Content
- We prepare the walls for pasting
- Step one – rid the walls of old coatings
- Step Two – Puttying and Leveling the Walls
- Step Three – Surface Grinding
- Step Four – Primer
We prepare the walls for pasting
As in any construction business, the first stage is rough preparatory work. Before you start creating, you need to prepare your canvas well, namely the wall for pasting, the accuracy and aesthetic appearance of your repair will depend on this.
Step one – rid the walls of old coatings
If you are doing repairs in a newly commissioned new building, you can skip this step. If there are old wallpapers on the walls, you will have to get rid of them.
It is not recommended to peel off the walls on the old wallpaper, since there is a risk that under the influence of moisture and glue the old layer will peel off or become bubbles. In addition, it is quite difficult to achieve a perfectly flat wall surface..
To remove old wallpapers we need:
- Spatula or knife with a wide blade;
- Rags and sprayers;
- Soap solution.
The process is very simple. Rags and sprayers need to thoroughly wet the walls (soapy water will function as an adhesive solvent), and remove a layer of old wallpaper with a spatula or knife. Wet, it will be very easy to walk away.
Do not forget that painted walls are also not the best surface for a new layer of wallpaper, so you will have to get rid of the paint. Sanding or primer is not the best way to clean the surface, using a building hair dryer or a grinder are quite laborious and “dirty” methods of cleaning, not to mention the fact that you have to breathe fumes of paint or dust, which can cause poisoning. The ideal way to remove paint from walls is with a special wash.
Having cleaned the walls of the old layer, you can see how suitable the wall is for gluing, what cracks and dimples you need to align and putty, and this is the second step.
Step Two – Puttying and Leveling the Walls
The second step depends entirely on the level of evenness of the walls. If the walls are completely crooked, then most likely you will have to resort to the help of professionals who will level the walls with drywall or plaster on the lighthouses.
Even if the level of the walls is normal, only the surface itself leaves much to be desired (for example, it is in small irregularities, chips or dimples), you still can not do without putty or any leveling mixture.
For more information on how to prepare the walls and align them, see this video instruction.
Step Three – Surface Grinding
In order to prevent sand grains and putty particles from starting to appear under a new layer of wallpaper, the leveled surface must be properly sanded. This can be done using gentle pressing with a grater or sandpaper – with wide semicircular movements until the visible flaws are eliminated. Residues should be removed with a long bristle brush..
Step Four – Primer
It would seem that you can stop at the third step, but for better adhesion to the surface and greater stability of the putty, a primer on the walls is also necessary. In this quality, either diluted wallpaper glue or a special soil solution can be applied. The primer is evenly applied with a roller on the entire surface of the wall and left to dry for about a day.
The third and fourth steps are described in detail in the following video:
On this, the preparatory work ends, and you can go directly to wallpapering.
Glue the wallpaper correctly
There is no identical pasting algorithm for all types of wallpaper, each has its own characteristics and nuances. Let’s consider them in more detail..
Paper wallpaper
The classic version of cosmetic wall decoration is paper wallpaper. This is an inexpensive, environmentally friendly, breathable material that does not cause much difficulty in application. Glue paper wallpapers as follows:
- Roll the roll upside down on the floor, mark the height of the wall with a pencil and tape measure + 10 cm (error);
- A knife or scissors cut the roll into pieces, usually 4 strips per roll, if you do not need to select a pattern. If the picture is on the packaging, tolerance in centimeters is usually indicated.
- A wall is marked with a pencil and tape measure so that the pasting is as even as possible.
- We spread the glue, according to the proportions indicated on the package, and evenly apply it to the strip, paying special attention to the edges. Leave to soak for a couple of minutes.
- Using a roller, gently apply a strip to the wall without damaging the paper that is especially sensitive after getting wet.
It is very important not to overdo the wallpaper on a paper basis, otherwise you run the risk of getting bubbles and uneven pasting. The maximum how long the wet wallpaper should lie is 5 minutes, then they need to be quickly glued to the wall.
During gluing, do not forget to also close windows and doors to avoid drafts, due to which the wallpaper may not “cling” to the walls due to the quick drying of the glue.
Vinyl wallpapers
Cutting the rolls of vinyl wallpaper is no different from the layout of paper, so just repeat the first 2 points of the previous section “Paper Wallpapers”. In the case of the pattern, you will have to glue one strip, picking up the pattern of each subsequent strip. Next, glue the vinyl wallpaper like this:
- We ground or glue with a thin layer the wall under the wallpaper, let it dry for 15-20 minutes;
- We coat the cut strip and apply it to the wall with a roller;
- Subsequent strips, unlike paper wallpapers, are applied end-to-end without overlapping one another..
