At first glance, replacing old wallpaper with new ones with my own hands may seem like a fairly simple task even for a layman. If there are smooth walls, consumables and with great desire it is quite doable. But even here there are some nuances that affect the quality of the work done, and taking them into account can significantly simplify the process of wallpapering. But what kind of wallpaper should I put up?
Everyone chooses the color and style based only on their own taste, but how smoothly the whole process goes depends on the quality and type of canvas. In order to find out which wallpaper is easiest to glue and which types are suitable specifically for the room in which the renovation is being carried out, you need to know some details about the properties of such products depending on their composition.
Characteristics of wallpaper depending on its composition
- Non-woven wallpaper. The composition of non-woven elements includes cellulose and synthetic fibers, this ensures the material's tensile strength and good elasticity. In addition, non-woven wallpaper does not deform when the glue dries, and its structure allows you to smooth out any unevenness on the wall surface. The gluing method, where only the wall is smeared with glue, and not the canvas itself, simplifies the process.
- Paper wallpaper. The undeniable advantage of paper products is their environmental friendliness and ability to pass air. The cost of such material is several times lower than other representatives on the market. That's where all the positives end. The ability of paper to become wet and tear when there is excess glue, as well as to form bubbles and shrink in size when it dries, makes repairs difficult for non-professionals.
- Vinyl wallpaper. Such systems are extremely popular. There are light and heavy vinyl structures, it depends on the base on which the polyvinyl chloride is applied (paper or non-woven material), as well as on the method of application. It is easiest to glue wallpaper on a non-woven backing with a foam textured vinyl pattern. Firstly, the remarkable properties of such a base have already been discussed, and secondly, foamed vinyl easily hides all the bumps and irregularities on the wall. Flat vinyl, also called silkscreen, is as durable as foam vinyl. However, wallpaper with silk-screen printing must be glued perfectly. smooth surface, since the gloss will reveal any inaccuracies and even construction debris that gets under the roller will be noticeable.
- Fiberglass. Fiberglass wallpaper contains soda, dolomite, limestone and quartz, from which fiberglass threads are made - the material for creating the canvas. The texture of such products is similar to fabric and is pleasant to the touch. The naturalness of all components guarantees excellent indoor climate conditions and the absence of fungus and mold on the walls; the products are fireproof. Fiberglass wallpaper must be glued end-to-end. The surface must be smooth and dry. After the wallpaper is pasted, it must be painted; for this, acrylic, latex, polyurethane paints. The beauty of such elements lies in their durability and the possibility of reusable painting. Thus, by hanging this wallpaper just once, you can often change the interior and the color of the walls.
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Self-adhesive or bamboo?
Self-adhesive systems. This option is suitable for gluing small surfaces, but with good skill you can also use them for the walls of the kitchen or corridor. The material from which they are made self-adhesive wallpaper– a film that is connected by an adhesive surface to a paper backing.
During the gluing process, the paper is removed, and the film is glued to the surface with its sticky part.
Scheme for removing old wallpaper: a – with a spatula, b – with a drilling machine.
Despite the sonorous name, this type requires special scrupulousness and clarity in actions. In addition, the film does not allow moisture to pass through, and when used in the kitchen, perspiration forms on the walls, which can lead to the appearance of fungus, which in itself is not very good for the environment and human health.
Bamboo wallpaper. Elements made from bamboo, new on construction market. First of all, their environmental friendliness and interesting texture are captivating - this is no longer wallpaper at all, but rather siding.
Their popularity is growing. Bamboo wallpaper comes in two types - stitched and fabric-based. In the first option we have bamboo slats fastened together with threads. Gluing such products is a rather labor-intensive process that requires a professional approach.
The fabric-based option consists of slats of a bamboo trunk sewn onto fabric. The method of pasting depends on the walls. Bamboo wallpaper is attached to drywall using construction stapler. Such structures are attached to plastered walls. special glue, which provides good adhesion of the plaster to heavy wallpaper. The joints at the corners are covered with a special molding made of the same material or simply painted to match. Return to contents
Features of the wallpaper pattern
Before choosing wallpaper, you need to study the behavior of many ornaments when pasting.
