To carry out repairs, residents of houses and apartments often hire specialists or prefer to do the finishing themselves. But sometimes the old wall covering is so difficult to remove that many begin to wonder whether it is possible to glue wallpaper onto wallpaper. In the standard procedure, the old finish is completely removed from the walls and only after that the new one is applied. But sometimes, in order to save effort, money, time, and simplify the procedure as much as possible, some people start gluing new wallpaper directly onto the old ones. At the same time, they eliminate the process of puttying and sanding the walls. But this method has a number of pros and cons; you should analyze in detail the cases when it can be used, and when the result of such repairs will look disastrous.
If you look in detail at whether it is possible to glue wallpaper onto old wallpaper, the answer will be positive.
This can be done subject to the following restrictions:
- If the old layer has excellent adhesion to the wall and good adhesion. Attention should be paid to corner areas, joints, seams, where detachments and discrepancies are most often possible.
- Wallpaper should be glued to the smooth previous finish. On variants with ornaments, the coupling area will be significantly reduced, so the quality of the pasting may be significantly affected, and the service life of such a coating will be reduced.
- Any material must be glued to entire walls.
- It is best to choose wallpaper for the second layer in a dark shade with a large pattern. Thanks to this technique, the previous wallpaper will not show through, and a large ornament will be able to hide unevenness and roughness.
Advice! Before gluing the material over the old one, you need to pay attention to the type of finish that is already on the wall. Depending on the variety, you need to select a suitable new coating and gluing technique.
Is it possible to glue new wallpaper over old paper wallpaper? The answer is definitely positive. This is the most ideal base that can serve long years. If paper wallpaper act as a basis, they allow you to avoid unevenness, bulges and roughness.
If you glue paper wallpaper in the second layer, it will stick well, quickly and easily and last a long time.
Advice! In the case of paper options, you need to select a color and pattern darker than the previous coating, since more bright colors underneath may appear through translucent paper.
If paper wallpaper was pasted on the wall, you can safely glue photo wallpaper on top of it. The main thing is that there are no roughnesses on their surface, since the thin material of the photo wallpaper makes any irregularities too noticeable.
Important! Before the beginning finishing works, you need to check the quality of adhesion of the old wallpaper, make sure that there are no bubbles or peelings on its surface. If detected, cleaning is necessary so that upon contact with moisture new renovation was not spoiled.
With vinyl wallpaper on the walls, things are more complicated. Neither a similar coating nor any other can be glued to vinyl wallpaper. They have a corrugated oilcloth surface to which other materials do not adhere well. The new layer will simply fall off if you glue them on top. Vinyl wallpapers themselves can be glued to old paper ones, but in this case they will not last long, as they are heavy. There is a high probability that they will simply begin to tear off the paper base, so it is important that the base has a strong adhesion to the wall.
Advice! If you choose vinyl wallpaper for gluing, in order to increase its service life, you still need to take the time to remove the old coating.
In most cases, many wallpapers are transparent, so gluing them onto old ones is simply not practical, since they will be visible through. Is it possible to glue non-woven wallpaper onto old paper coverings? Experts will confidently say that it is not recommended, since it is a synthetic material in structure. It’s also not worth gluing new wallpaper over non-woven wallpaper, because it’s simply impossible. They usually have a very corrugated surface and a fairly smooth film coating, so it will be impossible to achieve a bonding effect.
Related article: How to glue photo wallpaper - instructions, types and structure of photo wallpaper
Fiberglass
Such a common option as fiberglass must be glued to the prepared wall. It is not advisable to place them on top of old paper, because such a coating requires further plastering. The paper on the bottom layer will not support that much weight. But if you act in reverse order, that is, the fiberglass will act as the basis for gluing the new material, then a positive result can be achieved. In operation, it will serve as an alternative to the reinforcing layer of plaster, allowing you to level the walls, insulate them and strengthen them. IN pure form Fiberglass cannot serve as a replacement for wallpaper, but it will act as an excellent corrugated base for painting. As a rule, gluing glass wallpaper onto ordinary paper wallpaper is simply pointless.
Initially, such a variety as liquid wallpaper is not intended to be glued to any other types of finishes, including paper. The final layer of putty should not be carried out as carefully as in the case of glass wallpaper. This is their main advantage. New material it will be convenient to glue onto an old liquid coating, it creates flat wall. Thanks to the cellulose included in the composition, which can absorb glue, good adhesion will be ensured.
