Mostly, yes. Our stickers are vinyl sealed under a gloss or matte laminate, which takes sun, rain, and everyday handling well, with 3 to 5 years outdoors before the print starts to fade. What wears any sticker out quickly is friction. A surface that scrapes along the ground, a rail, or another object will scuff through the laminate in time, whatever the sticker is made of.
Skateboards, snowboards, and scooters
- The top face of a board, where nothing scrapes it, is fine.
- The underside of a skateboard takes the worst wear there is, because every slide and grind works like sandpaper. Expect stickers there to scuff and tear. Many skaters like that look, but no sticker survives it untouched.
- A snowboard's topsheet is usually fine once the sticker has set. Keep stickers off the edges and the base, and apply them at room temperature, not on the mountain. See applying stickers in the cold.
Helmets
The shell is usually smooth enough for standard vinyl once it's clean. Keep stickers to a size that suits the curve, because a large flat sticker on a tight curve lifts at its edges. Clean the spot with isopropyl alcohol first. Some helmet makers advise against putting anything on the shell, so check yours. See putting a sticker on a curved surface, or order Helmet Stickers.
Guitars and cases
Hard cases, gig bags with a smooth panel, and pedalboards take stickers well. On an instrument's finish, think twice: a sticker can leave a mark on lacquer as the finish around it ages. If you want it removable later, see how to remove a sticker cleanly.
Boats, kayaks, and surfboards
- Above the waterline (a hull side, a kayak deck, a paddle blade, or a cooler on deck), it's ordinary outdoor use: spray, sun, and rain, then drying off. Rinse salt off now and then, since dried salt is abrasive.
- Below the waterline, or anywhere that sits in water, isn't what stickers are made for. See are your stickers waterproof?
- On a surfboard, put the sticker on a clean, wax-free spot. A sticker under the wax gets rubbed every session, so expect wear there sooner than on the nose or the bottom.
Coolers, toolboxes, and hard cases
Smooth plastic and painted metal are fine. Standard adhesive struggles on textured or powder-coated surfaces, and High-Tack Stickers are the stronger version for those; see stickers on powder-coated and textured surfaces. Soft, rubbery coatings are hard for any sticker; see stickers on plastic.
Making them last
Rounded corners lift less than sharp ones, and small stickers sit better on curves than big ones. A day or two before heavy use lets the adhesive build most of its strength. See how long adhesive takes to set.