You can use acrylic paint or a clear coat. Vinyl can expand and contract significantly with temperature changes, and lower-quality paint cracks and peels off under stress. The short answer is yes, but you may want a longer explanation. First, how about some tips and tricks to get vinyl to stick to painted wood.
It will be more difficult for vinyl to stick to rough wood, so sand the surface before you start. Painting wood is a great way to seal it and help the vinyl really stick. For the heat transfer vinyl method, cut the file with the cutting software and remove the negative vinyl. Using a pressure iron or heat press onto the painted wood, press the vinyl evenly with pressure at 3000°F for 35 seconds.
Allow it to cool before removing the transfer film. For adhesive vinyl, apply the vinyl to the painted wooden surface, polish with a spatula, and then gently pull the transfer paper. In cases where letters or patterns do not completely stick to the wood, place the transfer paper and polish it a little more before lifting it up again. Regardless of whether you use Silhouette vinyl or Cricut vinyl, make sure it is permanently adhesive.
Place the colored side of the vinyl on the mat, insert it into your Cricut and press the flashing C button to cut. For your Cricut machines and accessories, you can get special promotions and discounts by visiting the Cricut website through this link. For over a decade, I've been sharing Cricut tutorials and craft ideas here and on my YouTube channel. Assuming you already have a downloaded SVG design, or any other editing software suitable for such work, open it in the Cricut design space.
So, now the only question is which one is better? We have answered the question of whether Cricut vinyl will stick to wood, but should you use its adhesive version of vinyl or iron-on? The answer really depends on you. You can use any Silhouette or Cricut vinyl to do this project, but be sure to use permanent adhesive vinyl. This vinyl is clear, has an adhesive backing and was designed to be used to create stencils with your Cricut machine. So, if you have some spare Cricut vinyl scraps, you can experiment with that to see what colors you can make.