- Floral motifs. Wallpaper with plant motifs requires a clear connection in the seam lines, and sometimes the continuation of the pattern on another canvas does not match, and the integrity of the picture is lost. You have to tear the canvas off the wall and re-glue it, moving it down or to the side. When choosing such an ornament, you should measure the wallpaper with a small margin in order to be able to select the pattern end-to-end.
- Geometric ornament. Some types of wallpaper, when wet, have the ability to stretch, which is why the figures on them no longer look perfectly even, and diamonds or circles, stretched out in width, give the room visual effect low ceilings. When choosing geometry, you need to give preference to heavy non-woven wallpaper. Caution with geometric patterns should be exercised in rooms with uneven walls and a large number of protrusions and corners, since at the joints it is difficult to maintain the accuracy of the ornament.
- Plain wallpaper. Gluing wallpaper without a textured pattern is quite simple. The only caveat is to be careful when applying the glue. Any errors and excess glue will be visible on a plain surface, depriving it of its integrity.
- Asymmetry. Drawings that are arranged in a chaotic order are the easiest to use. Even a beginner can glue wallpaper of this color, with the least worry about the safety of the composition.
- Classic drawing. It is a monogram that, intertwined in a diamond pattern, creates a complete ornament. With this type of ornament, you should be careful when pasting the next canvas. As in the case of floral, a clear joining of lines is required.
- Stripes. Stripes on wallpaper can be horizontal or vertical. If the lines are arranged vertically, there should be no difficulties when gluing, whereas gluing wallpaper with horizontal stripes is much more difficult. When cutting wallpaper into sheets, you can use the lines of the pattern, and the wallpaper should be joined with millimeter precision. This type of ornament is suitable for narrow room With high ceiling, the walls must be perfectly smooth.
To determine how many rolls will be needed to cover a room, you need to calculate the perimeter of the room to be covered, taking into account windows and doors. Also check the length and width of the wallpaper.
If joining and adjusting the pattern is not required, then the calculation will be simple:
- How to find out the perimeter of a room?
The perimeter is the sum of the lengths of all sides. Measure all the walls of the room and add up their lengths.
Example:
Let's calculate the perimeter of the living room measuring 5x6 m. Add up the length of all its walls - and we get 22 m. - How many panels are needed to cover a room?
To find out how many wallpaper strips are needed for a particular room, divide the perimeter by the width of the rolls.
Example:
The perimeter of our room is 22 m, and the width of the wallpaper is 1.06 m. Divide 22 by 1.06 and we get 20.75. We round the result up and get 21 panels. - How many panels will one roll be enough for?
To calculate the number of full panels in one roll, divide its length by the height of the ceiling.
Example:
The length of a wallpaper roll is usually 10 m. The height of our room is 2.75 m. Craftsmen recommend adding an additional margin of 10 cm to the ceiling height for ease of gluing. Thus, the height of our ceiling will be 2.85 m. If we divide the length (10 m) by this number (2.85 m), we will get 3 full strips from one roll. - How many rolls of wallpaper will you need?
To find out, you need to divide the number of all the panels in the room by the total number of panels that come from one roll.
Example:
In our case, the calculation will be as follows: 21 (the number of panels) divided by 3 (the panels from one roll) and we get 7 rolls of wallpaper with a width of 1.06 m and a length of 10 m.
If you are wallpapering with a large pattern, then you will need to ensure that the stripes are carefully adjusted to ensure that the pattern matches exactly. This is true for designs with large geometric patterns, images of plants and other large shapes. Here you need to take into account rapport- the distance through which the same pattern is repeated. You need to count how many repeats there are for one length of panel. The greater the rapport, the large quantity You will need rolls for covering large spaces. The repeat size is indicated on the label. On the label you will find one of the following icons:
| Joining the drawing | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free docking | ||
| Direct docking (indicating report for PALETTE wallpaper is 64 cm) | ||
| Offset docking (indicating report and offset e.g. 64/32) | ||
| Counter docking |
Free docking means that the wallpaper strips are glued in a standard way, without observing the pattern matching rules. Such designs do not have a pronounced pattern and can be glued without adjustment.
