Spraying clearcoat over stickers

[kevincwelch]

I have a little project going on with some wheel center caps. I am applying a sticker to the center cap, and I want it to have a little durability and not peel. So, I was thinking of layering some clearcoat spray over the sticker after it's applied to the cap.

My thought is to apply several light layers in the hopes that the sticker wouldn't peel -- meaning, not orange peel.

I would deal with any orange peeling separately by wet sanding and polishing.

Has anyone used clearcoat over stickers? Another type of coating?

 

[Brody]

I have a little project going on with some wheel center caps. I am applying a sticker to the center cap, and I want it to have a little durability and not peel. So, I was thinking of layering some clearcoat spray over the sticker after it's applied to the cap.

My thought is to apply several light layers in the hopes that the sticker wouldn't peel -- meaning, not orange peel.

I would deal with any orange peeling separately by wet sanding and polishing.

Has anyone used clearcoat over stickers? Another type of coating?

Have not specifically tried clear coating over stickers, but if I were going it, I would lay down a coat of adhesion promoter first. Also, if you try to go light with the clear, it will dry dull. Is this going to be a rattle can job or do you have access to automotive paint equipment and products?

 

[Coach Steve]

I've done a couple of different projects where stickers were topped with a clear coating. The first was about a dozen oars for my daughters' high school rowing team. They wanted the school's mascot affixed to the oar blades and after researching several methods, it turned out doing it this way was the least expensive and most durable.
I printed the mascot on full-sheet sticker paper with a color laser printer, then cut it out along the image's lines. Next I stuck it to an oar blade and applied Deft clear lacquer to the entire blade and left to dry. I applied 3 coats total and they turned out fantastic. Deft is self-leveling and very forgiving - while it's wet. Once dried, it's completely waterproof and can be used on just about any material.
The other project I did was on a trailer owned by the softball league I used to be involved with. Their equipment trailer had the league's logo emblazoned on the sides. Someone on then Board decided it would be nice if the logo was ringed by the logos of all the softball products they used as well as the league's sponsors. I was able to get stickers from all the companies. After organizing them and deciding where they would be placed, I stuck them to the trailer. I then sprayed the trailer with automotive urethane (3 coats) and it turned out awesome. Very durable and the UV inhibitors in the urethane prevented the stickers from fading and bleaching out.
Whichever method you choose, it's vital that you wait 24 hours after applying the stickers before applying the clear coat (unless you use a water-based clear coat which I don't recommend). The adhesive on the sticker is water-based which will cause all kinds of application problems if the adhesive is not completely dry before applying the clear coat. If you want it to last for any length of time and have a fair amount of durability, you should use automotive urethane.
Good luck with your project!

 

[hoyt66]

I cleared over these "Mopar" letters two years ago. So far so good. I used automotive

grade clear by Rustoleum. I applied 2 medium coats. Good luck

 

[kevincwelch]

Thanks for the tips

 

[DetailKitty]

I used VHT (high temp) when I painted my calipers. I bought and replaced the factory stickers on them, so I cleared over them.
Worked great :xyxthumbs:

 

[LSpec]

good information, I always had the same doubt.