If you like crafting and haven’t been to a Dollar Tree store lately, you should stop in. The store caught on to the fact that crafters were shopping there for low-cost craft supplies, and they have really upped their game. You can find cheap canvases, craft paint, glue, rhinestones, and raw wood blanks in the craft aisle. During my last visit, I found another new and exciting craft supply: vinyl! I bought three kinds of their in-house vinyl to answer the question: “Does Dollar Tree vinyl work?”
DOES DOLLAR TREE VINYL WORK?
DOLLAR STORE ADHESIVE VINYL
I have three local Dollar Tree stores, and each one of them had a different selection of their Crafter’s Square vinyl. I saw a range of solid color vinyl as well as 4 colors of metallic, glitter vinyl. On the Dollar Tree website, they also offer patterned vinyl, but I have not seen that in-store yet. I picked up black standard vinyl, black glitter vinyl, and silver glitter vinyl, and put them all to the test.
The Crafter’s Square vinyl comes in packages that contain a single 12″ x 48″ roll of vinyl for just $1. That is almost a 90% savings off of permanent vinyl at the craft store. The glitter vinyl saves you even more money. This is what the Dollar Tree website says about the Crafter’s Square vinyl:
Whether you use a vinyl cutting machine or cut them by hand, these rolls of Crafter’s Square® Permanent Vinyl Paper are perfect for making decals and stickers! Each 12×48-in. roll comes assorted among green, black, yellow, and white. Ideal for creating laptop, car, or water bottle decals and adding to walls in your bedroom, bathroom, playroom, or classroom!
These are all affiliate links, if you make a purchase (of anything from the site, not just these items) after clicking through, I will earn a small commission. Ads and affiliate links are the way I am able to keep this website running and to offer you free tutorials all year long. Thank you so much for supporting me and Mad in Crafts!
- Crafter’s Square black vinyl paper
- Crafter’s Square black glitter vinyl paper
- Crafter’s Square silver glitter vinyl paper
- Cricut Explore 3
- StandardGrip cutting mat
- Cricut Transfer Tape
- Weeding tools
- Wood signs
- Craft paint
- Glitterific
- Paintbrushes
- Cricut Access subscription
Want to know which craft supplies I always keep in my craft room?
Visit the Mad in Crafts Amazon Storefront to learn more and to buy your own supplies!
CUTTING DOLLAR TREE VINYL
I tested all three varieties of dollar store vinyl using my Explore 3 and a StandardGrip mat (the green one). I selected Glitter Vinyl from the materials list when cutting the silver and black glitter vinyl, and I selected Permanent Vinyl from the list for the standard black vinyl.
I had no trouble cutting either the standard black vinyl or the silver glitter vinyl. They cut well and were removed easily from the cutting mat. The black glitter was another story. The black glitter vinyl did not cut well (as you will see later) and the backing paper stuck to my mat in spots causing it to rip.
WEEDING VINYL FROM THE DOLLAR STORE
I really wanted to test out the standard vinyl, so I chose a moderately intricate design using my Access account. The vinyl cut very well, and it weeded like a dream! I was very surprised at how easily I was able to remove the excess vinyl around my design.
I chose a much simpler design for the silver glitter vinyl, but the design still cut quite well and weeded fairly easily. As with all glitter vinyl, it was a little difficult to see the cuts in the vinyl, but once I got a corner peeled up the rest of the excess vinyl came up with no problems.
The black glitter vinyl was a dud. There was a difference in the texture of this vinyl when compared to the silver. This vinyl felt much more like paper than vinyl. While it did not get hung up in the machine at all, it did not cut particularly well either. I tried both the intricate Halloween design and the simple jack-o-lantern design, and I was not able to weed either one. Whenever I tried to pull up the excess vinyl, it ripped, usually ripping the cut design as well. I tried several times but eventually gave up on this vinyl.
APPLYING DOLLAR TREE VINYL
After I weeded the standard black and the silver glitter vinyl designs, I applied Cricut Transfer Tape to each of them. The silver glitter vinyl needed quite a bit of coaxing to adhere to the transfer tape. I think the texture of the glitter made it not want to stick very well. The standard black vinyl grabbed onto the transfer tape very well.
