Old houses, uneven walls. How to hang wallpaper when the walls in the apartment do not allow this to be done using conventional methods?
You might be surprised, but the disadvantages uneven walls If you follow certain recommendations, you can easily hide it, and we will tell you how to do it.
Getting ahead of questions about liquid wallpaper, painting walls or decorative plaster - it’s impossible, that’s all. These materials will further expose imperfections on the surface of your walls.
How to choose the right wallpaper and adhesive for uneven walls
What do you need to know when choosing wallpaper? There are many of them, however, if we previously gave you hope that the problem of uneven walls can be solved by proper wallpapering, this does not mean that all wallpapers are suitable for this.
Indeed, non-woven and vinyl wallpapers will help smooth out your walls.
Desirable wallpaper structure for uneven walls Why these? The high density of the material, multi-layering and special embossing play a decisive role in the visual alignment of your walls.
In more detail, we recommend using non-woven wallpaper for living rooms and bedrooms: after all, they are more noble and elegant.
Vinyl wallpapers, as you know, are washable, which means they are ideal for hallways and kitchens.
Non-woven wallpaper better creates the effect of “wall leveling” due to the increased density of the soft substrate.
Despite the myths that truly breathable wallpaper is textile and paper, non-woven wallpaper also fits this abbreviation. The structure of these coatings contains micropores, which provide a “breathing effect”.
What about the drawings? What to choose? Of course, geometry and various “correct” designs are not our choice. We need exclusively chaotic prints that will not be distorted by crooked walls.
How to choose glue
Adhesives are divided into two categories: universal and for vinyl-coated products. There is relevant information on the glue packaging, but in our case, the most convenient will be glue that is applied to the wall in advance and allows you to not roll out the wallpaper on the floor, but to glue it right away.
VIDEO INSTRUCTION
We glue wide non-woven wallpaper on uneven walls
Wallpapering begins, of course, with the selection of the necessary equipment:
- A level or plumb line with a pencil for gluing marks on the walls.
- A brush for applying the adhesive composition and the glue itself, pre-diluted in a container. Instead of a brush, a roller with medium or short pile will do.
- Use a rubber roller or plastic wallpaper spatula to smooth the pasted material onto the wall.
- A knife, scissors or something else cutting for cutting out holes for sockets, switches and other objects built into the wall.
- A long ruler, or better yet a tape measure.
- Foam rubber or microfiber to remove excess glue at the joints.
- Stepladder, chair or table. Whatever is more convenient for you will do.
Gluing process
- Let's measure the height of the walls, it is measured from floor to ceiling, and add 5-7 centimeters to the resulting figure.
- We cut the canvas into the required number of strips and do not forget about the drawing if necessary.
- At this stage, you can begin to apply pre-prepared glue to the walls, and adjusting the height, we apply the first cut sheet. You shouldn’t worry about the height being different, because after that we will be able to trim the protruding wallpaper.
- As soon as the canvas is on the wall, do not hesitate and expel all the air from under it, smoothing it using a previously prepared tool. Smoothing must begin from the center moving towards the edges.
Butt gluing
Right stick wallpaper together on uneven walls is not an impossible task.
The most important thing: do not try to achieve clear joints by stretching the wallpaper, otherwise, after the wallpaper has dried, the joints will definitely separate.
- First, the joint and height are adjusted, and then the air is expelled from the wallpaper. Everything is quite simple. Having trouble hanging wallpaper perfectly even with a monotonous pattern? There is one trick - the canvas is glued overlapping with the previous piece and then the intersection of the canvases is cut off.
- Carefully check the sharpness of the knife, because you will need to cut 2 pieces at once. We remove the trimmings, coat the joint with glue and straighten the canvas. Thus, you got a perfect joint, but slightly increased the consumption of wallpaper.
Wallpapering corners
The previous “trick” also applies to wallpapering corners. overlap on next wall should be 2-3 centimeters, and you will also need to cut two pieces.
We have two options for the development of events: we glue the wallpaper with a pattern from the corner, and an overlap of 2-3 cm with the previous canvas will allow us to hide the defect of the uneven corner, but we do not cut anything off. Or the canvas is glued from the corner, and the excess is removed with a knife without overlapping from the corners.