At direct docking wallpaper strips are glued symmetrically next to each other. Such wallpaper is glued without a special shift to match the pattern.
Offset docking means that the wallpaper strips need to be glued offset. The first number indicates the size of the repeat, the second – the number (in cm) by which the repeat should be shifted. For example, 64/32 means that the pattern is repeated every 64 cm, and the next strip is shifted vertically relative to the previous one by half the report (32 cm).
Important!
- If the room has ledges and niches, they need to be measured separately. Then the consumption of wallpaper will increase due to the peculiarities of gluing at the corners for smooth joining of the strips.
- It is recommended to have 1-2 extra rolls in stock. They can be used if the surface is damaged by children, pets or is accidentally damaged during repairs.
Below is a table for calculating rolls per room
Roll size 0.53 x 10.05
Roll size 1.06 x 10.05
Non-woven wallpaper is one of the most popular and versatile wall finishing materials. This is due to their wide range and excellent quality.
It should be remembered that non-woven wallpaper masks the imperfections of the walls.
Besides meter wallpaper much faster to glue than standard width wallpaper. Non-woven wallpapers come on a non-woven base or made entirely of non-woven material.
Characteristics of non-woven wallpaper
The composition of this material is fabric and paper fibers impregnated with special binders.
Non-woven fabric is durable and easy to use. It has long been used in textile industry: Added to fabric to add strength and volume.
These meter wallpapers are presented in a wide range color range, texture and density. fast and easy. They do not tear, do not stretch, do not shrink after applying glue. This finishing material perfectly masks minor defects and cracks on the walls.
Non-woven wallpaper does not wear out and retains its original appearance for a very long time. beautiful view. They lend themselves well to painting without losing their relief structure and quality.
The upper part of the wallpaper is vinyl covering. This gives the material strength and lightness, which cannot be said about paper wallpaper.
The variety of textures of this finishing material allows you to imitate any type of surface: plaster, wood, marble, stone.
The multi-layering of non-woven fabric allows you to create the illusion of a three-dimensional image. Thanks to such special effects, the room can be visually enlarged.
How to glue non-woven wallpaper? This material so versatile that it can be applied to any surface: concrete panels, drywall, chipboard sheets, plaster, wood, paper.
But if the meter-long wallpaper is thin enough, then it is preferable to glue it on a flat and smooth surface. If it is a concrete base, then it is necessary to putty all the cracks and irregularities. If the wallpaper is planned in light colors, then the base must be a single color.
For example, if the wallpaper will be glued to drywall, then you must first putty the joints of the sheets, and then apply one layer of putty to the entire surface so that it becomes uniform.
Caring for the non-woven covering is very simple: any dirt can be wiped off damp cloth using a cleaning solution. In the case of paper wallpaper, this cannot be done: it is dirty paper covering can only be replaced.
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Preparing the surface for pasting meter-long wallpaper
To work you will need the following tools:
- laser level;
- tape measure and pencil;
- roller with long pile;
- plastic and metal spatulas;
- mounting knife;
- two containers: for glue and water;
- soft sponge.
Preparing the walls begins with dismantling the old covering. Old paper wallpaper It is good to remove with a spatula, after wetting the walls and leaving them for a few minutes.
If the walls are painted, then you will have to work hard: old paint difficult to remove with a spatula and sandpaper. The best option To do this, use a drill with an attachment. A metal brush is suitable as a nozzle.
When the base for the wallpaper is cleaned, it needs to be primed. This is done for good adhesion of the finishing material to the walls.
Using a level, mark vertical lines on the walls in increments of one meter. But the width of this wallpaper is slightly larger, 1.06 m. This margin is needed for possible deformation, shrinkage or correction of edges.
Before pasting, wallpaper must be cut onto all walls at once. If the wallpaper has a displaced pattern, then the material must be purchased with a reserve. If the color is uniform, then there will be no difficulties in matching the pattern.
