Applying
DO NOT REMOVE YOUR DECAL BACKING. There’s a specific way to peel the backing off your decal, and we’ll explain that in a minute. For now, just position your decal onto the board. The backing should be against the board; you should be able to see the design. Make sure the edges of the decal and the board match up. If you have a decal with a hole-specific design, make sure the edges of the hole line up with the design. Weigh down the decal with something to keep it in place while you bust out your low-tack tape of choice. Tape down one edge of the decal. We’re going to work vertically, meaning we’re going to tape down the width of the board and work our way up. When you tape the decal, make sure that the edge is taped down well. Ideally the tape will be half on the sticker and half on your board.

Take off your weight and flip the decal over so that the backing is face up. Begin to peel the backing off your decal starting with the edge that’s taped down. *Peel up the backing a little at a time-- around 6-8 inches-- and lay the decal on your board. Take your spatula or squeegee and pass over the front of the decal down the center. Make two more passes: one from the center out to the right, the other from the center out to the left. Working from the center reduces the likelihood of air bubbles. Repeat the steps from the * all the way up the board.

Finishing
Now that your decal is on the board, you’ve just got a couple of steps left. If your decal has an air-release backing, you can do this next step by working up your board in a sided-to-side direction. Otherwise, keep working from the center, like when you applied your decal. Take your rigid edge or seam roller and smooth out the surface of your decal with moderate pressure. Go over it one more time, this time pressing firmly. If you have any air bubbles at this point, go ahead and poke a small hole into the center of the bubble with a needle. use your fingers to press along the outer edges of the bubble towards the hole. If you need to poke a hole, make sure you do not smooth over the decal again with the rigid edge; it could tear your decal. Another pass with a seam roller should be fine.

Time to peel off the front. Peel from one corner towards the opposite corner (image?). For example, if you’re starting from the top left, work towards the bottom right. When peeling off the protective front, do not peel upwards; that may lift up the decal from your board. Instead peel sideways (image?). The material you are peeling should be as close as parallel to the decal as possible, not perpendicular to it.

After this step, some people like to smooth over the decal one more time, just to ensure that peeling the front tape did not lift the decal in any way. If you’d like to do that, take the backing you peeled off while initially applying the decal and place it over the surface of your board, glossy-side down. If you poked any holes earlier, you may want to use a roller to be safe.

The last step is cutting your decal. When cutting your decal, be sure to angle your blade properly (image?). When cutting out the hole, lean the flat of your blade against the edge of the hole and angle the blade 45-60 degrees toward the center of the hole. Pierce through the film downwards and slice in the direction of the blade, making sure to keep the flat against the edge of the wood. If you have any overhang on the edges, remember to cut keeping that angle; flat against the edge, pointing away from the board.

You’re DONE. Welcome to your beautifully customized cornhole board.

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