I find that outdoor floor graphics—I call them concrete graphics—are more difficult to sell here in New England because we have a long, wet winter, and to successfully install these graphics you need a dry surface. The adhesive on these graphics is much more aggressive than standard adhesive, and the vinyl has a much shorter life expectancy than standard vinyl graphics. 

 

I do a lot of events, and these graphics are still pretty new to most of my clients. 

 

These candle jar graphics for the Yankee Candle company were printed and die cut. They were a huge hit. Installation was a challenge, however, because it had recently rained.

INSTALLATION

The tools needed to install the graphics are different from the standard ones, and installation techniques are somewhat different as well. Here is the process I use for my concrete graphics:

 

When printing the graphics, I assume the graphic will be on a dark surface (such as asphalt), so I tend to use a light background to emphasize the contrast. Many people have never seen graphics on the pavement before, and it tends to get noticed when it has a light background. I make sure I set up the file for a .75" overlap seam. You want to seam these panels and overlap the seams, this makes the graphic much stronger. Typical floor graphics are butt-seamed, but not concrete graphics. Of course, a graphic without seams is the best.

 

Tools you’ll need include a gas-powered leaf blower. Typically the ground at the install site will have dirt, dust and sand on it, which will need to be removed. You’ll also need a large broom with soft bristles, a foam paint roller, a torch, a large squeegee and a chalk snap-line.

 

First, mark out the graphic installation area. I use a chalk line for this. I snap the line three inches outside the actual area so I am not trying to install vinyl onto chalk marks.

 

Next I sweep the whole area, in both directions so as to loosen up the sand and dirt.

Then I blow the area with the gas-powered leaf blower. A hint: Always blow with the wind and blow the dirt far away from your area so it is more difficult for the wind to bring it back when you are installing the graphics.

 

Always install the panels at the far end of the traffic flow, meaning if the main flow of people is north to south, then install starting at the far south end. You want the seams overlapping so people cannot rub their feet and roll up the edge of the seam.

 

For large graphics, always try to have a helper or two; the wind can make the job very difficult if your panels are large. Install the first panel—do not touch the adhesive! Touching the adhesive will cause the vinyl to fail. After the first panel is down, you must heat all edges before you proceed to the next panel. 

 

The adhesive takes a while to set up, and in most cases the surface is rough and much of the adhesive has not “wetted out” enough to bond with the concrete. Use your torch to heat the edges; with your foam roller, roll the vinyl into the textures of the concrete. You will notice a drastic difference between the heated/rolled areas and the rest. 

 

Installing the next panel is difficult, I recommend you use your Zippy cutter and cut the release liner of the panel in the center. Cut out about 15" of release liner in the center, then line up the panel as best as you can. Squeegee down the center and, with help holding the panel up off the ground, squeegee down the rest of the graphics. If your seams are not lining up perfectly, use the heat to make them line up at the edges. When the second panel is down, heat all edges again and roll.

 

Proceed to finish all panels, and again heat all edges. If the graphic will be up for more than a few days, you must heat the whole graphic and roll it all! Yes, all of it! If you do not, you will have degrees of failure.

 

This is a 16’ x 16’ outdoor floor graphic I recently did for a Six Flags New England event.

PRICING

I guess I should have told you in the beginning to charge more for the installation as it will take you a lot longer to install concrete graphics than almost anything else you have done. The manufactures do warn that over time these graphics can leave behind a residue of glue on the pavement. I have done these for years, and I have not found this to be the case, but I will also say that I have not had much luck on these graphics lasting more than about 30 days. Lucky for me, most of my events are only a few days long.

 

Cost for these graphics is about the same as vehicle wrap film. My best sell is to the promoter’s sales people—they sell the advertising space on the ground. I design, print and install the graphics and after the event, they remove it. My clients love outdoor concrete graphics, and I get about $12 per square foot every time—plus I charge extra for the installation. Like I said earlier, most of my events are only a few days long, so heating down the entire graphic is not an issue for me.

 

One interesting sales tactic that I use is to tell clients that this is a very difficult product with a short shelf life (which is true), and because I can’t keep it on my shelf for very long, I require them to cover my material costs and pay for the entire roll of material. So I sell the job then I ad in the cost of the material (I can sometimes use the extra material for the next job).

 

Good luck, and be smart with your money, and I will see you on the show floor!