If the preliminary repairs were carried out according to all the rules: the walls, floor, and ceiling were leveled, then all strips of wallpaper will be the same length.
If produced redecorating without leveling the surfaces, then, most likely, the height of the walls in different areas will be different. This means that the lengths of the stripes will also be different.
The roll is cut on a clean floor, placing the wallpaper face down. Measure the required strip length, make a mark and assembly knife cut off.
When combining patterns, the first strip should be attached to the rolled out roll in the place where the image will meet. The joint of the pattern will be the beginning of the length of the second strip. In this case, part of the wallpaper goes to waste. However, large pieces of material can be useful for gluing in inappropriate places: behind the radiator, cornice, curtain.
The glue should be for non-woven wallpaper. The technology for its preparation is simple. According to the instructions, pour the dry composition into water in a thin stream until the required consistency is obtained. Having removed any lumps from the composition, you can begin gluing.
“Repairs cannot be completed, they can only be stopped!” wrote M. Zhvanetsky in one of his miniatures. Is it really that bad? How to glue meter-long wallpaper on your own so that neither the quality of work nor family relationships are affected, and the repair does not take centuries? Let's figure it out.
Meter wallpaper - a sign of the new time
In our family, replacing wallpaper has always been a common task. Everyone took part: someone took out extra furniture, someone was clearing the walls of old paper panels, someone was marking and cutting what should replace them. Then they started spreading the paste, pasting, combining patterns, etc. This is where the fun began. Couldn't do without mutual claims: sometimes the leaves and flowers do not meet, sometimes the overlap is small, sometimes large, or even not enough in length. Is it a joke, when standard width Soviet wallpaper of 53 cm on the walls of an 18-meter room had to be cut and glued to more than 30 sheets of 2.5 m in length.
Today a lot has changed, including in the field apartment renovation. Foreign manufacturers, whose products are now abundantly represented on our market, offer many options for wallpaper, and this applies not only to colors, patterns, materials from which they are made, but also to the length and width of the panels. For example, the Italians today produce rolls of 106 cm and 70 cm, the Belgians - 90, 100, 140, the French - 70 and 90 cm. Our enterprises still maintain the standard of 53 cm.
Specialists involved in the wallpaper business have long dubbed overseas specimens non-standard, wide or simply meter-long wallpaper. Neither give nor take, a kind of sign of a new time.
Most wide wallpapers have a non-woven base. However, there are also paper, bamboo, and fabric ones. Meter sheets can be light or heavy, for each type you need to select required type glue specified by the manufacturer on the packaging. Please note that if you have not achieved perfection in gluing walls, then you should not purchase glue that hardens within a few minutes; this is only for professional craftsmen.
The site’s site masters have prepared a special calculator for you. You can easily calculate required amount wallpaper
How to glue meter-long wallpaper - pros and cons
If you decide to update the wallpaper in the room, then, first of all, try to approach the choice of new home design as responsibly as possible. Undoubtedly, retail outlets Now there are a huge number, but it would be better to go somewhere where there will be an opportunity to examine the panel on a special stand, unfolded and from a great distance. It’s no secret that on a roll and on the wall, as they say in Odessa, these are two big differences!
By the way, remember that vertical stripes will visually increase the height of your room, and horizontal ones will seem to push the walls apart. Therefore, attentiveness and attentiveness again! It’s better to weigh and count everything again before purchasing this or that type of wallpaper.
If speak about positive aspects wide rolls, the main one is a significant reduction in the number of seams, due to which the so-called “seamless” effect is created. How is it achieved, you ask? The answer is simple: if the mentioned 18-meter room required 30 or so standard half-meter canvases, then the wide ones will need half as many - there will also be fewer joints, which means they will not be so conspicuous.
It is probably unnecessary to say that applying glue to 15-16 tapes will take significantly less time than the same operation with three dozen. And in terms of physical effort, it is incomparable. And the procedure for pasting walls with such panels is generally no different. And, by the way, many who decide to make repairs will probably be attracted by the fact that meter-long wallpaper, as it turned out, can save money on your budget. The fact is that in most cases, one wide roll is still cheaper than two standard 50-centimeter rolls. In addition, non-woven wallpaper will also be the most durable.
