# This scene setter is going to be the death of me!!! Help!



## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

try thumb tacks.


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## AJFireman (Oct 11, 2010)

I use a staple gun with a peice of paper or thin peice of cardboard depending on the use . Works great even in the wind.


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## dizhaunt (Feb 18, 2011)

staple gun is the easiest way to put it
up


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## RunawayOctober (Jul 3, 2011)

command strips? Tape rolled and stuck to the back?


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

I did my whole garage and have used thumb tacks (hammered in or youll kill your thumbs trying to push), blue removable sticky tack from walmart (good to attach to other scene setters if overlapping so they wont flutter and at the sides). Ive tried the 3m tape and it doesnt stick well to mine, Im in high humidity. I also have random nails in the walls and I push the setter into the nail and it helps to keep it stable.


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## Bloodyteeth (Sep 12, 2008)

thumb tacs or what about that putty that teachers hang their posters with? You know the kind every kid wanted because it was so awesome?
http://paint-and-supplies.hardwarestore.com/50-279-misc-tapes/poster-putty-104067.aspx


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## Buzzard (Jun 23, 2009)

THANK YOU so much for the suggestions. We're definitely going to try the thumb tacks & maybe some blue removable sticky tack from Walmart too. At this point those things are going up on the walls, even if we have to nail them down!!!


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## Buzzard (Jun 23, 2009)

AJFireman said:


> I use a staple gun with a peice of paper or thin peice of cardboard depending on the use . Works great even in the wind.


So you staple the scene setter to the card board & then how does the cardboard go up?


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## Super_Freak (Sep 6, 2009)

Buzzard - I used to have the exact same trouble. But last year I found 'glue spots' at my local staples (but I imagine you could find them in any office or craft supply store). they are Elmer's brand craft bond glue spots and they are almost invisible, tiny little glue spots that you peel off a paper roll. they stuck to the scene setters really well for me and removed with out any wall damage at all. I'm going to use them again this year. Good luck to you!


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## Xane (Oct 13, 2010)

Are scene setters self-adhesive? I've never actually used one myself so I don't know. I use Krylon repositionable spray (Some Walmarts, otherwise get a coupon for Michaels or Joann). *Mask* anything you don't want to be sticky for the rest of its life (including the front of the scene setter) then lightly spray. However, you may be better off supporting it from either end. Find a long flat piece of wood, something about the thickness and width of a paint stirrer, but a little taller than the scene setter. Paint it the same color as your walls, then staple the scene setter to it on each end. Then you can decide how you want to attach it to the wall, with screws, Command hooks, eye bolts, etc. Once you're done, you can roll it up like a banner.


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## Jottle (Aug 17, 2006)

Just a heads up. I've tried using the yellow and blue putty (blue tac) stuff for scene setters. They don't hold for more than 24hrs. If you're interested in protecting your walls, the removable command strip tape is more than adequate for over a month's worth of scene setting  If you don't care about your walls...staple and thumb tack the hell out of them.


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## Jules17 (Aug 31, 2010)

I agree....that blue putty doesn't work very well at all. I'm using a scene setter for my dining room wall and am using the little glue dots (from Michaels/Joann) and they seem to do pretty good. I was able to remove a few dots as I didn't like where I had put them, just pull them off slowly. Otherwise, it's holding up nicely.


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## Wolfbeard (Sep 22, 2008)

I used "Scotch" brand clear packing tape to put up our scene setters. It worked great. I put them up last Friday and took them down on Monday. The tape sticks to the scene setter well enough to hold it up, but removes without damaging the scene setter. I tacked the top edges, the ran a full length strip the entire length of the top of the scene setter. This photo shows it 48 hours after I put them up. The bottom layer overlaps the top layer to hide the surf line and extend the beach. It is attached only to the top with Scotch Brand packing tape. The second photo shows the tape better.


















Eric


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## toddsdarlin (May 30, 2011)

Have used thumb tacks and push pins. I find push pins are easier to take off when the parties over. Have tried the blue sticky tack but it never really worked.


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## HKitten (Sep 20, 2009)

I hate scene setters. I bought a spooky lake scene last year to go up in our conservatory, thinking it could just be blu-tacked and sellotaped to the wooden parts and that'd be that.

My god, I wish it has been that easy.

We ended up having to go the thumbtacks route, luckily the holes aren't visible but this is a rented house, so we can't go all out when it comes to putting up decorations, everything has to be temporary! Those things would not stay up for love nor money. They don't actually want to stick to anything. 

This year, the only vaguely similar thing I have is a set of portraits that you cut out. I'm hoping they're small enough that weight won't be an issue, so they might hold with blu-tack.


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

Id imagine that mileage may vary based on location, what type of area and condition/type of scene setter your using. Like for myself, in FL its very humid, Ive used scene setters inside my home and in my garage. My garage walls mostly have painted cement block on one side and pegboard on the other. Ive used the heavier ones that come in rolls and the really thin plastic bag type ones. 