All layers of glue – both on the wall and on the wallpaper, must be applied with a very thin layer so that its remnants, when rolled by a roller, do not fall on the outer surface and leave no residue, especially on bright wallpaper.
Smoothing the wallpaper if bubbles appear is from the center to the edges.
The final touch will be the trimming of excess wallpaper at the baseboard. It should be done with a sharp blade only when the wallpaper dries to avoid chewing..
Non-woven wallpaper
Non-woven wallpapers are glued in the same way as vinyl wallpapers, only for them you do not need to smear the strip itself, since it already contains a binder polymer, it is good enough to moisten the wall with special glue.
Wallpaper for painting
There are 2 types of wallpaper for painting – non-woven or vinyl, so we will paste them according to the above instructions. Before applying the paint, let the wallpaper dry perfectly, ideally about a day. We select the paint – water-based acrylics are optimal for the interior decoration of the house. They do not give smudges, fit perfectly and do not hide the texture of the wallpaper.
Pasting on a gyro
One of the options for finishing drywall is wallpapering. They simply, easily and very evenly lie on the surface of the gyro, if you pre-patch the seams between the sheets. However, those who subsequently decide to change the wallpaper will get an unpleasant surprise. They are easy to apply when pasting, but they are dismantled together with a layer of drywall, so it is advisable to treat the surface with plaster before application. For the rest, focus on the type of wallpaper that you will be gluing.
Glue unusual wallpaper
Paste the ceiling
I want to note right away that it’s better not to glue the ceiling alone, especially if you are new to this business. Ceiling we prepare in the same way as the surface of the walls before pasting, i.e. clean from the old layer (paint, whitewash or wallpaper), putty bumps, if any, and be sure to primer the surface.
- It is advisable to draw a control line (the place of the sticker of the first strip), which you will be guided by. For less noticeable joints, glue from the window and moving to the opposite wall.
- To facilitate the gluing process and not to wash out the glue from the head then, when smearing the strip, fold it with a snake, about 30-40 cm, so that the smeared folds are in contact with each other. And then gradually expand the wallpaper when sticking.
- We align and expel the bubbles in the applied strip with a roller from the center, moving to the edges.
- The excess on the wall is cut off with a sharp blade after drying.
On a note! Before starting work, turn off the electricity, close the windows and put on clothes with wide pockets with everything you need (a roller, a knife, a rag) so as not to jump up and down the ladder behind the tool.
Customize the picture
How to glue wallpaper with a pattern? There are two options..
- Stick the first sheet on the wall, and when measuring the second, combine the picture directly on the wall;
- Combine two non-glued strips on the floor and only then glue.
It is advisable to glue the stripes end-to-end so as not to disturb the geometry of the pattern.
Glue wallpaper
Photowall-paper in an interior is not only an original design decision, but also an opportunity to visually expand space. With their help, you can “open” a window into a paradise garden full of flowers, create an amazing view of the city landscape, turn the doorway into an arch or change the ceiling to a blue sky with clouds.
Examples of interesting interior solutions with photo wallpaper can be found in the video below:
Some tips for pasting photo wallpaper:
- It is better to glue the murals with special glue, so as not to spoil the extremely thin canvas;
- Glue them on a perfectly flat, prepared, putty surface;
- Be sure to mark the surface of the wall in centimeters, as indicated in the instructions. We start from the window. The horizontal and vertical lines should form even right angles of 90 °.
- Crop white stripes around the edges of the photo wallpaper;
- We coat parts of the photo wallpaper, do not wait, as is the case with other species, immediately paste them on the wall.
- Carefully smooth with a roller and a rag without damaging the fragile surface of the wallpaper..
Where to start and how to glue in the corners
How to glue wallpaper?
| In relation to the window | In relation to the canvas wallpaper | In relation to the corners | |
| Wallpaper on the ceiling | We start gluing from the window, moving towards the opposite wall, so that there is no noticeable overlap. | It’s best to glue the wallpaper on the ceiling, starting from the center and gradually moving to the edges, so the symmetry will be respected, and the final work will look neater. | It’s better not to start from the corners, because there is a risk that the strip will go crooked. |
| Wallpaper | As a rule, they are glued from the window, because so the joints are not visible. | We start gluing from the ceiling, but we are not leveling along the ceiling line, but along the first strip of wallpaper. Therefore it is so important to stick it evenly. | It is not recommended to start pasting if the first strip is at an angle. It is better to stick the first canvas on a flat area, measured in level, and then glue the corner. In the future, if the wall is not even, it is better to glue the corners with separate cut pieces of wallpaper. |
Adhering to these simple rules, you can accurately, quickly, and most importantly qualitatively, make your own cosmetic repairs.
