Professional Wallpaper Installers

When Your Customer Requests Peel and Stick, Send Them Our Way. We’ve Got You.

We understand why professional installers are cautious about peel-and-stick wallpaper. Much of the inexpensive material on the market is vinyl film that can stretch during installation, shrink afterward, open at seams, and leave the installer responsible for a material failure they did not create.

Not every peel-and-stick material deserves your confidence. American Decals carefully curates its materials for print quality, dimensional stability, opacity, handling, and installation performance.

ESSENTIAL, SIGNATURE, and PREMIUM are polyester wallcoverings. Based on more than a decade of our own printing, handling, installation, and long-term use, these materials remain dimensionally stable and do not produce the post-installation shrinkage associated with conventional vinyl films.

Professional Peel-and-Stick Material Comparison

The Important Material Distinction

ESSENTIAL, SIGNATURE, and PREMIUM

• Polyester-based wallcoverings
• Dimensionally stable in our long-term experience
• Do not exhibit the post-installation shrinkage associated with conventional vinyl films
• May retain the supplied approximately 0.4-inch overlap
• May be professionally double-cut
• May be installed with compatible clear wallpaper paste
• Suitable for longer-term professional pasted installations

CANVAS

• Luxury textured vinyl wallcovering
• High-tack, pressure-sensitive adhesive
• Approximately 99% opacity
• Retain the supplied overlap
• Do not double-cut
• Do not create an unplanned butt seam
• Do not install using traditional wallpaper paste

Material-Specific Professional Notes

ESSENTIAL Peel & Stick

• Economical 7 mil polyester wallcovering
• Smooth matte surface with excellent color reproduction
• Approximately 92–94% opacity
• More opaque than SIGNATURE
• Very low-tack, pressure-sensitive adhesive
• Easier to double-cut than SIGNATURE
• Exclusively for clean, smooth, properly painted walls
• Not compatible with textured walls

SIGNATURE Peel & Stick

• Flexible 6 mil polyester wallcovering
• Soft textile-like matte appearance
• Approximately 80% opacity
• Most forgiving peel-and-stick option for typical DIY installations
• Best appearance over a white or very light-colored wall
• May be overlapped, professionally double-cut, or paste-installed

PREMIUM Peel & Stick

• Professional-grade GF234, 7 mil polyester wallcovering
• Approximately 96% opacity
• Recommended for white, pastel, and light-colored designs
• Provides stronger coverage over colored walls
• May be overlapped, professionally double-cut, or paste-installed

CANVAS Peel & Stick

• 7 mil textured vinyl wallcovering
• Substantial canvas-inspired luxury finish
• Approximately 99% opacity
• High-tack adhesive
• Retain the supplied overlap
• Do not double-cut or paste-install

Professional Seam Options

Retained Overlap

All panels include approximately 0.4 inches of overlap for pattern alignment. Retaining the overlap is the most forgiving seam method and is required for CANVAS.

On white or very light designs, two overlapping layers may appear denser than the surrounding single layer. Darker, saturated, or detailed designs generally disguise overlaps more effectively.

Professional Double Cut

ESSENTIAL, SIGNATURE, and PREMIUM may be professionally double-cut. Use the supplied overlap to align the design before cutting.

• Use a professional seam-cutting strip to protect the wall.
• Use a sharp blade and replace it frequently.
• Do not stretch or place tension on either edge.
• Bring the cut edges together without forcing them.
• ESSENTIAL generally cuts more easily than SIGNATURE.
• Textured walls can prevent both edges from settling into the same plane and may make the finished seam more visible.

Cutting directly into drywall or the painted surface can damage the wall and contribute to future seam failure.

Adhesive Compatibility

Roman E-Z Hang Peel & Stick Helper

Roman E-Z Hang provides slip, simplifies pattern alignment, improves surface contact, and reduces repeated lifting and repositioning.

• Required for ESSENTIAL unless another compatible supplemental adhesive or paste is used
• Recommended for SIGNATURE and PREMIUM standard installations
• May be used with CANVAS to assist positioning
• Not the same as traditional wallpaper paste

Compatible Clear Wallpaper Paste

ESSENTIAL, SIGNATURE, and PREMIUM may be installed using compatible clear wallpaper paste. This method is appropriate when the project requires a stronger, longer-term professional bond or installation in a room with regular humidity.

Using supplemental adhesive or paste can affect removability and the eventual removal process. Test the material, adhesive, paint, and wall together before installing the complete project.

Never use traditional wallpaper paste with CANVAS.

Bathrooms With Showers

Use one of the following:

• CLASSIC Traditional
• LUXE Traditional
• GRASSCLOTH Traditional
• ESSENTIAL installed with compatible clear wallpaper paste
• SIGNATURE installed with compatible clear wallpaper paste
• PREMIUM installed with compatible clear wallpaper paste

Do not use CANVAS in a bathroom with a shower. CANVAS cannot be installed with traditional wallpaper paste.

Never install wallpaper inside a shower enclosure or where it receives direct water. Confirm that the room has effective ventilation and that no unresolved moisture condition exists.

Wall and Paint Compatibility

• Walls must be clean, dry, structurally sound, and properly painted.
• Wait at least six weeks after painting.
• Some low-VOC and zero-VOC paints may require additional curing time.
• Washable, scrubbable, stain-resistant, antimicrobial, or silicone-containing coatings may resist adhesive.
• Do not install over loose paint, chalking paint, damp walls, or unresolved moisture problems.
• ESSENTIAL is not compatible with textured walls.
• Wall texture can remain visible and make seams more noticeable.
• Test the actual material and installation method on the intended wall.

Our Traditional Wallpaper Options

Work With American Decals

American Decals wallpapers are printed to order in Indiana using professional equipment and GREENGUARD Gold certified inks. We support installers with material testing, panel-layout planning, wall-measurement assistance, installation guidance, and trade-account options.

Request Test Panels Apply for a Trade Account Contact American Decals