It would be dishonest to you, having talked about the advantages, to remain silent about the difficulties of working with meter-long canvases. But they still exist. So, wide wallpapers assume that they are glued to perfectly flat surfaces, since any flaws or unevenness will not allow you to achieve a perfect fit between adjacent panels. Let me remind you that this is their main “seamless” advantage. But in principle this can be solved, fortunately there are more than enough options.
The large width of the roll is fraught with another danger - you may not have enough of the last full tape, just a couple of centimeters wide. Collecting a fragment from pieces? This is hardly a solution. You'll have to buy a whole roll. With standard rolls it is easier to adjust the number of panels to the width of the walls. Well, and one more point, which, however, can only be called a minus with a stretch. It’s quite difficult to hang meter-long wallpaper alone. You will definitely need an assistant. I don’t know about you, but for our family this is not a question - we even glued Soviet standard wallpaper with four hands, so we have worked out this point.
How to glue meter-long non-woven wallpaper - step-by-step instructions
If the choice of material for gluing the walls has already been made, then let's get to work. Let's repeat it again: before gluing non-woven wallpaper meter width, it is necessary to carefully level the surface, because the flaws in the walls will not allow the canvases to be joined together properly.
How to glue meter-long non-woven wallpaper - step-by-step diagram
Step 1: Surface Preparation
However, we note that non-woven fabric, thanks to its characteristics (thickness and softness), can still hide the smallest irregularities. Old wallpaper even with perfect walls you need to remove it, if they don’t give in, then wet it and the paper will give in. If after treatment the wall is rough, that’s even good - it will be better connection walls, glue and canvas.
Step 2: Eliminate drafts
Remember that when covering walls with any wallpaper it is important temperature regime, and the absence of drafts before complete drying is a guarantee that the joints will not separate, the canvases will not “bubble” and they will not “lead.” This may take a day, or it may take three.
Step 3: Turn off the lights, remove everything unnecessary
Before starting work, do not forget to turn off the electricity in the room being repaired and remove the top covers of sockets and switches. When the wallpaper is dry, you will cut the canvas into in the right places crosswise and return the lids to their original places. You should also temporarily remove all fasteners, screws, nails, and dowels from the walls.
Step 4: Prepare the glue
Let's start preparing the glue, which, as you remember, must correspond to the type of wallpaper you have chosen. Pour water into the vessel in which you are going to dilute it and, shaking in a circle, pour out the glue in a thin stream. After thoroughly mixing the mixture, let it brew - the required time and other features will be indicated on the packaging. Usually it's 15 minutes.
Step 5: Marking the Wall
As with any wallpaper, experts recommend starting to cover the walls from the window. Although in the case of meter rolls and non-woven ones, in particular, due to the fact that they are glued end-to-end, you can start from where it will be more convenient and economical for you in terms of material consumption. To glue the first fragment evenly, using a plumb line, a ruler and a pencil, draw a perfectly vertical line, from which you will begin gluing.
Step 6: Cutting the canvas
Are you ready to cut the required length of web from the roll? Leave a reserve on the ceiling and floor sides - 10 cm is enough. When the wallpaper is dry, sharply stationery knife you can cut off all the excess. And when pasting, if it suddenly turns out that you need to move the canvas up or down, you will have this opportunity, since non-woven wallpaper allows you to do this within 10 minutes.
Step 7: Let's start gluing
If all preparatory stages passed - let's get to work! Mix the glue thoroughly again and apply it with a wide brush to the part of the wall where, according to the markings, the first tape will go. As you know, non-woven fabrics are not smeared with glue, so together with your partner, carefully apply the dry wallpaper to the right place and begin smoothing the fabric. This work is traditionally done from top to bottom and from the center to the edges. It is convenient to use a special roller for this, and pick up excess glue around the edges with a damp cloth. We glue the second canvas as close as possible and attach it with an edge. If necessary, we connect the drawing. Repeat this operation the required number of times, and the job will be done.
