Dimensional Stability in an Adhesive Backed Label

Sounds simple doesn't it? Making a vinyl sticker to begin with isn't easy. Screen printing on vinyl requires a special ink that stinks, however, over the years I have been using a multipurpose ink that seems to work pretty well. Still when you think about things like dimensional stability a vinyl sticker isn't one of the strongest things on earth, even though they are used on vehicles all over the planet. Since these stickers are going to be protected by cement on top, the biggest issue is the adhesion to the sticker below. I made a sticker years ago using a mixture of resin and eventually it peeled off leaving on the white sticker below, so to make a good vinyl sticker with something other than just ink I am going to need to bond the top layer in a way that insures that both pieces expand and shrink together.

I have been testing many substrates that can work to keep epoxy from bending and warping and regular fiberglass seems to work the best versus some other fiber based materials that increase the amount of bending as they bend themselves. My testing has led me to create a vinyl based sticker that has a layer of fiberglass adhered to it thereby creating a strong bond between the sticker and the stable layer. One half of the fiberglass is left uncoated, the top coat, so that it can be saturated with epoxy when the brick layer is adhered to this as the substrate. Assuming everything stays together then the sticker layer is then applied to any surface that it will bond to. I am hopeful that the strong bond made with epoxy to cement will keep the top layer adhered to the cement and then the cloth layer will help keep the stability in tact between the epoxy and the sticker. The multiple layers are potentially problematic, but the thickness of each layer can reduce the amount of movement that goes on in regular shifts in temperature. The thinner each layer is then I think it will bond better versus thick layers and the most insulating layer being the top layer is providing a safety layer that keeps the lower layers from moving as much and from being exposed to water.