PVC Foil/PVC Film: The Comprehensive FAQ Guide
There is no denying that PVC foils are vital in various decor projects. However, just like any other decal, clients often encounter various issues while using our PVC foils. Given that, we prepared this FAQ guide to help you get expert solutions to your concerns.
1. What are PVC foils/PVC film?
They are thin, flexible sheets made from polyvinyl chloride.
The foils are primarily used as low cost, high-quality decals for furniture, home interiors, doors, cars, panels, and boards.
These PVC foils have different gauges, colors, and patterns to let you portray your dream design.
2. What are the uses of PVC foils/PVC film?
Ideally, there are endless uses for PVC foils in the home décor, furniture making, and motor vehicle wrapping sectors.
A majority of customers use LCL Films’ PVC foils for:
- Styling various pieces of furniture
- Waterproofing surfaces that are susceptible to water damage
- Giving a uniform appearance to doors, interior spaces, furniture, panels, and profiles.
- Protecting surfaces against scratches
- Protecting furniture, doors, and other surfaces from regular exposure to UV radiation.
Generally, PVC foils add value, and they extend the lifespan of doors, profiles, MDF boards, baseboards, wall panels, and furniture.
3. Are there different types of PVC foil/PVC film?
Yes, there are multiple types of PVC foils designed for different décor projects.
The primary types are:
- PVC foil for kitchen doors
These foils are designed to enhance kitchen door’s aesthetics, as well as protect them from stains, scratches, and weather elements.
The foils stick effortlessly on any type of doors used in kitchens.
These premium quality PVC foils come in multiple decoration styles to give you endless design options.
They are also scratch-resistant and easy to stick on surfaces.
Using them would give you a competitive advantage over rivals who use outmoded ways to style their furniture.
- PVC foil for membrane press
Our PVC foils for membrane press are designed to attach effortlessly on a range of pre-glued surfaces.
They are available in multiple design options, ideal for various décor projects.
You can use them on furniture, doors, panels, and any other surface.
- PVC foil laminate for MDF boards
Just as the name suggests, these PVC foil is designed for laminating MDF boards.
The PVC foils bond strongly with MDF to form a glossy, scratch-resistant, waterproof layer that will stick for years.
- PVC foil for vacuum press
This type of PVC foils are specifically designed for various vacuum pressing projects.
You can use them to lift the aesthetics of wooden furniture, cabinets, and PVC wood doors.
Just like any other type of PVC foil, this type comes in multiple pattern designs to suit your needs.
As well, they are scratch resistant and waterproof.
PVC foils for wrapping are ideal for exterior cladding and vehicle wrapping.
They stick effortlessly, conforms to various shapes easily, and they are resistant to water, stains, moisture, and direct sunlight.
Figure 2: PVC foil for wrapping
4. How is PVC foil/PVC film made?
PVC foils are made from polyvinyl chloride, a versatile, lightweight, and low-cost plastic.
Besides PVC, the foils contain pigment, heat stabilizers, UV stabilizers, plasticizers, and other constituents.
We use advanced technologies to mix these ingredients and come up with high quality, aesthetically pleasing PVC foils.
As a rule, we check the quality of each PVC foil to make sure that it will last long.
5. Are PVC foils environmentally friendly?
Yes, LCL Films’ foils are environmentally friendly.
Our company understands that PVC, the primary ingredient used in PVC foils, can harm the environment when mishandled.
On that account, we manufacture our PVC foils in a highly-controlled and regularly-monitored manufacturing setting.
We only use standardized amounts of PVC, pigments, and plasticizer to make our PVC foils.
Moreover, we dispose of our PVC waste products according to the strict specifications of national and international environmental protection agencies.
Since we manufacture the best quality PVC Foils, our products won’t find their way to disposal sites in large quantities within a short time.
6. Is PVC foil and vinyl foil the same thing?
In regards to chemistry, PVC foils are different from their vinyl counterparts.
How? The Vinyl foils contain several ethylene compounds, while PVC foils contain polyvinyl chloride.
But, in interior and furniture decoration, many manufacturers use vinyl foils and PVC foils interchangeably.
The foils are used for similar decoration projects, and you can hardly differentiate a PVC foil from a vinyl one.
Despite the fact, we always label our products accordingly to let you buy exactly what you want.
7. What is the best way to apply PVC foil on furniture?
You can stick PVC foil on furniture using adhesive glue, lamination, or you can press them on pre-glued surfaces.
As well, you can use vacuuming technology to attach PVC foils on furniture.
Which is the best? If you want to stick your PVC foil on a few surfaces, use an adhesive glue to stick the PVC foil.
This method will not require special equipment to apply the PVC foils on furniture, kitchen cabinets, or any other surface.
You will just need glue and a squeegee.
However, if you need to stick PVC foils on large surfaces, we suggest that you use lamination, vacuum pressing, or membrane pressing techniques (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6wNwZWL2TU).
These methods use sophisticated pieces of equipment to get the job done quickly and accurately.
Thus, the best way to apply your PVC foil would depend on the nature of the task at hand.
8. What benefits will I get from using PVC foil?
There are several benefits you would get from using PVC foils on your furniture, panel, cabinet, and car decoration projects.
Some of the common ones include:
- The foils for wrapping protect a car’s original paint.