Penoplex
Penoplex is a new generation material that requires gluing to a perfectly prepared wall without remnants of old finishing or wallpaper. According to the installation technology, a film is placed on the wall, which will prevent the appearance of fungus and help moisture to retain in the paper finish. You can glue wallpaper onto penoplex, however preparatory work in this case are required. The structure of the material is very fragile, so reinforcement with a layer of putty is necessary.
Important! Finishing materials for wall insulation, which include polystyrene foam, are best used outside, as they contain some substances harmful to people.
Cork
Cork finishing has numerous advantages.
Related article: Is it possible to glue wallpaper on water-based paint? We answer common questions
Among them:
- Great appearance.
- Long service life.
- Ecological cleanliness.
- Heat retention.
- Availability of fire-fighting properties.
- Ease of gluing.
Cork wallpaper is very convenient to glue to walls, since the outer layer resembles paper. Thanks to this, they are securely attached to the walls, even if there is old material left on them. paper covering. Other types of paper cannot be glued on top of cork materials.. Most cork wallpaper is coated with varnish or wax, which increases its service life.
For painting
It will be impossible to glue any other material onto painted wallpaper; the paper will not be able to stick to the paint. Any finish intended to be painted must first be prepared and cleaned. Numerous layers of paint will make the wallpaper heavier, and it will begin to lag behind the walls. Therefore, it is not worth gluing the material onto a painted one or applying paint to a second layer.
Other cases
When decorating rooms, do not forget about the ceiling, the decoration of which is the most whimsical. The selected small ornament will highlight all the curves and irregularities; heavy wallpaper can peel off the ceiling very quickly. Therefore, the ceiling must be properly prepared for pasting; it is advisable to completely get rid of the previous paper layers so that the new ones adhere well.
You can glue photo wallpaper onto old ones, but it’s better not to. In poor daylight or in the evening, all seams and joints will be very visible.
Advice! It is best to entrust the work with photo wallpaper to a master, since it will be difficult to glue this very intricate material yourself.
There is such a type of wallpaper as washable. It will not be possible to glue anything on them, since they are covered on top protective film. It will not allow the glue to soak into inner layer, and the new wallpaper will not stick. The self-adhesive version is best glued to smooth walls without any remnants of old paper.
On video: Proper repair: glue wallpaper onto wallpaper.
If, nevertheless, it was decided to do new finishing in the room on top of old wallpaper, the following problems may occur:
- The appearance of seams and joints, irregularities, bulges in photo wallpaper.
- Dark colors, bright, large, convex patterns begin to appear through the lighter colors of the new wallpaper.
- Poor adhesion and peeling due to existing defects on the old layer in the form of bubbles, peeling and others. Before work, be sure to eliminate all defects. If there are a significant number of them, you need to get rid of the old finish.
- Wallpaper peeling due to heavy weight.
If you follow the basic rules when working with old coatings, you can achieve high-quality and reliable results:
- Tight attachment of the base without unevenness or peeling.
- The bottom layer should be exclusively paper with a smooth structure.
- The top layer should be darker than the bottom.
- You need to glue new wallpaper between the joints of old wallpaper to hold the parts together.
- Apply glue evenly to prevent bubbles.
Related article: How to glue paper wallpaper correctly: technology and solutions to the main problems when gluing
Wallpaper glue
Choose the right one adhesive composition to glue new wallpaper on long term, it is necessary based on the following criteria:
- Wallpaper material.
- Their weight.
- Additional wall features.
- Humidity level and temperature.
Most wallpaper is glued using universal adhesives. Their proportions are measured in advance depending on the criteria. But to glue vinyl wallpaper onto an old coating, you can choose special compounds with antifungal components.
The main working tool is a spatula. They can be used to check the foundation and seal problem areas in plaster.
You will also need:
- Brushes for applying glue.
- Roller for leveling coatings and eliminating air.
- Oilcloth.
- Soft cloth to remove excess adhesive at joints.
- Tape measure for making all measurements.
- Stationery knife for trimming.
- Wallpaper and glue.
Preparatory work
You can glue new wallpaper when the old coating is completely free of any defects. The putty must dry completely.
Advice! You can try to remove air bubbles with a hot iron through gauze.
To increase the tenacity of materials, you need to apply a layer of primer deep penetration. After drying, you can begin work.
Main nuances of the technology:
- The glue is applied either to the wall or also to the wallpaper, depending on the type.
- It is necessary to completely join the pattern before cutting the canvas.
- You shouldn’t rush to throw away the scraps; they can be used to fill the space around radiators, window or door openings.
- You need to glue the canvas in the direction from the ceiling down.
Advice! If time permits, you need to test on one canvas. After gluing it, wait a day and check the quality of the bond.
