How to Protect and Waterproof Your Stickers (2024)

I think you’ll agree with me when I say that it’s super disappointing when you go to all the trouble to make handmade stickers, and your ink runs when it gets a little wet. Or the paper starts to peel, or the images fade with exposure. Knowing the best ways to protect your stickers means you don’t have to worry about how your stickers will hold up to different situations or applications. You can use waterproof stickers/decals in more places (like water bottles); as a bonus, the ink won’t fade as quickly either.

I loved the idea of making sealed stickers, but I thought you needed expensive paper or you needed to have a fancy machine. But when I looked into it, I found there were 3 methods to waterproof stickers that I really liked because they either saved me time, saved me money, or were simple to apply.

In this post, I’ll let you know what the 3 methods to protect your stickers are and give you the Pros and Cons for each so you can decide which method is best for you. I’ll let you know what materials do you need to make waterproof stickers, how to make normal stickers waterproof, and answer your questions about laminating your stickers.

Protecting your stickers by sealing makes them waterproof, and longer-lasting(as they often become scratch-resistant,fade-resistant, and the ink won’t run). Cool, right?

You can confidently use your own waterproof stickers as custom car window decals, phone stickers, or water bottle stickers. You can even put waterproof stickers that are sealed in the dishwasher.

If you look for legit sticker papers, you’ll see that the best you can get is waterresistant. That means that if exposed to small amounts of water, the paper itself can repel it.

Waterproof is a stronger claim and means that you can do more than briefly expose the sticker to water. It’s kind of like the difference between a quick sprinkling and a dip in a swimming pool.

It’s best to start with a waterproof material as your base. Not just one that is water resistant.

Sticker paper is made of paper usually, which is a highly absorbent surface. And because the ink will often run when wet, you’ll often get a soggy, water-logged, and unreadable sticker when wet.

If you start with printable white vinyl sticker paper, your sticker surface won’t absorb water but repel it. This means the sticker itself will not break down (like a paper product would) when exposed to water.

These are water-resistant stickers but are they waterproof?

Many companies say that their printable vinyl is completely waterproof and it doesn’t need any kind of sealer as long as you use uv inks. And vinyl is a water-resistant material.

However, when I tested printable vinyl with multiple washes, I found that even with printable vinyl, the ink can run.

So for truly waterproof stickersstart with printable vinyl sticker paper- it’s your best option for super durable and long-lasting stickers.

This gives you a great quality product to sell.

Adding an additional protective layer (like a laminate) to the top of your custom stickers will protect the ink and make the surface more scratch-resistant (depending on the method you choose). This durable materialwill also make your print stay more vibrant, provide UV protection, and make it dishwasher safe!

Doing outdoor applications like custom labels for outdoor equipment like camp gear? Then using one of these methods is absolutely necessary.

Waterproof vinyl stickers are a great way to make bumper stickers, laptop stickers, school supplies boxes, food containers that are long-lasting. With this combo even a water bottle sticker or hydro flask stickers can be completely protected and waterproof.

These are my 3 favorite methods to waterproof stickers. And they’re pretty popular ways of sealing and protecting your stickers.

There are pros and cons for all three different ways, which I’ll explain below so you have the important information you need to choose the most effective method that’s best for you and your small businesses. So you can make the highest quality stickers

This is a clear plastic film that is adhesive on one side and will stick to your sticker’s surface thereby sealing it. You can sub clear sticker paper, but laminating sheets often are larger so they encase the whole paper giving you a margin for mistakes in your application.

I have a step-by-step tutorial for applying self-adhesive laminate sheets in my post, How to Waterproof Your Stickers [Laminate 101]. I also test three different brands of protective laminate and have recommendations so you can find the one that’s right for your custom waterproof labels or clear stickers.

I put off getting a laminating machine for a really long time and now that I have one, I’m super glad I got it. To use it, you MUST wait until the Ready light is on but then you just put two sheets of printed stickers back-to-back and insert them into a thermal laminating pouch. Once it’s gone through the machine, you trim off the sides, and voila! Two sheets of laminated stickers in less than a minute, making this a great choice if you have to do a lot of stickers at once.

To make this method completely waterproof (for things like water bottles) be sure to use printable vinyl, not sticker paper.

I have a tutorial on how to use a laminating machine to protect your stickers in my post, How to Heat Laminate Your Stickers and Labels. In this post, I also have my product recommendations.

Tips-Again, make sure your surface is clean before you laminate as it is a permanent application. Wait until the machine is ready to use before laminating, or you’ll get inconsistent areas that appear wavy. And I feel like it’s worth it to get a machine with auto shut-off and two rollers.

If you don’t need the auto shut-off feature the Amazon brand laminator is a sweet deal. Check the dollar store for supplies as some have found even name-brand pouches there!

Spray sealers coat stickers with a shellac-like polyacrylic surface. If used correctly, they can add an almostinvisible protectant layer over your sticker designs. It can come in glossy or matte, and there are several tried-and-true brands like Krylon, Mod Podge, and Minwax.

Be sure to wait 24 hours after you print for the ink to dry before you apply a spray sealant, and make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions for use and safety precautions.

Printable Vinyl with a Self-Adhesive Laminate. Make sure you use a brand of laminate that isn’t too thick so that you can bend it around the bottle and get a good seal. Avery Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheetsis the best product for this because the sheets are thinner and more pliable.

Just a note but Royal Elements claims that their printable vinyl is dishwasher safe without any sealer. Something to test I think!

To make custom waterproof stickers it really was close between my top two favorites, but I think I like the self-adhesive sheets a little more. I appreciate how they come in different thicknesses and materials. Testing three different brands, Avery, Royal, and Violetta, I found that I preferred the Royal because it was a medium-weight, and it gave me a glossy stickerso clear that it makes my stickers lookbeautifullysaturated and luminous.The cheapest, Avery is also a good choice. The Violetta feels like a transparency sheet and the edges seemed a little sharp. I didn’t love that.

My second favorite method of waterproofing is Thermal Laminating. It’s seriously SO fun to use. But, it sometimes had wavy lines where it didn’t heat properly, and if I didn’t let it warm up the full 7-9 minutes, then the laminate didn’t fully bond to the sticker paper surface. It’s also an extra cost that not everyone will be okay with spending. I know it took me a long time before I purchased one- I do wish I’d got one ages ago though!

With a passion? I do too! And I have tutorials for drawing stickers in Procreate, making stickers with Cricut Design Space, how to trace photos to draw stickers, and more! If you’d like to know more about sticker papers be sure to check out my post on how to choose the right sticker paper for your project!

I hope you enjoyed this post on how to create high-quality stickers and water-resistant labels. Now you can create your own custom stickers in the exact size that you want to go on your car windows, your notebooks, or even your laptop!

And if you’ve found other ways to protect or waterproof your stickers, I’d love to know! It’s always awesome to discover new ways to do things. ❤️

Subscribe today and get the password to my Freebie Library and grab the Watercolor Daisy Sticker Designs for free.

You’ll get 3 hand-drawn sticker designs in yellow, green, and pink. In the photo I added text to the pink flower and flattened it before I print then cut to make jar labels- and you can too!