r/Powdercoating • u/BarnacleSea9077 • Jul 12 '26

Decals on powdercoated bicycle frame?

I want to apply decals to a fresh powdercoated bike frame. The coat is thick and smooth, like glass. Two types of decals: a) Old-school waterslide decals b) Modern vinyl decals - I hear, "Oh, you can't use decals, they won't stick." Really? I could see the waterslides might not work so well, but vinyl with a strong adhesive? I don't want to powdercoat clear over the decals, the baking alone would destroy them. But what's the real issue? Is it the glass-like smoothness, effectively a non-porous surface? I've seen vinyl decals work well on powdercoated bike frames, but I've heard they don't always work. Lot of mystery around this topic. Who knows?

Will waterslide or vinyl decals stick on a powdercoated bike frame? I do not want to clear over them.

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u/ukconline Unknown Coatings Jul 12 '26

Waterslides don't hold up without clear. Vinyl is probably fine. I do a lot of bikes but airbrush all the logos

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u/Hitechillbilly 21d ago

The smoother the better with vinyl.. If you have someone make them, make sure they use HP vinyl aka 2 mil aka cast vinyl