- The room temperature must be maintained at 15-25 degrees.
- You cannot open windows or turn on the air conditioner to avoid creating drafts.
Disadvantages of the solution
You can glue new wallpaper onto old ones, but this procedure has many disadvantages.
Among them:
- The fragility of the repair.
- Reduced attractiveness of new materials due to unevenness and swelling.
- Clearances.
- High probability of fungus.
To completely remove the old covering from the walls, you can use an innovative tool - the “wallpaper tiger”, which efficiently removes paper from the walls and leaves the plaster intact. Also, new materials make it possible to prime walls very quickly. Therefore, such a procedure as pasting the second layer of wallpaper will not save much time.
Gluing wallpaper onto old wallpaper (2 videos)
The nuances of wallpapering old wallpaper (20 photos)
In his apartment, he is not ready for independent living. In general, there are a lot of jokes about repairs, but let's get back to serious things. From today's review by the editors of the online magazine site, you will learn how to hang wallpaper correctly, what is needed for this, and some of the subtleties of this seemingly simple process.
Read in the article
What you need for wallpapering
Before gluing new wallpaper, you will have to do some preparatory work. First of all, it is necessary to prepare the walls: remove old canvases, paint, level and prime the surface. But the most important thing is to buy enough and decide on their type. When buying wallpaper you need to consider 3 main factors, namely:
- dimensions and shape of the room;
- wallpaper parameters. Basically, the width of the wallpaper strip is 530 and 1060 mm, and the length is 10 m +/- 50 mm. Some manufacturers' webs may differ in size, and therefore, when going to the store, it is worth taking a calculator with you so that, if necessary, you can make a final calculation of the required number of rolls;
- size and complexity of the drawing. Since wallpaper with a large or complex pattern requires careful adjustment, the consumption of this type of finishing materials increases significantly. So, for example, if from one standard roll with a pattern that does not need precise joining, 3-4 stripes are obtained, then when selecting a pattern, 2-3 canvases will come out, and then depending on the height of the ceilings.
Before you count required quantity rolls, it is necessary to measure the room taking into account protrusions, niches, door and window openings, arches, etc.
Calculator for calculating the required amount of wallpaper
Repairing can be a pleasure for few people. It is easy to start and almost impossible to finish. Therefore, in all centuries, humanity has been looking for the path of least resistance in the process of updating its home. new wallpaper on old paper wallpaper, or on fiberglass or old paint, this is very interesting idea, which is quite feasible, but when choosing this life hack you should take into account all its pros and cons.
And also know how to determine whether such technology is suitable for your conditions.
Paper
They are well known to everyone. Paper wallpaper is easy to apply and relatively easy to remove.
Acrylic
They have a paper base and low strength. It is very easy to glue if the surface is smooth and even.
Vinyl
Also made from paper.
Wallpaper-silkscreen
Consist of intertwined silk threads. They are distinguished by good durability and the ability to wash them.
Velor
Designer wallpaper, however, is highly saturated with odors and dirt.
Non-woven
The most durable and dense.
Washable
Common in areas with an increased risk of contamination (hallways,).
Photo wallpaper
Printed paintings, landscapes and other images are the theme.
How to put new wallpaper on old ones
All the pros and cons of gluing new wallpaper onto old ones
Basically, wallpaper masters insist on the importance of preparing the wall before gluing it.
That is, you need to remove the outdated layer of wallpaper, remove the remnants of used glue, level the surface, treat the wall with a primer and only then start applying new ones.
If you have in front of you a wall with wallpaper that was hung using the technology described above, and it has been perfectly preserved to this day, then you can still use a little trick and hang the wallpaper without removing the old ones.
Pros of technology
- As a result, the process is greatly simplified.
- The time and labor involved are not even comparable.
- The economic benefits are also undeniable.
But the disadvantage can be attributed
Comparing the positive and negative points we can conclude that such an experiment is quite risky and it is better not to apply it to expensive wallpaper.
Attention! The method is not applicable to wallpaper of the following types: non-woven, vinyl, and wallpaper with a relief pattern.
You can only glue wallpaper in this way paper based.
Test for the possibility of gluing new wallpaper onto old ones
First, check the surface for bubbles. To do this, you just need to run your palm with slight pressure along the entire wall.
If there are unglued cavities on it, you will immediately feel it, and in this case the idea of gluing old wallpaper onto new ones will have to be postponed.
If the wall passes the test, then wipe it evenly with a damp sponge. We wait for several hours, and then see if the old glue has swollen from moisture. If the result is successful, we move on to the next check.