I applied the black dollar store vinyl to a dollar store wood sign that I painted with craft paint. Since the vinyl stuck to the transfer tape so well, I had a few problems peeling the tape away and leaving the vinyl adhered to the sign. I have had similar issues transferring other brands of vinyl though, so I wouldn’t say that this is a deal breaker.
The silver glitter transferred onto this sign beautifully. I was worried that the texture of the Glitterific paint would prevent the glitter vinyl from sticking well, but I had no problems at all. The vinyl seems to have adhered well to the surface of the painted sign. I even checked around the edges with my fingernail, and it is staying put!
SO, IS DOLLAR STORE VINYL WORTH BUYING?
I was pretty impressed with the standard black and silver glitter vinyl. They both cut well, weeded easily, and applied evenly. You get a good amount of vinyl for WAY less than you would pay for other brands at the craft store. On the other hand, I would not repurchase the black glitter vinyl. I think it is fine if you plan to cut it with scissors, but it did not work well with my Cricut machine.
2024 UPDATE
After some more testing and listening to your comments, it seems that the quality of this vinyl varies widely from roll to roll. Some of you have had really good success and others have had to throw entire rolls away. I don’t think this is a great product for last-minute DIYs or projects where the outcome is really important to you. The dollar store vinyl is good for trying out new SVGs, for little decorations around the house, or for kids to play with. If you need to ensure that the project will turn out well, stick with vinyl from the craft store. It will cost you more money, but it will likely save you time and frustration.
You might like these other posts:
100 DOLLAR STORE HOME ORGANIZATION TIPS
Thank you! This was so helpful. The photos were great.
I am so glad it helped!
I just tried the gold glitter vinyl and it wouldn’t come off the mat! Maybe I’ll go back for silver glitter since that worked will for you.
That’s so frustrating! Which machine were you using?
So mine isn’t sticking 100% to the glass cups. I didn’t know if there was anything to put on it to make it more “permanent”.
You can always give it a coat of Dishwasher-Safe Mod Podge over the top of it. Check out this post where I used it over Cricut vinyl: https://madincrafts.com/make-dishwasher-safe-vinyl-mug-valentines-day/
Hi! So glad you tried the black vinyl. I tried it too on my Cricut Explore 2 and for some reason the letters just don’t stay put. I tried all the setting – Vinyl, Paper, Cardstock, but no luck. Thoughts on how to make this work?
I need a little more info before I try to help. What do you mean by the letters not staying put? Is the vinyl moving during the cut?
Yup, the dollar tree vinyl (haven’t tried the cricut brand yet) moves and peels while the cricut is in motion. I tried some other settings today, Washi Tape worked but the pressure wasn’t strong enough to cut through.
Hi! I just bought some of the pink glitter Crafter’s Square vinyl TODAY! Glad I got to see your review! I’m hoping the pink glitter does as well as your black and the silver glitter. If it acts like that black glitter I might get violent with my tools ?!
You did not mention the settings you chose to cut the dollar tree vinyl on cricut design space software. I have purchase some of the same vinyl at my dollar tree and cannot find a setting to cut it successfully.
I used glitter vinyl for the glitter and removable vinyl for the regular.
Hi! Thank you for reviewing these. I was Dollar Tree today and saw them, so I looked up if anyone had reviewed and your post came up. So I have a super newbie question. Is this the same type of vinyl I’d use on a back car window? I’m trying to make a decal with a Cricut and I made one, but it didn’t seem to stick to my car window. My wife said I need an outdoor vinyl (or something like that). Is the Dollar Tree vinyl that or should I order something specifically for car decals?
Your wife is right! You need a sturdier vinyl with better adhesion in order to use it as a decal on a car. The Dollar Tree vinyl isn’t weather-resistant, so I am afraid it would come off rather quickly. You can find outdoor vinyl on Amazon, at the craft store, or on Cricut.com. Hope that helps!
Thank you!! I’ll order some.
On the DT non-glitter vinyl I put my explorer air 2 on the vinyl setting and took pressure to 145 and it worked perfect the first time
I have the Silhouette Cameo 4.
I bought one or two of every color/texture vinyl our DT had.
