[Nathan]

Alright, ProWallGuy peeked my interest in this when he posted his website link.

How do you make Digital Murals ProWallGuy?

Example: http://www.professionalwallpaperandpaint.com/mural.html

 

[ProWallGuy]

I don't make them, I just install them.

If a customer approaches me wanting one of these, I hook them up with the printer, they do the manufacturing end, I do the install.

I put that page on my site because I believe digital imaging will be the wave of the future when it comes to wallcovering or any type of graphics. I have had alot of customers over the years say "I have a pic of yadayada, I wish I could get it blown up and hung on my wall". And now you can.

I have hung many of these over the past few years. From the BassPro Shops to St.Louis Childrens Hospital to storefronts to private homeowners. To colors are vibrant, graphics are intense, and the customer gets a 'one of a kind' wallcovering.

The company I hang exclusively for here in St. Louis is Craftsmen Industries. If you can get a pic of whatever you want to have on the wall, they can print it. If you can't get a pic, they have a staff of artist/designers on hand to create whatever. The technical end of how they get it from PC to printer is out of my area. I have no clue. But I can tell you its printed on a big-a** inkjet just like my PC printer. This printer holds goods upto 16' wide. They are printed on substrates such as Rexam, Koroseal, Mohave type II commercial vinyl, etc. Whichever is better for the application.

I have attempted to add 2 pics. One of the press, one of a mural I recently hung in a bike shop. Did you know people actually buy bikes for over $7500???

 

[Nathan]

Thats good stuff.
How much do they charge to print it? Do they charge by the sq ft + colors?

-Nathan

 

[Nathan]

Also, how do you apply it?
Is there any special tools/adhesive you need?

 

[ProWallGuy]

Each job is specific, but they generally charge $5 sq ft to print. More if they have to do all the layout, etc. Less if your own design team has it all set up on a cd-rom.

I charge $1.50-$2.00 sq ft for anything up to 10' high. More if its higher or just plain a tricky install.

 

[ProWallGuy]

Application depends on the wall conditions, and which substrate its printed on. Koroseal, the scrim or nonwoven, and the type II vinyl I use Dynamite 234 HD Clear. On the Rexam, usually prime with DrawTite and hang with strippable clay.

The 'paper-paper' type photo murals, now thats a different story. Those are a nightmare and cause me to drink to excess when completed

I forgot to add for tools I use 2 home-made stainless steel skimmers/trim guides with different angles in the bend of them. I also use a home-made doublecutter guide made from stainless with a flooring adhesive trowel handle riveted on for a combat grip. I almost exclusively use Tajima blades, very sharp and last longer than American line blades. I also have a holenpoker, a tool made by Jim Parodi in NY, which is a roller embedded with row after row of stainless tacks. This is used to puncture bubbles, perforate heavy vinyl to speed drying time if the material has been clear-coated and has become a vapor barrier, and on high-end residential goods. I roll up and down the seam area on hand-prints and block-prints, (Euro paper) when hung with wheat and/or cellulose to speed up drying and avoiding 'seam creep'.

 

[hatchet]

That's pretty impressive.
We put up fencing around one of our jobs in downtown Denver. We then wrapped it in the green mesh fabric - the architect got the printer some elevations of the project and then printed them on the mesh for each side of the building. We're talking about 10' high fence wrapping a 17 acre site.
Cost for the material and printing was about 2.60/sf. It sure gives an idea of what's being built.