Self-adhesive plastic sheet, known in the United Kingdom as sticky-backed plastic, is wide plastic sheet or film with an adhesive layer on one side, used as a surface coating for decorative purposes. It is typically smooth and shiny, but can also come in textured varieties, in which case it can sometimes be used as a cheap alternative to veneer. The plastic is often PVC. The sheeting is typically sold with a removable paper release liner to prevent it from adhering prematurely.
Self-adhesive vinyl sheet was introduced to the UK market in the 1960s under the brand name Fablon.[1]
It is extensively used in DIY at the time,[2] and notably featured in children's DIY projects on the British TV show Blue Peter, but always under the generic name "sticky-backed plastic."[3][4]
Smooth self-adhesive plastic sheet is typically used to cover the studio floor for shiny-floor shows, thus giving them their name.[5]
Since the 1980s, the vinyle films are typically cut on a computer-controlled plotter (see vinyl cutter) or printed in a wide-format printer. These sheets and films are used to produce a wide variety of commercial signage products, vinyl wraps or racing stripes on vehicles for aesthetics or as wrap advertising, and general purpose stickers.[6]
Adhesive lettering has largely overtaken painted lettering and developed into a sector that uses around 20,000 tonnes of PVC and glues per year[7].
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ MacLeod, Heather (March 15, 2016). "Bringing it all back home – 1960′s interiors revisited". www.heathermacleod.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Highmore, Ben (2014). The Great Indoors: At home in the modern British house. Profile Books. pp. 85. ISBN 9781847653468.
- ^ "50 things we learned from Blue Peter". The Scotsman. 16 October 2008. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
"sticky-backed plastic" was the term used for the product marketed under the trade name Fablon
- ^ Marson, Richard (4 October 2008). "Blue Peter: celebrating 50 years". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
Blue Peter conjures up cosy memories of pets, badges and sticky-backed plastic
- ^ Brook, Stephen (April 16, 2012). "Ten questions for Adrian Swift". The Australian. Retrieved 23 April 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Ellis, R. "Vinyl: an Honest Conversation". Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ Crickx Research Group. PubliFluor, letter business in Brussels. Surfaces utiles. p. 123. ISBN 978-2-931110-10-2.
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