Making an Impact
When it comes to the range of work on offer, it does not come much wider than wall and floor graphics. From transforming the inside of a restaurant or shop, to creating signs to directing consumers to a certain point, this type of work comes in many wonderful shapes and sizes.
Cast your minds back to the pandemic for a moment and we are drawn to images of waiting in queues outside of supermarkets and following one-way systems up and down the aisles. Floor graphics made this possible, while wall graphics reminded us to keep our distance.
Thankfully, those days are now long behind us, but the opportunities for winning new work related to wall and floor graphics most definitely remain. With that in mind, we speak with a number of suppliers to pinpoint some of the key areas sign-makers and wide-format printers should look to target.
Growing Demand
First up to offer advice is Antalis. Mike Collins, visual communication product manager, says Antalis’ biggest self-adhesive vinyl application demand at present is for wall graphics, with this area showing no signs of slowing down.
“It’s an ever-popular medium for display and signage but we also find it the most problematic, with different surfaces and paint types to take into consideration and many different types of adhesives to contemplate,” Collins says.
“Demand for floor graphics peaked during the pandemic for informational and safety signage, however, we have seen the demand gradually return as retailers have realised the benefit of their under-utilised floorspace.”
When it comes to selecting the type of material to work with, Collins says that sign-makers should look at the application first.
Antalis says demand for floor graphics has gradually returned as retailers realise the benefit of under-utilised floorspace
“Inspect the surface to adhere to, determine the expected lifespan considering its location and whether it’s an interior or exterior application, then speak to a specialist to match the requirements,” Collins says.
“At Antalis we recommend you prepare, clean, and possibly coat the surface with a PVA to ensure maximum compatibility. Take into account abrasion and footfall when thinking about longevity and safety standards for liability and remember it’s often best to slightly over-spec the job and do it right the first time than have to repeat.”
With this, Collins draws attention to the Antalis range, explaining that its adhesive options are on a sliding scale from removable and repositionable to high tack, adding that they all have a place depending on the application.
O Factoid: Antalis’ range of adhesive options is on a sliding scale from removable and repositionable to high tack O
Most of Antalis’ new self-adhesive products are more environmentally friendly alternatives to PVC. These include Coala PP Stick and Coala Paper Stick for both external and internal applications, as well as the new Coala Walldesign Stick R smooth matt wallpaper with a repositionable adhesive.
Many of Antalis’ new self-adhesive products are more environmentally friendly alternatives to PVC. Pictured: Coala PP Stick being used for wall graphics
Antalis partner Drytac also recently announced its Zero range with polypropylene versions of its popular ReTac adhesive that does not gain tack. In addition, new to the market is UV printable Orajet 3720 and 3740 polypropylene film with removable and permanent adhesive that Collins says is at a price point on par with conventional PVC.
Stand the Test of Time
Switching attention to Drytac, Steve Broad, sales director for EMEA and Asia at the specialist supplier, says the company is seeing great demand for wall and floor graphics, with large demand in particular for materials that can stick to rough surfaces such as brick or concrete.
“For any wall or floor graphics application, it’s essential that the graphic itself will stand the test of time,” Broad explains, adding: “Bricks and concrete, being rough and porous, are not the easiest surfaces to work with, but these tips should help you achieve great results.
“Graphics can be incredibly impactful, changing a room – or even a whole building – with colour and design. But it’s not necessary to fight what’s already there or to ignore the natural finish of the surface. Applying a mural or decal to bare bricks or concrete can really complement an industrial space or heritage property.”
Graphics can be incredibly impactful, changing a room – or even a whole building – with colour and design”
In terms of floor graphics, Broad says there has been something of a shift from during the pandemic to post-Covid times, with many having a surplus of floor materials. He explains that there is plenty of potential for application opportunities and business growth in this area.
“Consumers’ new-found familiarisation with floor graphics opens a host of opportunities for new forms of interaction,” Broad says, adding: “For example, retailers can print specific offers on the graphic and direct the customer to where this can be found in the store. A play on the one-way systems that we became used to in Covid time, if you will.
“What makes floor graphics so unique is that they can be used in almost any environment that you can think of and for all sorts of reasons. Floor graphics come in such an array of forms they are sure to have a major role to play in the post-pandemic period and beyond.