An ideal joint for monotonous wallpaper, but in in this case Wallpaper with a pattern without visible defects cannot be hung.
If bubbles form on the wallpaper, they can be easily removed Glue wallpaper on uneven corners walls not so difficult if you have already read our article. So go ahead to the store for wallpaper and tools, because uneven walls for wallpapering are not such a terrible problem.
When choosing wallpaper, be sure to determine the difference in the unevenness of the walls. This can be done using a building level or plumb line. If during measurements the differences were more than 30 mm, it is better to choose another method for finishing the walls. For differences of 30-50 mm, it is better to pre-level the surface using finishing mixtures.
Which wallpaper to choose for gluing uneven walls
If you have limited funds for repairs, it is better to purchase double-layer paper wallpaper. They are not only quite dense - they have convex embossing. Pasting walls with such wallpaper visually smooths out unevenness, the walls acquire a good appearance and no longer irritate those living in the apartment.
When the amount allocated for repairs allows you to purchase more quality materials for finishing, you should consider types of wallpaper such as vinyl and non-woven. They are distinguished not only by their good density, but also by their beautiful appearance, which both visually and physically allows the walls to be leveled.
What are vinyl and non-woven wallpapers?
Vinyl wallpaper is more shiny and smooth in appearance, while non-woven wallpaper looks more noble. Therefore, it is more often recommended to use non-woven wallpaper in living rooms and bedrooms, and vinyl wallpaper in kitchens or hallways.
Vinyl wallpaper may contain in the outer layer various additives– metal particles, mica powder, artificial silk fibers. Foamed vinyl is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also adds color and texture to the walls. There is also a washable type of wallpaper, but it should not be used for uneven walls because the surface is too smooth and shiny - the shine will shimmer and expose defects even more.
Due to the dense laying, wallpaper can best hide uneven walls. This finishing material can be either ordinary or intended for painting. If in the future it is decided to change the wallpaper, when removing it from the walls only the top paper layer will be removed. The bottom one, non-woven, will remain. Thus, without labor-intensive applications of a leveling mixture, the surfaces will be prepared for new renovation.
For gluing uneven walls, vinyl wallpaper with a matte surface is best suited; it is good if its base is non-woven. When gluing them, you will need to apply glue not to the wallpaper itself, but to the wall - this is more convenient. You need to carefully glue the first canvas - for this it is better to use a level. It is important to choose the right adhesive that is designed for gluing this particular type of wallpaper.
Liquid wallpaper – wall covering, consisting of several components. Most often these are natural fibers of cotton, silk, cellulose, colored quartz chips, wood bark chips, dry seaweed, dyes and adhesive composition. In fact, liquid wallpaper is an elementary dry mixture of all sorts of things, which just needs to be diluted with water to get a modern, high-quality material for decorative wall covering.
This is the information I came across after hours of wallpapering the hallway native apartment. The unevenness and convexity of the walls of the house, built in the early 90s, made me think that the builders were trying to achieve the effect of a Stone Age cave, when, apparently, they had no idea at all about smooth surfaces.
Crawling and jumping with a tape measure, trying to make straight seams and joints, endless cutting and cutting finished me off. I finished gluing it, but this gluing is temporary in nature to create a divine look at the entrance to the apartment, which is yet to come repair of three rooms. In general, take two shines, but I definitely won’t stand it, even if next time the builders do it. That’s why I went online to look for something more suitable for our walls and, in particular, my nerves.
The first thing I came across was decorative plaster, but my mother completely refuses to do this, like plaster is just for covering the outside of the walls, and why don’t I need it at home. In general, you can’t break through this stubbornness.
Second - LIQUID WALLPAPER, and this is where the word liquid caught my attention. How can wallpaper be liquid? It turns out they can, although the name “wallpaper” here is conditional. I wrote above what this is and I won’t repeat it. I will only list the advantages I found, thanks to which, next time I will use this wallpaper:
1. liquid wallpaper protects nervous system, because Convenient for working with anti-flat surfaces.
2. unlike decorative plaster, they consist of natural, breathable components + soft and pleasant to the touch
3. dust does not settle on liquid wallpaper due to its antistatic properties
4. have good heat and noise insulation (I don’t know why the first, but I really like the second)
5. liquid wallpaper meets all fire safety requirements
6. liquid wallpaper does not absorb odors
7. do not fade
Colors liquid wallpaper sea (100-200 from different manufacturers), various textures, etc. and so on. Price policy, as far as I understand, depends on the percentage of silk in the mixture and designer bells and whistles in texture. But, in general, prices are normal. 