Step 8: Taping off awkward areas
Particular attention should be paid to pasting the so-called inconvenient places. We're talking about corners, openings and behind radiators. There is nothing complicated, it just takes a little more time. The canvas is glued so that it rests slightly on the corner wall. On the other wall, do the same with the second tape. Then using a ruler and sharp knife make a vertical cut through these sheets. Having raised the edges, remove the excess parts of the wallpaper, and, having coated the joint with additional glue, put the sheets back. To paste the areas behind the battery, you will have to cut convenient small pieces.
By the way, don’t forget that when covering the walls of a room with new wallpaper, you can show your imagination. Moreover, we can talk about experiments with both color and shapes. It will definitely make your home completely unique.
Almost each of us had to glue wallpaper ourselves or help friends with this, so the technology of work does not raise any questions - apply glue and apply it to the wall. But today on the market you can find unusually wide wallpapers, the pasting of which confuses even some experienced workers. This wallpaper, needless to say, is very beautiful, durable and unusual, and in this article we will talk about how to glue meter-long wallpaper.
Meter wallpapers are becoming more and more popular every day - people want something new and “fresh”, and unusual and colorful wallpapers are just that. The width of the material is almost 2 times greater than the usual 53 cm. They come in 90, 110 and even 140 cm wide, and if you know how to properly glue meter-long wallpaper, you can only imagine how quickly such repairs will take place!
Of course, you have to pay a hefty sum for all the attractive new items, and wide wallpapers often scare ordinary people with their price tags. But those who have already dealt with this material unanimously claim that every penny spent is worth it - the wallpaper looks uniform, harmonious, lasts a long time and is unpretentious to use.
It's time to consider the advantages of meter wallpaper:
- Gluing meter-long wallpaper is much faster and easier (using the equipment) than standard wallpaper.
- The drawing turns out to be more complete.
- Fewer joints and seams.
- Wide wallpapers are produced only abroad using special technologies and high quality.
- Despite the seemingly high cost of meter-long wallpaper, one roll will be cheaper than two rolls regular wallpaper the same quality.
- Ideal for large rooms.
As usual, even the most quality products has its drawbacks, and meter-long wallpaper is no exception:
- Gluing them alone is quite problematic, especially if you are doing it for the first time.
- Before pasting, you need to prepare the walls very carefully - wide wallpaper looks good only on perfectly smooth and even surfaces. Otherwise, the joints of adjacent wallpaper strips will be distorted.
- Despite the impressive width, the length of the wallpaper may not be enough, which is why you will have to buy an additional roll, so you need to take accurate measurements of the area of the room before going to the store, especially for rooms with non-standard square footage.
Preparatory work
Before you start hanging wallpaper and transforming your home, you need to go through several mandatory steps - prepare the walls and carry out calculations. Without this preparation, any idea is doomed to failure, so read the sections below carefully.
How to calculate wallpaper consumption
Correctly calculating the amount of wallpaper for repair will help you save an impressive amount and get the job done accurately and quickly. Many people decide to use a special program for this purpose - an online wallpaper calculator. But even the best calculator will not help you with wide wallpaper, especially if you are lucky enough to own an apartment with a non-standard layout.
Carrying out calculations consists of several stages:
- You should start with the perimeter, calculating it according to an elementary scheme familiar from geometry lessons: (length of the wall + length of the adjacent wall) x2. For example, if there is a wall 4 m long and a wall 3 m long, then the calculation will look like this: (4+3)x2=14 m.
- Measure each wall separately along the bottom edge, making allowances for doorway recesses, recesses and protrusions.
- Many people “subtract” doors and windows, reasonably believing that wallpaper will not be spent on them. But if you are not good at calculations and cannot calculate how much window and door openings take up in total, it is better to have a little material left over than to have to buy another roll in case of an error.