What works with the heavier setters (like the rolled ones);
1. on my painted cement walls in garage is the push pins hammered in, the blue sticky tack and glue dots dont work.
2. on my pegboard the blue tack holds up great (and had held up for 6 months up to the summer). Glue dots dont work at all. hammered push pins at a few key parts for strength.

Inside the home on painted walls with heavy setter;
1. blue tack worked great, the glue dots holds for like 10 mins at best, I dont need to push pin inside, the blue stuff works and holds. 

With the thin plastic bag type ones;
1. in the garage -nothing held these up except for push pins and scotch tape. The tape will ruin the setter.Push pins were hidden with creepy cloth or behind props.

2. Inside the home- scotch tape and blue tack holds up seemingly forever, push pins were great too but if you dont want holes tape and blue tack was what worked. The 3M poster strips and glue dots dont work for me here .

Id say that blue tack works best in humid climates in my experience, make sure when your rolling it to get it good and sticky and make sure your walls are clean. A degreaser of some kind is best. If you can use push pins sparingly, use them in the key hold positions like at the top 2 corners and use the blue stuff to get it flat on the wall. 

If you can avoid taping I would or you will rip your setters. No matter how careful its going to happen and if you just fold over the tape it will show and looks not so nice for next time.

Push pins are ideal if you can do it but not for everybody. 

Just my experience here in FL


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## Xane (Oct 13, 2010)

kittyvibe said:


> With the thin plastic bag type ones;
> 1. in the garage -nothing held these up except for push pins and scotch tape. The tape will ruin the setter.


My solution to this for posters, etc, is to apply a layer of tape face down on the product first. If you're planning on taping in front, then either put a strip of tape against the edge of whatever you're using, or put it over halfway then fold the tape around the back, like you've laminated the edge. If you don't want the tape to show at all, apply the tape to the back, then use either scotch tape doubled over so it's sticky on both sides, or double-sided tape. If you're using the back, and the tape doesn't want to stick, use something tougher like packing tape, duck tape, or Gorilla tape. That way you can peel the tape that you used to stick the object up with off of the layer of tape on the object without ripping it, and you just leave the rest of the tape on it forever.


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## spookyJ (Feb 20, 2010)

use the big thumb tacks with the big heads, we use a couple hundred each year to tack up our setters. Staples would work, but, it's much easier pulling out tacks than staples !


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## DarkMaiden (Oct 6, 2009)

Oh my gosh! Every year we have the exact same issue and our scene setters have taken a beating for it, they are ripping at the edges and they almost always fall down unless we use thumbtacks or set them up right before the party. Our walls are kinda bumpy in parts though... 

Here's a question, has anyone tried the couch/chairs covers like scene setters? They seem like they would tear and stretch if people sat on them, so I didn't want to spend the money, despite how cool the coffin couch would look


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## DarkMaiden (Oct 6, 2009)

Also, Wolfbeard I love the skeleton luau!


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## Elise (Oct 8, 2010)

I've never used the actual plastic scene setters, but a couple years we have hung the patterned fabric from shindigz. We use spray bottles filled with watered down laundry starch to basically wallpaper the fabric onto the walls. It stays for as long as you want it to, comes down easily, and all you have to do is wipe down the walls afterward. I'm not sure if something similar would work with plastic... We're not doing it this year because it is a little time-consuming and with a 16 month old boy in the house I have zero time. It looks fantastic, though, and I know our party guests will miss it. There are a few pictures in this album including one of the hubs actually hanging the fabric:  http://www.halloweenforum.com/members/elise-albums-2008.html


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## Bcsgally (Oct 14, 2011)

Elise, your house looks awesome!! What a neat idea!! Totally transformed that room!! Seems like a very (somewhat) easy idea that you don't need that many decorations added to it!! Sooo cool!!


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## Elise (Oct 8, 2010)

Thanks!  It is pretty easy (and fairly inexpensive) - the hardest thing was the black on the ceiling because of the texture. We had to actually staple that up. It's one of the reasons I'm not doing it this year - new house, too much ceiling. lol


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## Bcsgally (Oct 14, 2011)

I was loooking for something like that on shindigz and couldn't find anything!


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## Elise (Oct 8, 2010)

This was the stuff I bought, though it wasn't quite so much $$ back in 2008 (yikes!): http://www.shindigz.com/party/Flagstone-Patterned-Gossamer.cfm


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## Haunty (May 31, 2006)

We've used duct tape both inside or outside to hold it to walls. It held up pretty well considering MN's unpredictable weather.
Stapling it up using home improvement building stapler works well too.


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## Buzzard (Jun 23, 2009)

Some strategically placed thumb tacs in addition to some pretty strong clear tape seems to be doing the trick!


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