Maybe there are some other advantages, I didn’t look thoroughly, what was enough for me was that nothing needs to be glued and adjusted, and the result is impressive in its aesthetics and effectiveness (well, whatever your imagination can do here). And given the peculiarities of the material, there is room for imagination to run wild. See how people get creative:
(you can look a lot on the Internet)
I found only one drawback - they are afraid of water. But if you cover it with a protective varnish, you will no longer be afraid; you can even wipe it with a damp cloth. But if any piece gets very dirty or whatever, it’s easy to replace - just moisten this area with water, cut it out, and re-wallpaper it (and this, in my opinion, is also an advantage).
If anyone has already dealt with liquid wallpaper, or has not, but is ahead of me, there are probably some nuances and tips, please share
Liquid wallpaper is a universal material. Easy to apply, lasts a long time and has incredible decorative characteristics. To give aesthetic properties appearance Fillers in the form of granules, glitter and dyes are added to the wallpaper. Ready mix- These are dry small flakes, soluble in water, which form a textured or smooth coating on the surface. The main advantage of liquid wallpaper is that it can be applied to any surface; it is important that it is well prepared.
Preparing the walls
The walls must be made as even as possible; their composition is heterogeneous, and on the surface there may be remnants of the old coating, glue, putty, self-tapping screws and self-tapping screws. Applying liquid wallpaper to an uncleaned, wet or uneven wall will cause rust, streaks and yellow spots to appear on it over time.
Important! You can level the surface with liquid wallpaper in layers no more than 3 mm thick, otherwise holes will form and all the flaws will appear.
Before working with the material, the wall is painted with a substrate (concentrated primer) in 2-3 layers to protect the wallpaper from everything on and inside the wall. It is better to choose a substrate that is odorless and quick-drying. The first layer is strongly absorbed into the wall and has no effect, so the painting should be uniform, without “bald spots.”
- removal of old coating, wallpaper adhesive, nails;
- cleaning the wall;
- treatment with a primer;
- painting the wall with white paint in two layers;
- the rust remaining after the nails is covered with special paint.
Rules for working with a painted wall
Liquid wallpaper can be applied to painted walls. If you take into account some rules, the result will be quite good. The first is to remove rust on the wall water-based paint is not suitable, since through it the yellowness will appear again over time. Oil or nitro paint for walls is not the best good decision, they will not “breathe”. For better adhesion to liquid wallpaper, small amounts of PVA glue are added to the paint.
Without preliminary preparation Liquid wallpaper will not stick to a painted wall. Before applying, you need to check how firmly the paint sits - whether it is peeling off. If there is plaster underneath, you need to tap the wall and check if it is coming off. When tapping on the problem area, a booming sound will be heard. Identified defects must be repaired immediately to avoid problems in the future.
If the paint and plaster hold up well, you will need quartz primer to treat the surface before applying liquid wallpaper. This primer increases the adhesion of the finishing material and makes it easier to distribute. Wallpaper adheres to a highly absorbent wall, so the painted surface needs to be roughened. To do this, use primer paint with quartz sand. It is better to carry out processing with a wide brush rather than a roller.
If the wall is covered oil paint or another glossy layer, which means it is as smooth as possible. Sandpaper will help make it rough for better grip.
Advice! The thickness of the applied layer must be adjusted; for this, the inclination of the spatula is used. The stronger the blade is pressed to the plane, the sharper the angle and thicker the layer. facing material and vice versa. At a higher angle, more mixture will be cut off.
On what surface can liquid wallpaper be applied:
- "bare" concrete;
- brick plastered wall;
- wall with putty;
- wood, including fiberboard, MDF and plywood;
- places with protruding metal parts;
- painted surfaces.
Important! Color of walls painted different colors, needs to be equalized. Liquid wallpaper over white paint will be lighter and brighter, and on dark paint it will be duller and darker.
Application to plaster and whitewash
Liquid wallpaper cannot be applied to whitewash. It is not enough, as many believe, to cover such walls with a primer. Lime surfaces become heavily saturated with moisture and begin to crumble, yellow spots appear. Therefore, the coating is sanded completely to base material, then oil-phthalic paint or waterproof primer is applied to the wall.
