Wall murals are any decorative copy applied to walls to enhance their look and appeal. When it comes to wall murals, they fall into one of two main categories: either they are painted (usually by hand) or they covered with printed media that is then applied/installed onto the wall’s surface. The latter is usually done by sign or media-type companies using a variety of media to handle various wall surface types, and is more and more the technique of choice.
As you might guess, wall murals done paint are not “removable”. However, they can be painted over, or covered again by another media-based wall mural.
When it comes to wall murals based on applied media – something Signs of San Antonio is a specialist at – the answer to removability really comes down to the type of media chosen. As mentioned, there are several media types available, and choosing the right media is usually dictated by the surface type of the wall. In short, more heavily textured walls require wall mural media with higher tack – or “sticky” adhesive backing – while smoother or texture-free walls require less tack. And generally speaking, the more tack the less removability, the less tack the more removability.
One media solution that works well for wall murals is what’s known as “Photo-Tex” and is like a printable wall fabric. Not unlike wallpaper, it is printed and laid down on top of the wall. This particular media comes in both a standard, and a hi-tack variant. The standard is not only removable, but repositionable as well. The hi-tack version has enough adhesive the removing would not be advisable.
Another factor is whether the wall murals are “full coverage”, or contour-cut. Full coverage just means when all of the wall surface is covered, whereas contour-cut is when only certain parts of the print are applied. For this type of application, you would not be able to use Photo-Tex.
For the most heavily-textured walls, using our high-tack media is recommended. In short, essentially all media used for wall murals can be removed, but any with high tack are not recommended to be removed, for there exists the potential that the media and its adhesive will remove the paint as well.
Whether or not wall murals are removable may not even be the most relevant question to ask! That’s because whether it’s removable or not is more and more a moot point. That’s because – in many cases – wall murals are simply covered over again by new wall murals. That’s right – most wall murals do have a finite shelf-life, and when the need arises for those murals to be updated, usually the easiest, most cost-effective method is not to remove, then reapply, but simply to cover over existing murals with the new media! And this process can be – and is often –done over and over again!
In closing, the question of removability is less relevant than what is the most appropriate media required for the job. Relying on a company that only uses one type of media for wall murals can have disastrous consequences. Wall murals with insufficient tack on textured walls can begin to peel and fall off in just a few weeks or days, where too much tack can result in paying higher costs than required.
Now that you know more about wall murals and what to be aware of, contact the experts at Signs of San Antonio to learn about your options or to request a free quote today!
