Clean the exact spot, apply at room temperature, lay the sticker down from one edge, and press the edges hard. Then leave it alone for a day. Most stickers that come off were let down by the surface or the way they went on, and the steps below take about a minute.
Clean the spot
Adhesive bonds to whatever it touches first. On almost any surface that has been in use for a while, that's a film of dust, grease, polish, or chalky old paint. A sticker on that film looks stuck at first, then lifts.
Wipe the exact spot with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry completely. Don't use window cleaner, which leaves a film made to repel water that repels adhesive just as well. Don't use a damp cloth either, because it leaves the surface wet.
Get the temperature right
Adhesive has to flow to bond, and cold adhesive barely flows. A sticker applied in a cold garage or onto a chilled surface sits on the surface rather than bonding to it.
Room temperature is best for both the sticker and the surface. If you're working outdoors in winter, warm the surface first, then expect to press harder and wait longer. See applying stickers in the cold.
Small stickers: hinge from one edge
- Peel back about an inch of backing. Don't peel the whole backing off.
- Place that edge, and check it's straight.
- Pull the backing away underneath while you smooth the sticker forward with a finger or a card.
Working from one edge pushes air ahead of it instead of trapping it. A sticker dropped flat all at once traps air in the middle, with nowhere to go. See how to get bubbles out of a sticker.
Large stickers: wet application
Above about 6" across, dry application gets hard and mistakes cost more. For large stickers on glass, paint, and other smooth, hard surfaces (never paper labels):
- Mist the surface with water and a single drop of dish soap.
- Place the sticker. It floats, so you can slide it into position for a minute or two.
- Squeegee from the center outward to push the water out.
- Leave it alone. It won't bond until the water is gone, which takes a day or so.
Press it properly
Adhesive bonds under pressure. Run a fingernail, a credit card, or a squeegee across the whole face, and give the edges extra attention. Edges are where lifting starts, and they're what people forget.
Then leave it alone
Adhesive builds most of its strength over the first day or two, not right away. A sticker that goes through a car wash, a dishwasher, or a pressure washer straight after it's applied hasn't had a chance to bond.
Give it 24 hours before it gets wet, and 48 hours before anything scrubs it. See how long adhesive takes to set.
When none of that works
Some surfaces reject standard adhesive however well you prepare them: rough or textured plastic, powder coating, and some low-energy plastics. More pressing won't fix that.
High-Tack Stickers are the same print with a much stronger adhesive, made for those surfaces. If stickers keep curling at the corners on one particular thing, choose High-Tack. See when you need High-Tack vinyl.