- Is it necessary to glue wallpaper behind furniture? Ideally, yes. In general, before pasting it is advisable to remove all furniture from the room. But if we're talking about about a bulky wall-sized wardrobe that you are not going to rearrange for the next few years, then you don’t have to burden yourself with unnecessary worries and costs.
- It is always recommended to keep a roll or half a roll in reserve. This is necessary in case of unplanned repairs, replacing a piece of wallpaper (a child painted it with a felt-tip pen, a dog scratched it, etc.). If you do not leave anything in stock, then finding exactly the same wallpaper on the market can then be quite problematic.
Surface preparation
When working with wide wallpaper, the most difficult and time-consuming task is not pasting, but preparing the walls. You should start this even when the ceiling is being finished, if you are dealing with a new building or doing a major renovation in the apartment.
What is the preparation of walls:
- Remove the covers from all outlets and switches, and carefully cover the openings with electrical tape or masking tape so that it can be easily removed after work.
- Remove all fasteners (nails, screws, self-tapping screws) from the walls.
- Remove old covering (wallpaper, paint, etc.). It must be removed completely, down to the smallest pieces.
- If necessary, level the walls by filling potholes and cutting off bumps. The dried putty should be rubbed with fine sandpaper.
- Without fail, even on perfectly smooth and smooth walls One or two standing primers should be applied. It increases the adhesion force of wallpaper to the wall and significantly saves adhesive composition. The primer seals all the smallest holes in the wall, preventing the glue from being absorbed into it and ensuring strong adhesion wallpaper. The glue must be applied to a completely dry primer. Drying times vary and depend on the number of layers applied. More detailed information indicated on the packaging of the primer composition.
If you have an apartment with catastrophically crooked walls, the alignment of which will take a lot of effort, money and time, it makes sense to consider the option of covering the surface with plasterboard. In this case, you can “kill two birds with one stone” - create a perfectly flat surface and provide high-quality thermal insulation, which is especially important for modern apartments with thin walls.
A video on how to glue wallpaper and properly level walls will help you do the work quickly and competently:
How to glue wallpaper: instructions
When all preparatory work behind, you should check and, if necessary, replenish your construction arsenal.
To hang wide wallpaper you will need the following tools:
- a wide brush or flat construction brush with stiff bristles for applying glue (some people prefer to use rollers, but it’s better to start with a brush);
- rubber roller for ironing wallpaper;
- ruler at least 50 cm long;
- a simple pencil;
- construction plumb line;
- stationery knife;
- scissors;
- clean dry rags.
It’s best to glue wide wallpaper together with two or three people, because if you’re not used to it, it’s quite difficult to handle large pieces of material.
The technology for gluing meter-long wallpaper is as follows:
- Measure the length of the wall with a tape measure and calculate how many strips of wallpaper will be needed to cover it.
- Mark the first canvas. You should start from the window, moving deeper into the room. At 105 cm from the corner, draw a vertical line from the ceiling to the floor, using a plumb line and a ruler. Just in case, it is recommended to leave a couple of centimeters if the walls are not completely smooth.
- When working in the corners, allowances should be left, which will subsequently be covered with a panel on the adjacent wall. This will prevent unsightly cracks from forming.
- Cut the number of strips required for one wall, making a small allowance along the length of 2-3 cm.
- Generously coat the wall with glue over the entire width of the panel, slightly going beyond the marked boundaries.
- Since it is better to glue wide wallpaper for the first time with an assistant, one of you should hold the panel by the top edge, climb with it onto a stepladder to the ceiling itself and place the edge exactly to the boundary line of the ceiling and wall. The coincidence along the vertical border outlined in pencil must be controlled by an assistant.
- Smooth the wallpaper to the wall with a dry rag or gloved hand, working from top to bottom and pushing air bubbles to the edges. Under no circumstances try to stretch the wallpaper horizontally, otherwise after drying you will find a completely different result than you expected.
- Place the following sheets close to those already glued, applying them without overlap or gaps.
In most cases, it is not possible to fit an equal number of strips onto one wall, and you have to cut the panel vertically. Then the wallpaper on the adjacent wall should be applied to the corner, covering the cut so that there is no gap, and the glue that protrudes from under the material should be wiped off with a dry rag.
