinyl
Make sure the glass you are working on is clean. Wipe it off with isopropyl alcohol and let dry before applying vinyl.
Helpful hint - use a ruler to find the center of the surface and mark the edges of the glass with a dry erase pen. This helps with centering the decal.
How to Put Vinyl on Glass without Bubbles
Position the design onto the piece of glass, then apply a piece of painter's tape to the top of the decal to temporarily hold it in place.
Flip the entire decal up, using the tape as a hinge. Wipe off any marks you may have made on the glass, and then remove the parchment from the vinyl.
Take the spray bottle with the drop of dish soap in it and spray a very light mist onto the surface of the glass. Really, just a very little.
Fold the decal back and remove the painter's tape. Now take your burnishing tool and begin burnishing the vinyl to push out the water from underneath it, which also pushes out any air bubbles as well!
What you'll also find is that because of the thin soapy water layer between the glass and the vinyl, you have a little bit of wiggle room to get the vinyl placed exactly if you needed to make any adjustments.
Keep burnishing to press out as much water as you can from underneath the vinyl. The more water you press out, the less drying time you have to wait to remove the transfer tape.
Wait at least 45 minutes, probably best just to leave overnight. You are waiting for all the water to dry so the vinyl can begin curing to the glass.
When you do remove the transfer tape, do so slowly, making sure the vinyl isn't lifting up.
But look at those results!
Not a bubble in sight!
Grab the SVG used in this project from So Fontsy in the Sports SVG Starter Bundle.
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