Many people wonder whether it is possible to apply liquid wallpaper to plaster - not only is it possible, but this is the most suitable medium for intermolecular influence. Plaster is a mineral surface and the finishing material “sticks” to it very well. However, the coating also needs to be leveled with a special solution consisting of cement with sand, rotband and putty.
Depending on the composition of the plaster itself, it can absorb a lot of moisture, so it is first treated with 3-5 layers of primer to ensure that all pores are closed. The crumbling plaster must be removed to a solid base.
Concrete walls are puttied with a gypsum binder mixture before priming. Water-soluble primer covers them quite well.
Working with wood coverings
Is it possible to apply liquid wallpaper to plywood? The answer will definitely be “no” if it is not processed in any way. Plywood is wood material, for which excess contact with moisture is extremely undesirable, and liquid wallpaper contains a lot of water. Otherwise, the finishing material will simply delaminate and peel off, and the wood will begin to swell. Therefore, applying it to an unprepared surface can result in peeling and a change in the structure of the plywood itself.
Laminated sheets are coated with primer paint with abrasive chips before applying liquid wallpaper. This will help to achieve, if not ideal adhesion to the surface, then very high quality. Alkyd enamel is applied to non-laminated boards, followed by a primer layer.
Interesting! According to some experts, plywood in direct contact with liquid wallpaper will greatly decrease in area. On the wallpaper side, the sheet bends inward.
The easiest way to verify all of this is to conduct an experiment on a thin sheet of plywood and see what happens to it and what the finish itself looks like.
What you need to know about applying liquid wallpaper
Liquid wallpaper can be applied to almost any surface, including deformable ones (chipboard, gypsum board, plywood, fiberboard), but not to peeling paint, lime, greasy or oil stains. Defective areas are treated using scrapers and special removers for paint and varnish materials. The main requirement for the surface is the interchangeability of the product, that is, good adhesion, and for this you will need to compare the main components.
The video shows how to prepare walls before applying liquid wallpaper:
Liquid wallpaper covers small unevenness well. They will fit perfectly on carefully rubbed plaster. The plane being processed must be free of waves; Small cracks and scratches are allowed. In rooms with high humidity working with such finishing material is not very convenient. The temperature in the room should not exceed +40°C.
Wallpapering in Russian houses It’s still a hassle, especially if you pay close attention to the surface being pasted. The walls in our standard apartments very rarely have a small number of defects and have a smooth surface; more often than not, the opposite is true.
If you approach repair work with the proper degree of seriousness and begin major renovation, then you need to take care of the alignment of the walls. This work will entail large financial and time expenses, which do not always suit us. In addition, it is almost impossible to independently correct the geometry of the walls.
Wallpapers with geometric shapes dark colorWallpaper manufacturers have known about this problem for a long time and are ready to offer their solutions; some types of wallpaper can actually be glued to a surface with some defects, and the wallpaper will cover them.
Let's take a look at the most popular types of wallpaper intended for gluing to uneven walls.
Duplex - thick paper
If you undertake to glue simple paper wallpaper, then all the defects will be immediately clearly visible, but there are special kind paper wallpaper, called duplex.
Duplex wallpaper consists of two dense layers of paper, pressed together. They have nice embossing and designs.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, thick paper wallpaper with a frequently repeating pattern disguises wall unevenness The wallpaper feels like a sheet of thick cardboard to the touch.
Wallpaper of this type sticks perfectly to uneven surface walls, since they are not able to completely adhere to it. The wallpaper always keeps its shape, which hides potholes and bumps on the wall.
The cost of such paper wallpaper small, any average person can afford them. But if you are not satisfied with the decorative side of this option, then you should pay attention to vinyl samples.
Vinyl - durable and bright
Vinyl wallpaper belongs to the more expensive segment of the wallpaper market. They are executed in several versions, which to one degree or another satisfy the requirements various rooms in an apartment or house.
Surface irregularities are not so noticeable on bright wallpaper The thick structure and deep texture of vinyl allows you to hide more defects on the wall. In addition, vinyl is able to imitate the texture of natural finishing materials, which are not always available to us.