“This flexibility is also true in terms of the surfaces that floor graphics can be applied to, both indoor and outdoor. Films and vinyls, including those available from Drytac, are suitable for use on floor tiles, wood laminate flooring, and short pile carpet indoors, as well as concrete, asphalt, tarmac, and concrete tiles outside.”
Broad goes on to highlight some of the options available from Drytac, beginning with Drytac Polar Grip. This is a polymeric self-adhesive PVC film designed to deliver up to five years of indoor or outdoor durability due to a unique high-bond adhesive. It is flexible, making it ideal for curved or rough walls and comes in a choice of matte or gloss finishes.
Drytac says consumers’ new-found familiarisation with floor graphics opens a host of opportunities for new forms of interaction
“For example, Drytac SpotOn products feature removable dot pattern adhesive science, making the media incredibly easy to apply and remove, making it the ideal choice for projects such as window, wall, and floor graphics,” Broad says.
Another popular product range from Drytac is the Drytac Retac Smooth collection, which features items such as ReTac Smooth 150 for wall graphics. These films have permanently peelable adhesive science, offer indoor and outdoor durability, are easy to apply and can be removed without leaving residue, even years later.
Other options include eTac Textures, an embossed film available in sand, linen, canvas, woodgrain, and other requestable finishes to offer additional impact. There is also SpotOn Floor 200 monomeric PVC film for short-term, indoor non-slip floor graphics, and Polar Street FX for outdoor floor and wall graphics without the need for lamination.
“To ensure floor graphics are appropriate for their setting, invest in the right product,” Broad advises, adding: “When public safety is a priority, it’s not enough to use any self-adhesive graphics media that sticks to the floor – only a product designed specifically for this application should be used. This, partly, is because it will have been tested and rated for its slip resistance.”
Consistency for Quality
Meanwhile, specialist wide-format media supplier Ultraflex Europe stocks a wide range of solutions for use in this market. Operations director Mark Fisher says while there are some similarities, the wall and floor graphics sectors are somewhat different markets with a view to current demand.
“Wall graphics has always been a strong market in the UK and we have now exceeded post-pandemic levels,” Fisher says, adding: “Floor graphics was a new sector for Ultraflex at the start of the pandemic. We saw some limited demand prior to this which obviously increased dramatically during that time.
“We expected advertisers to remain in this space after the pandemic and while demand for this type of product has certainly increased, utilisation of floor space as an advertising medium hasn’t been as widespread as predicted, which I find strange given the amount of time I spend looking at my feet or phone when shopping!
“There is probably an element of over saturation in terms of material offering as this sector saw a great deal of development during the pandemic. I am however optimistic that this space will continue to expand in terms of demand.”
Fisher goes on to say that the two markets are quite different in terms of application as wall graphics are generally used to improve aesthetics while floor graphics are primarily used for messaging, such as directions and marketing.
When it comes to producing quality wall graphics, Fisher says this is all about consistency in the surface of the media and colour stability between batches. If a panel needs to be replaced due to damage, he says sign-makers will want the panel to match without replacing the whole installation.
“If that material is self-adhesive it goes without saying that an adhesive that is weak enough to make installation easy but strong enough to stay on the wall is key,” he says.
In terms of floor graphics, Fisher would advise looking for products that have pendulum test ratings rather than just the R slip rating as this offers a wider viewpoint to users.
Switching attention to the solutions available from Ultraflex, Fisher picks out Fabritac, a self-adhesive wallcovering, as a popular choice with customers. The product is a PVC-free, reliable adhesive, and is easy to reposition and highly opaque.
Also offered by Ultraflex is Floorscape Once, a one-year clean remove high tac floor vinyl that is fire rated, highly opaque and requires no lamination. It also has a dry PTV of 62 and a wet PTV of 34.
Ultraflex also stocks Floorscape laminate, a hard-wearing economical laminate that allows users to use their preferred self-adhesive vinyl as a floor graphics media by providing a dry PTV of 46 and a wet PTV of 21.
Undoubtedly an area of tremendous potential and opportunity, those not already involved in wall and floor graphics should perhaps consider a move into this market to take advantage of the huge array of work on offer. For those already active here and looking to take the next step, some of the products and solutions outlined here could help open up even more new work and help inspire both you and your customers to create all manner of applications to draw the attention of consumers.
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