Application Guide

Applying your Tella Skin takes about five to ten minutes. The most important thing is alignment before you commit. Take your time with that first step and everything else follows naturally.

What you will need

  • A microfibre cloth to clean the surface
  • A squeegee or flat card for smoothing (included with your order)
  • A hairdryer or heat gun on a low setting
  • A clean, dry, well-lit space to work in

Before you start

Power off your laptop and let it cool completely. Wipe down the lid and keyboard area thoroughly with a microfibre cloth. Even a small amount of dust or oil under the skin will be visible once it is applied, so this step matters more than it might seem.

If you are working somewhere cold, give the skin a few seconds of low heat from a hairdryer before you begin. Our crystal-textured PVC material becomes slightly more pliable with warmth, which makes alignment easier and helps it conform around edges cleanly.

Applying the lid skin

  1. Lay your laptop flat, lid facing up and closed.
  2. Peel the backing slowly from one corner, keeping the skin flat as you go. Avoid touching the adhesive side.
  3. Align before you place. Hold the skin just above the lid and use the camera cutout, hinge edge, and logo cutout as your guides. Make sure everything lines up before the skin makes contact with the surface.
  4. Lower from the top edge down, starting at the hinge. Once the top is aligned and touching, lower the rest.
  5. Smooth outward from the centre using your squeegee. Work in firm strokes toward the edges. The squeegee is the right tool for this step because it pushes air out more evenly than a fingertip and reduces the chance of creasing.
  6. Apply gentle heat along the edges with a hairdryer on a low setting. This helps the skin bond properly around curves and corners and ensures clean adhesion along the perimeter.
  7. Press firmly around all cutouts to seat the skin fully.

Applying the keyboard skin

  1. Open your laptop so the keyboard is fully visible.
  2. Peel the keyboard skin from its backing slowly.
  3. Use the key cutouts to align. The function key row at the top and the spacebar at the bottom are your clearest reference points. Hold the skin above the keyboard and match the cutouts before making contact.
  4. Lower from one side and smooth across with light pressure. The skin is cut precisely for your keyboard layout, so do not stretch it.
  5. Press through each key to seat the cutout properly around it. The skin should lie flat with no lifting around individual keys.
  6. Apply a pass of low heat across the keyboard skin, particularly along the edges and around the function row, to lock the adhesion.

Air bubbles

Our material is designed to minimise bubbles, and the squeegee helps significantly. If you do see small bubbles near an edge after application, most will settle on their own within 24 hours. For any that persist, push them gently toward the nearest edge using the squeegee or your fingernail. Do not use heat to deal with bubbles after the skin is already placed.

Removing your skin

Lift one corner gently and peel back slowly at a low angle rather than pulling straight up. This reduces stress on the adhesive and keeps the removal clean. The skin should come off without leaving any residue. If there is any adhesive remaining on your laptop surface, a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a cloth will clear it without damaging the finish.

Something go wrong?

If you damage your skin during installation, we will replace it at no charge. See our guarantee for details. For any other questions, check the FAQ or email us at hello@tellaskins.com.

Not sure which model you have?

Use our Find Your Model guide to identify your exact laptop before ordering. Browse skins for MacBook, Dell, HP, ASUS, Surface, and Lenovo.