If we consider the huge group of wallpapers recommended for hanging on poor quality walls, then three areas stand out.
Foamed vinyl is the cheapest and easiest option produced big amount domestic and foreign wallpaper factories. Due to the thickness of the canvas, the wallpaper will perfectly hide defects on the surface, but decorative coating not the strongest and most durable.
Texture of foamed vinyl in detail When choosing wallpaper for uneven walls, you can start with this type, try to choose the color, and only then move on to more expensive options. From an aesthetic point of view, it is much prettier and more pleasant.
Washable vinyl - a thick and soft layer of vinyl can hide small defects in the walls in the kitchen, and the surface of this wallpaper is easy to clean. The only “but” is that large bulges in the wall are visible on the glossy surface of the wallpaper, so before gluing, try to get rid of them; it’s better to have depressions or dents.
Decorative vinyl for the kitchen, washable Hot stamped vinyl is the thickest type of wallpaper available. The wallpaper is very durable and massive, it has a deep texture that can completely hide uneven walls. Vinyl wallpaper produced by hot stamping is not afraid of moisture and can withstand regular wet cleaning.
An important point when choosing a pattern is to try to avoid gloss, since when the wallpaper is bent it shimmers in places of bulge or depression.
The cost of a roll of such wallpaper is already significant, since, firstly, they have a large standard length, and, secondly, they belong to the more expensive quality segment of the wallpaper market.
Durable and textured imported wallpaper perfectly masks wall defects Hot stamping vinyl is the flagship of wallpaper production in many factories, so in the vast majority it has impeccable quality. The non-woven backing, which is capable of holding a heavy and massive canvas on the wall, also contributed to this quality.
Non-woven fabric - modern material, combining fabric fibers and cellulose, wallpaper is also produced from it.
Paintable non-woven wallpaper
The combination of the paper and fabric components allows you to create a unique material, durable, tough and of high quality. In the case of adding a decorative vinyl backing to it, we get full-fledged wallpaper, but even without the decorative component, the non-woven material is ready for use.
Entirely non-woven wallpaper is available for painting. Since the material holds its shape well, such wallpaper is suitable for uneven walls. In addition, after gluing the wallpaper before painting, a layer of dye is applied, which further hides all defects.
Sold non-woven wallpaper for painting in large rolls meter width and 25 meters long, have White color and some ornament.
Texture wallpaper for painting Non-woven wallpaper is painted with water- and acrylic bases, solvent-based enamels are not suitable because they can corrode the surface. Paints are tinted in desired color, in this case, in any case, the painted surface will be matte, which means it will not concentrate attention on the unevenness of the wall.
The cost of a roll of non-woven wallpaper for painting is approximately comparable to a meter-wide roll of foam vinyl.
If you don't want to glue wallpaper, but give the wall decorative look necessary, then liquid wallpaper will help you out.
Liquid wallpaper - decorative plaster
On large area walls, the use of liquid wallpaper is justified if there is a whole cloud minor defects. The liquid mixture will fill all cavities and slightly level out small bulges, but with big problems She's unlikely to make it.
Liquid wallpaper is wear-resistant and durable; in large, dirty rooms it will be an excellent wall covering.
Decorative plaster Green colour These are the options for choosing wallpaper for uneven walls, and finally we would publish a small set of rules for choosing a pattern and color.
Rules for choosing colors and patterns
You should not choose designs with geometric shapes or stripes, since there will be obvious distortions in places where the walls are defective, which will inevitably attract the attention of others.
You need to choose patterns with a high coverage density, plain wallpaper, wallpaper with prints scattered in random order.
An excellent ornament for hiding the maximum number of wall defects It is best to look for a rich, perhaps even bright color; it will be difficult to detect distortions in the canvas.
If you are a supporter calm flowers in the interior, then use bright wallpaper on uneven walls, as if creating an accent. In this case, more attention will be focused on calm wallpaper glued to smooth walls.
To summarize, we can conclude the following: do not worry about your uneven walls, they are also easy to choose beautiful wallpaper, of varying quality and price. If you have a very limited budget, choose a duplex; if your needs are a little larger, choose thick and beautiful vinyl, and if you plan to paint the walls one color, then, of course, non-woven fabric. Decorative plaster, also ready to become finishing layer wall decorations.
