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Problems with air bubbles.
Problems with erasability & cleaning surface.Problems with Air Bubbles:
Air bubbles may occur for a number of reasons due to the surface that it is being installed on.
- Some paints off-gas up to 28 days after being dry to the touch, creating trapped gases under wall coverings applied soon after painting.
Solution... If wall has been recently painted, refer to paint
manufacturer for paint cure times.
- If a wall has a foreign matter in the paint or on the wall that creates un-uniform bumps.
Solution... Make certain that the surface is uniform in smoothness and clean before starting installation.
- Some people will use a soap and water mist (a drop or two of dish soap in a 12 oz squirt bottle) then try to squeegee the surface pulling out the water; unfortunately on porous walls some of the moisture enters the wall which can create problems.
Solution... Follow the installation instructions.
- The Opti-Rite® should be in the installation environment for at least 24 hours before installation
in order to reach room temperature. A warm product on a cold wall can contract when it cools creating air pockets.
Solution... leave Opti-Rite® material in installation room over night.
- This product will want to maintain a straight line, if you try to turn the product up or down during installation small wave bubbles can and probably will occur.
Solution... if you want to shape the material cut the material before installation or trim it after installation with a sharp razor. (The material is 50" wide so there is some excess for a 4' tall board.)
- If installer presses too hard or too soft with the roller it creates uneven pressure and a ripple effect, when the surface stabilizes air pockets can form.
Solution... Make certain that even medium pressure throughout the entire installation process.
- Installer peels back too much of the release liner and apply more than a few inches at once. The exposed skin will attach itself on a larger surface and trap large sections of air. (This is the most common error.)
Solution... follow the installation instructions and work slowly.
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Erasability / Cleaning Issues:
We feel our Opti-Rite® Lite & Opti-Rite® Clear writing surfaces are among the best dry erase writing surfaces available; however we have had on occasion had a customer who is having difficulty erasing marker from the surface. When we run though the following troubleshooting tips with them we have always been able to solve the problem.
If you are having any troubles take a few minutes to read through and try these tips. We are confident that at least one of these things will work if not call our customer service department at
866-366-1500.
If dry erase markings get too hard for an eraser to move, usually a water damp cloth will remove the markings. you can also spritz it with a water bottle and then wipe with a cloth or paper towel.
If your eraser is dirty, then it can transfer the old erasures onto the surface.
We also recommend isopropyl alcohol to remove residual markings. If there is a oil base residue on the surface, we recommend using a hand cleaner called Goop. This is a eco-friendly product that can then be removed with water.
Normally we do not recommend using Windex to clean the surfaces; sometimes users use any variety of cleaners. The main problem with cleaners is that it leaves the some of the cleaning solution behind when the moisture evaporates, and then the individual writes on the cleaner. This makes the markings harder to erase because the eraser is trying to remove the cleaner. We advise our users, when this happens, to just clean the area with clean water until they remove the cleaner solution that was left behind. Then your Opti-Rite® should be back to its original surface.
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Troubleshooting erasability issues:
- Try wiping with a paper towel? (if yes the eraser probably needs to be cleaned or replaced)
- Do markings from other markers come off? (if yes the marker has gone bad - the carrier has evaporated etc.)
- Does a water moist towel remove the markings? (if yes the markings got too hard for the eraser to remove - the water replaces some moisture)
- Does isopropyl remove the markings? (the ratio of dye to carrier is off - possibly the marker was left out uncapped)
- Was the surface cleaned with something else? (just using enough water to remove the residue usually takes care of this one)
- If the surface has an oil, grease or even a spray cleaner residue, Isopropyl alcohol should remove it. After cleaning the surface dry erase markings should erase clean again.
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