Apply a couple of layers to a small area of the wall and wait for it to dry. If after a day no areas of deformation of the base have arisen, you can safely begin work.
Preparing the walls
The surface is cleaned of dust using a cloth or vacuum cleaner. Two layers of primer are applied, which in this case will be a mixture and white acrylic paint. You can also add construction chalk if the composition is not thick enough.
Important! Coats of primer are applied with at least an hour's drying time between each coat.
After the primer has completely dried, the surface is sanded.
Adhesion strength test
Don't cover all the walls at once. It’s better to try placing one strip of glue in the corners of the room and see what happens tomorrow. If after a day the wallpaper sheets stick firmly to the walls, feel free to proceed to the remaining surface.
Important! Gluing paper wallpaper onto vinyl is possible if the covering film is removed from the latter. To do this, the surface is passed needle roller and moisturize. After soaking the substrate, remove all the film with a spatula. As a result, only a paper base remains on the wall.
From the above, it is clear that replacing old wallpaper with new wallpaper is quite acceptable, but it greatly limits the design options for the room, and changing the covering on the walls is done precisely for the purpose of improving the appearance of the room. And here this technology fundamentally cannot satisfy you.
How to quickly and easily remove wallpaper from walls
If you are in doubt and cannot decide which way you like, make a choice in favor of the correct and complete technology. This way you definitely won’t get a pig in a poke. You can also look for a specialized forum and ask craftsmen who have experience of such an update in their lives. Or watch video reviews.
Carrying out a high-quality wallpapering process is not so difficult, especially if you know a few secrets for removing the previous layer.
To simplify the work you will need:
The first step is to scratch the old wallpaper. The fact is that modern wallpaper They are fairly well protected from the effects of moisture on them, and you can simplify their removal only by first thoroughly moistening them.
Therefore, by creating scratches and various damages on the surface of the coating, we allow water to penetrate deep into the material and destroy its structure.
Advice! Don't forget to cover your furniture and floors before soaking the wallpaper. Take care to protect sockets and electrical appliances from moisture.
The solution for destroying old wallpaper can be supplemented with any detergent, even crushed pieces of soap. In addition, there are a huge number of specialized compounds on sale that are directly intended for peeling off the annoying coating.
The solution should be applied two to three times at intervals of 15 minutes. As a result, the old wallpaper will come off with a slight movement of the hand and you will not have to vigorously scrape with a spatula.
If you have a coating that was not glued with wallpaper glue, then you can only remove it by sanding the dry cloth.
If the repair is delayed, then there is no longer enough energy to fully finish the walls. At such moments an idea comes: to put wallpaper on the wallpaper. Is it possible to do this? In some cases, installing new material on old is allowed, although many professionals agree that this should not be done. All the pros and cons of such sticking are discussed in this article.
In what cases is it permissible to leave the old layer?
When installing wallpaper on an old layer, a method from Soviet times comes to mind: covering the walls with newsprint. But this is not an argument in favor of gluing new wallpaper onto old ones. Newspapers at that time, due to the lack of an alternative, served as a fastening layer: they are well saturated with glue and stick to the walls. Newspapers also acted as plaster (to level the walls) and insulation. Modern materials easily replace the newspaper layer.
Is it possible to glue new wallpaper onto old ones?? In some cases this is acceptable:
- The old layer should be paper. This is exactly the type of wall coverings that were used in the USSR, and they were glued on top of each other in several layers.
- The old finish needs to be checked to see if everything is securely glued to the wall and if there are any blisters.
- The previous layer is thin and uniform, not textured.
- The old coating has a smooth texture.
- New wallpapers are taken darker than old ones.
- If the wall is painted oil paint or varnished, it is better to keep the old finish (provided it is firmly in place).
- In some cases, when removing the old layer, it comes off along with the plaster.
- Sometimes the old paper is stuck tightly and cannot be removed.
Only in such circumstances will the installation of old wallpaper with new ones end successfully. This method has few advantages. This is mainly about saving materials - there is no need to putty and prime the walls. By bypassing leveling and other surface preparation, we save a lot of time.
In what cases does the old finish need to be removed?
There are a number of reasons why old layers only get in the way and spoil the final result. Professionals rarely resort to finishing over finishing. In what cases is it not recommended to glue wallpaper onto wallpaper:
- If the previous wallpaper was non-woven, vinyl, washable, liquid. Vinyl coverings repel moisture, including glue. It's simply impossible to stick anything on them.
- On old decoration There is a bright or voluminous print that will appear through the new coating.
- The old wallpaper has peeled off in places, is covered in bubbles, and generally does not hold securely.