- PVC foils improve the lifespan of furniture, doors, and surfaces
- PVC foils improve the cleanability of surfaces
- PVC foils are easy to install
- They are cost-effective
- Using decorated PVC foils for furniture cuts down the expense of painting.
Because of that, using PVC foils would increase the value of your products, and stay ahead of your competitors.
9. Can I get custom-designed PVC foils for my project?
Making PVC foils that match the exact needs of each customer is impossible.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should just use any other regular looking PVC foil for your décor projects.
It is the reason why we let customers request for custom-made PVC foils.
Upon request, we will design and produce custom made PVC foils that match the exact pattern and color you want, at an affordable price.
After placing your order, we will begin working immediately so that we don’t keep you waiting for long.
10. How much does a roll of PVC foil Cost?
We can hardly give an accurate estimate since the price depends on many factors.
For instance, a roll of peel and stick PVC foil for furniture doesn’t have a similar price as a roll of PVC foil for lamination.
Therefore, if you want a precise price estimate, contact our support team for a detailed guide.
Our team in LCL Films will give you an accurate price depending on the type of PVC foil, gauge, length, and width you are looking to purchase.
11. Where can I buy PVC foils in bulk?
While you can find PVC foils in home décor stores, it can be quite challenging to find one that sells PVC foils in bulk.
If there is one, the chances are that they sell their PVC foils at a high price.
So, if you need bulk orders at a lower price, buy from the manufacturer.
Our company can supply any quantity of PVC foils. No quantity can be too big for us.
Into the bargain, we will sell bulk PVC foils at a competitive price and will ship your orders within the shortest time possible.
We will also make sure that you get the exact design of PVC foil you need to execute your project.
12. How can I remove PVC foil from surfaces?
While PVC foils breathe some new life to furniture, interior spaces, or even cars, you may sometimes want to peel them off.
Maybe they tore, wrinkled, or bubbled up while sticking them onto surfaces.
If you find yourself in any of the desperate situations above, don’t fret.
You can remove our PVC foils from various surfaces without issue.
Here are quick and effective ways to peel off different types of PVC foil from surfaces.
- Heat the PVC foils to melt the adhesive.
- Peel the foil carefully, starting from the edge
- Re-heat the foil just in case it doesn’t peel by simple lifting.
- If re-heating the surface doesn’t work, use a utility knife to lift the wrap.
- Use the utility knife carefully, lest you damage the surface of the substrate you are unwrapping.
- Get a good adhesive remover to clear the residue left behind by the faulty PVC foil.
The guide above works best when removing self-adhesive or laminated PVC foils from non-porous surfaces.
13. What are the best alternatives to PVC foil?
Our company, LCL Films, has several alternatives, just in case you don’t want to use PVC foils.
Some of the best alternatives for our product line are:
Lamination films come in varying styles and gauges to help you laminate the surfaces of furniture, cabinets, and any other panel.
When applied professionally, these PVC lamination films form a shiny, water-resistant layer that can stick for ages.
On the downside, they are quite hard to remove from surfaces, and they not ideal for laminating car exteriors.
Made from vinyl, these wraps give furniture, panels, car exteriors, and any other surface the color and texture of real wood.
They are self-adhesive, waterproof, and highly scratch resistant.
Unlike PVC foil, wood grain vinyl wraps don’t have many design variations to choose from.
14. How durable is a PVC foil? How long can it last?
PVC foils are made from premium grade PVC, a material with excellent resistance to water, moisture, and sunlight damage.
As such, these decals can last for several years if not subjected to intentional damage and or high temperatures.
On average, a PVC foil should last for at least seven years.
15. Do extreme temperatures affect PVC foil?
Yes, extreme temperatures can affect your PVC foil.
Just like any other thermoplastic, PVC foils will melt if exposed to high temperatures.
Furthermore, prolonged exposure to high temperatures can shrink the PVC foil, thereby reducing their aesthetic appeal.
On the contrary, freezing temperatures have little or no effect on PVC foils.
16. How do you get a stain out of PVC foil?
PVC foils ultra-smooth surface provides excellent resistance to stains, grease, and oils.
You can easily clean soiled surfaces using soap, water, and a soft sponge.
Nonetheless, if PVC foils catch stubborn stains, you can proceed to clean the stains with vinegar, laundry detergent, or alcohol.
Never use abrasive detergents, bleaches, and abrasive brushes to clean stains on PVC foils.
Why? Abrasives will scratch the PVC foils, and bleaches will accelerate fading.
17. What paint will stick to PVC foil?
You can paint surfaces with PVC foil using latex paints for plastic paints.
Other types of paints will start chipping after drying.
Like plastic, you will need to sand the surface until it gets rough and damp.
Apply a spray primer and let it dry overnight.
Paint the surface using a good latex paint for plastics.
Allow the first coat of paint to dry, and then repaint the surface to get more consistent results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWJIJM3qmyQ
18. How do you clean sticky residue left behind by self-adhesive PVC foil?
If a self-adhesive PVC foil leaves behind an unsightly adhesive residue on your furniture, door, or car’s surface, don’t fret.
You can eliminate the residues effortlessly without damaging surfaces.
How? It is simple. Use a commercial residue remover to clear the mess.
Avoid scrubbing off the adhesives with abrasives.