Excess wallpaper (length allowances) should be trimmed only after the panel has completely dried, since otherwise the sheet will most likely shrink in the corners, and crooked gaps will form near the floor, which cannot be masked even with a wide baseboard.
How to glue wallpaper alone
If it so happens that you were unable to get an assistant to hang wide wallpaper, you can handle this work yourself. There is an opinion that non-standard wallpaper can be glued with only one or two assistants, but this is not so. The width of the roll is more than 100 cm, and the human arm span is 150 cm, so you can easily handle it alone, joining the seams and leveling the panel.
The gluing principle is exactly the same as when working with an assistant. If the first time it was not possible to stick the canvas evenly, it can be removed and applied to the wall again - dense material, as a rule, allows this to be done without damaging the structure.
Pasting hard-to-reach places
Places behind radiators, in corners and areas above doorways always cause difficulties, especially when it comes to wide wallpaper. To glue the panel behind the battery, you will have to cut the panel into several small pieces. It is best to cut one piece to make it easier to recreate the original design.
It is quite problematic in such places to ensure that the pattern matches completely. And if an inexperienced person can still handle it above the doorway, then you can do this behind the battery only if you have the appropriate experience or design skills.
First you need to glue a piece of wallpaper to a free section of the wall, and then align it along a pre-designated vertical. The second piece is glued to the opposite end of the battery, aligned as clearly as possible, and the seam is closed with an edge. It is unlikely that you will be able to perform such an operation perfectly the first time, so be patient.
Non-woven wallpaper will become best choice for inexperienced builders - their position on the wall can be easily adjusted as long as 10 minutes after sticking. But to make this possible, it is necessary to use adhesives without additives for rapid hardening.
Below will be given useful tips for beginners from professional builders which will help you learn how to glue meter-long non-woven wallpaper correctly and reliably:
- Before gluing, prepare the walls as thoroughly as possible. It is impossible to overdo it in this regard - the more ideal the surface, the greater the likelihood that the wallpaper will stick more evenly and beautifully.
- To improve stability adhesive composition, it is recommended to prime the surface.
- It is extremely important to create suitable temperature conditions in the room to ensure even drying of the glue. Otherwise, the wallpaper sheets may become deformed and the pattern at the joints will move.
- During gluing and until completely dry, do not allow drafts to form.
- The humidity in the room should be minimal, otherwise the glue will take a long time to dry, and the quality of work will leave much to be desired. At worst high humidity can provoke the appearance of fungi and mold under the wallpaper.
- It is recommended to glue meter-long vinyl wallpaper in summer time(before the start of the heating season).
- Please note that the wallpaper will be exposed to batteries high temperature for a long time, so they may shrink and move away from the wall.
- In order to understand the process of gluing wide wallpaper, it is enough to make markings only for the first section. But if you are not sure, it is better to play it safe and mark out the entire room, immediately counting and cutting the roll into the required number of sheets.
- Inexperienced builders who want to cope on their own are better off starting their acquaintance with the world of wide formats with non-woven wallpaper, since they do not need to be coated with glue (only the wall), and they are easier to handle than other types.
- If you bought non-woven wallpaper, purchase glue designed specifically for it and recommended by the manufacturer.
- It is very convenient to use two stepladders to ensure uniform leveling of the canvas on both sides.
- Many inexperienced builders do not know how much time must pass after gluing before they can open the windows and ventilate the room. You should take into account the drying rate of the adhesive and the type of wallpaper, since for some a day will be enough, while for others it will take 3-4 days to dry. Information about this can be read on the packaging of the adhesive.
- And the most important rule is to avoid drafts while working, otherwise, rest assured that you will have to redo everything all over again.
Meter wallpaper is gradually ceasing to be an outlandish novelty, and they can be found in almost any apartment. Another question is, will you do the repairs yourself or would you prefer to pay a construction company? We hope that after reading this article, you will not have any difficulties with hanging wide wallpaper yourself.