- If the renovation is more than 10 years old, then the walls under the coating are probably covered with cracks and chips. They need to be put in order, otherwise the finish will not last long.
- If there are obvious irregularities and defects on the wall, layering the paper will reveal them even more.
- If the previous wallpaper is colored, it can, under the influence of wet glue, color the new layer and ruin the whole job.
What will be the consequences of unsuccessful installation?:
- The service life of the new coating is reduced. Attaching wallpaper to paper is less reliable.
- New wallpaper may fall off the paper backing or simply not stick.
- Joints and irregularities will be more visible, which means the aesthetic appearance of the walls will leave much to be desired.
- There is a risk of mold and bacteria development.
- Bubbles appear between the layers of wallpaper, which are not noticeable during the process, but spoil the final result.
- TO next repair you are making things more difficult for yourself. It will be more difficult to remove two layers than one.
If you still decide to glue without removing the old layer, then the choice of new finishing material is significantly limited:
- Firstly, it is desirable that the products are paper-based. Non-woven and vinyl wallpapers, due to their special corrugated coating, will not last long or simply will not stick to the paper. The same goes for photo wallpapers. The drawing is glued only to a flat surface, otherwise it will not be distributed beautifully and the entire effect will be lost. Liquid wallpaper is applied only to a flat and clean surface. Otherwise, they will hang unsightly in pieces.
- Secondly, the color scheme should match the old layer or be darker. If you paste light paper onto dark paper, the previous color or design will show through and ruin the look. Everything will have to be redone, and it will cost more than the initial cleaning of the walls.
Installation rules: what you need to know
Despite the fact that this method has more disadvantages, you can successfully apply wallpaper to wallpaper by following a few recommendations. To make sure that the old coating will not come off the wall in the near future, you need to conduct a test: coat a piece of wall well with wallpaper glue and wait until it dries completely. If the old wallpaper has not peeled off and no bubbles have appeared, then the finish will hold up well.
What tools will be needed for installation:
- bucket with water,
- good wallpaper glue
- brushes or roller for applying glue,
- soft rubber spatula for wallpaper,
- dry cloth or sponge,
- roulette,
- stationery knife or scissors.
Before gluing, it is recommended to wet the wall with water and remove all loose parts. After everything is dry, stick on one strip of paper and wait at least a day. If the wallpaper holds up, then proceed to decorate the entire room.
How to paste new paper wallpaper onto old ones:
- Coat (prime) the wall with glue using a roller and wait 5-10 minutes. This measure will strengthen the adhesion of the two layers.
- Rolls are cut into long strips the right size with a small allowance of 5-7 cm.
- The glue is prepared according to the instructions and applied in an even layer on reverse side trellis.
- The wallpaper sheet is attached to the wall, leveled rubber spatula from the center to the edges. Excess glue is removed with a rag or sponge.
Advice! Wallpaper does not adhere well in conditions of active air circulation. Close all windows and do not turn on the fan. This rule also applies when installing on a prepared wall.
To make the gluing successful, follow these recommendations:
- Start gluing wallpaper from the corner of the room.
- Do not place the sheets overlapping, there will be unsightly protrusions, especially on the old paper layer. The wallpaper is glued together.
- Try to ensure that the joints of the old strips do not coincide with the joints of the new coating. Then the appearance of the room will be better.
You should begin installing new wallpaper on old ones only with confidence that the finish will hold up. The wise saying “the miser pays twice” warns against rash actions based on the desire to save money. Only if the previous coating is strong, paper, thin, glued to a flat wall, can you try installing a new material on top of the old one.
In some cases, gluing new wallpaper over old ones will be quite justified. There are situations when dismantling wallpaper can take a very long time. The reasons can be completely different: from too strong wallpaper glue to gross mistakes during wallpapering. Naturally, then the need arises to apply a new layer of wallpaper on top of the previous ones. We can immediately say that this is possible, some people practice it: but you need to be prepared for many inconveniences and problems that a person may experience during this process.
Wallpapering old wallpaper: advantages
The good thing about gluing wallpaper on old flooring is that:
- There is no need to spend money and effort on processing the wall and leveling it.
- If the old wallpaper was glued to drywall without prior priming, then in order to remove the old wallpaper, you will have to tear it off along with the sheet of drywall itself. Gluing new wallpaper onto old ones will be relevant in this situation and will save a lot of money.
If possible, you should choose new wallpaper that is similar to the old one. That is, if the old wallpaper was cream-colored, then it is advisable to buy wallpaper of the same shade: one of the disadvantages of gluing new wallpaper instead of the old one is that there is a possibility that the old wallpaper will be visible under the new one.