So this is my experience with the stuff
The DT transfer tape. It SUCKS. Its very thin and I found the adhesive consistency varies from roll-to-roll with it either barely working or I can’t get the letters off of it. I was able to use it to make a 5 ft long stencil so that was good.
I had the same issue with all the glitter roll colors and the regular vinyl tearing while cutting. I tried matless using the roll accessory and I also used the standard green Cricut mat.
The holographic vinyl was awesome to work with and I learned a hack while working with it because I had to make it work due to the project being for a business that I was creating jellyfish for their sliding glass door.
The main reason causing the problem with cutting is because the vinyl isn’t sticking well to the backing there’s a lot of air trapped under there.
So what I started doing is laying it out on the mat and then I peel up about 11 in and then I used my scraper scrape it back down pushing out all the air and firmly attaching it to the backing.
I haven’t had a problem cutting since I started doing that.
The other hack I learned today because I really hate how the backing will stay stuck to my cutting mat so I learned that if you get some contact paper also from DT ( I think transfer tape might work for this too) laying on your mat with the backing side face up peel the backing off and now you’ve got a nice sticky cover to go over your cutting mat and prevent a bunch of crappy backing paper sticking to it.
?
Have you tried the vinyl on cups? Does it last?
I haven’t tried it yet but I am skeptical it would hold up very long. I would suggest sealing it with a clear acrylic sealant or Dishwasher-Safe Mod Podge after application.
Great article. I bought a bunch of rolls … one or two every time I went in and all of a sudden I had a huge bunch LOL Guess I go to the Dollar Tree more than I realize. Anyway, today I used it for the first time – worked great (I have an original Silhouette Cameo, very old)
My question is about the ‘puckers’ in the vinyl as it comes on the roll. I think the problem is that it releases from the backing very easily and thus when rolled tightly, causes it to slip so that when you unroll it, there are ‘creases’ or ‘puckers’ that I don’t think will cut very well.
Any suggestions to remedy this? Of course, I can just pull up as much as I plan to cut and then lay it back down without puckers, but I wondered if someone has come up with a clever, less labor-intensive way to do it.
Thanks for a great website.
– Liz
When I saw these, I scooped up several in different textures. I’ve only tried the silver glitter and it was TERRIBLE!!! There was no adhesive on the roll and try Cricut destroyed it. Not sure if I want to try the other textures or just return them all. :-/
It definitely is hit or miss. I have had success with other colors and even their faux leather, but I’ve had some really frustrating fails too.
OOf this stuff is hot garbage. I have plain red and it is the worst vinyl I have ever used. It is so thin, not flexible, almost like plastic not vinyl, not sticky enough to stay put on the backing as its cut, puckers when you unroll it, and just plain will not cut cleanly. 1000% do not recommend. I can imagine saving a few bucks is worth this nightmare.
ACK! If you get a bad color/roll it is very frustrating. Unfortunately, I have not found a way to tell which ones work and which don’t (and I know some do).
I tried cutting Blue Glitter Vinyl Paper on my Cricut Explorer and wasn’t having any luck. Then discovered it wouldn’t stick to the painted wooden disc that I had sprayed with glitter. I thought it might be the spray glitter but I tried to stick it to other things (wood, glass etc) it wouldn’t stick. The only thing it would stick to was some Oracal vinyl. Stuck really good. So I layered it on top the Oracal vinyl and cut it on my Cricut changing the cut setting to premium vinyl shimmer. That worked and it stuck to the sign. I’d have given up but the blue was exactly what I needed for a wreath I was making.
Still can’t find anything that will stick to the front.
That’s ingenious! I wish the quality of the vinyl was more consistent. It varies WILDLY from one package to the next.
A quick question.
Is vinyl paper permanent the same as vinyl permanent or permanent vinyl? I’m new to all this so please excuse me if this is a foolish question.
Not foolish at all! I would say that Dollar Tree’s vinyl paper is more similar to Cricut’s removable vinyl than permanent.
Just spent the better part of the evening scraping off the vinyl from my daughter’s adhesive cutting mat. Sadly this dream priced vinyl did not work at all and she ended running out to the store to get the brand name vinyl. We do really like a lot of Dollar Tree’s crafting supplies, but the CS vinyl paper is a no.