How to glue wallpaper correctly

One of the most popular types of finishing rooms – wallpapering. But to make the result pleasing, you need to know how to glue wallpaper correctly. There are a sufficient number of nuances that affect the quality of the finish.

Preparatory stage

First, in the room remove everything that can be removed, including door casings and baseboards, if possible. Also remove outlets and switches, closing the boxes with wires plugs – plastic or wooden.

Disconnecting electrical outlets

When working with electricity, the room is de-energized and until we finish, do not turn on. It is desirable to carry out all work, including wallpaper pasting, with the power off. The work is “wet”, and water or glue can get on the wires and short-circuit. If the wiring is made according to all the rules and there are protective circuit breakers, it is not terrible. They just cut off the power and that’s it.

If the wiring is still done the old way, it can be dangerous. Worst of all, in this case there is often no way to cut off the power in a single room. Only in the whole apartment or, at best, in its half. Then the solution is to remove the power wires from sockets and switches (with the power off, of course) and carefully insulate the ends, then hide them under the plugs. Then you will have to uncoil them and put them in place, but it will be safe.

Lighting when working make temporary – pull extension cords from other rooms and include portable lights. After dealing with electricity, you can move on.

If the walls are only leveled and spackled, you do not need to do anything except priming. But if there is an old coating on them – wallpaper or paint – you will have to work. First remove the previous finish.

Peel off the old wallpaper

If the walls are pasted wallpaper, in an arbitrary place they are picked up with a corner of the spatula, then pull the bent corner, tearing off. If you are lucky, tear off entire strips, sometimes several meters of a single cloth. But more often it turns out to be small fragments. At first they remove everything that will turn out to be “dry”. If it is very difficult and small parts, take a basin of water and a roller, soak the walls in this way. To get off easier, you can add dish detergent to the water.

If the wallpaper is paper, water is applied simply to the surface. If they are vinyl or with some other strong film – first the film is torn through. You can do this with a spiky roller, or with a brush with metal bristles. The main thing is to break through the film so that the water can soak into the base – paper or fleece – and soak up the glue. Sometimes it is necessary to wet the wallpaper several times to make it come off more easily.

Further actions are the same as with paper wallpaper: pick up with a spatula and tear off. Sometimes this technique – tearing off pieces – is ineffective. It is faster if you peel off the soaked finish with a trowel. Then scrape at a sharp angle with a blade on the wall. In general, no matter how, but the old wallpaper must be removed completely.

Removing paint and whitewash

Also have to work with a trowel, scrubbing centimeter by centimeter. The work is monotonous and quite tedious, and also – dirty. There are several ways to speed things up.

Oil paint on concrete

The option, in fact, two: chemical and mechanical. Chemical – these are special flushes for paint. The composition most often looks like a gel. Applied to the surface and, after some time (indicated on the package) rises in bubbles or begins to shrink. The paint has softened and can be removed with any spatula.

Everything happens quite simply, but there are two “buts”. First – the price of flushing is not small. The second – vapors are clearly not useful. You need to work in a ventilated room, but do not dry the flush, or the effect will not be. And still, even with ventilation sometimes has a headache. So a respirator will not hurt, and also necessarily gloves.

The mechanical method is not just a spatula. So you will have to scrub for a very long time. Use a bolgarka or a perforator. On the bolgarka there are brushes made of metal wire. You can try to remove it this way. The method works, but not always, or it turns out too slowly. Then you can take a perforator and a chisel, and holding the chisel perpendicular to the surface, drive it along the wall, without deepening. The paint bounces off sharply. After such “shock” processing remains to clean up the remains with a spatula.

Water emulsion, whitewash or paint on gypsum plaster

Remove this type of paint on the walls is not the least bit easier. Scrape is obtained, only very, very slowly. The way out is very simple: water again and a special scraper for paint. You can buy it in a construction store. Immediately take and a few spare blades: in the kitchen, for example, it takes three or four pieces.

The wall is well lubricated with water. Brush or roller, you can do it several times. Then you leave it to soak. And then you scrape it off with a scraper. The paint bounces right off. It is important only that the wall is well wet.

How to choose wallpaper for the corridor and hallway read here.

Caulking irregularities

Here you will first have to assess the condition of the walls. To begin with, you need to pull out all nails, screws, remove chips and widen cracks. Then inspect the results. If the walls are more or less even, there are only small defects, you can do with occasional leveling. Caulk only cracks, dents, chips. They can be plastered with finishing putty. Only before leveling, the wall is finally cleaned of dust and pieces of wallpaper, and then cover with primer (wall roller and brush in the corners).

If the wall after “processing” with a perforator, without a full-fledged puttying of the entire wall can not do without. Mostly today use gypsum putty. First put on a layer of primary or starter. It is with a coarser grain and the layer can be up to 3-5 mm. This composition is used to level the main irregularities, trying to achieve an even surface. After drying, pass a special grid, removing the irregularities and sponges that may be.

After the finish putty is used. It is very plastic and is applied in a thin layer – up to 1-2 mm. After it, the wall becomes smooth (after the irregularities smoothed with a mesh, only with a finer mesh).

Wall priming

The second layer of primer is applied after puttying. It forms a film on the surface, which reduces the absorption of glue, and will also improve adhesion. In the case of wallpapering, a more liquid wallpaper adhesive can be used as a primer. On each packet there is a table that shows the amount of water for wallpapering and primer. We dilute the glue in the required proportion, wait for its readiness (also on the package) and cover the walls with the composition. The technique of priming is the same: first pass the corners with a brush, then roller even surfaces.

In the video, the use of primary putty for some reason is called plaster, but otherwise the sequence of actions is presented correctly.

Rules and ways of combining wallpaper are described in this article.

Rules of gluing

When wallpapering with wallpaper, there are several rules that must be adhered to. The technique varies depending on the type of wallpaper, as well as the glue that is necessary for a quality result.The difference is mainly in when and where to apply the glue. You don’t have to guess. Everything is on the insert, which is available on every roll of wallpaper. It graphically depicts, and in some cases it is written, which of the parts should be smeared with glue: only the wall or only the wallpaper, or maybe both at once.

But some things remain unchanged. For example, the application of the starting strip.

Where to start

In reality, the starting place is not so important. It is important that the first strip is glued strictly vertically. Therefore, the choice is up to you.

If there is a perfectly exposed corner in the room: flat and exactly vertical, you can start from it. You can start from the door with a perfectly aligned jamb. If there is nothing like that, draw yourself a reference point yourself. Take a construction level, mark a point on the wall and through it draw a vertical line. Inexpensive construction levels of household class, which we usually use in the repair, sometimes give a solid error. And since it is important for us to glue the first strip strictly vertically, check the accuracy of the line with a plumb line. Here he never lies, showing exactly downward. If everything is normal, you will align the edge of the strip on this line.

If you still have not decided where to start gluing wallpaper and this is your first experience in this area, start with the wall that is less visible than others. For example, the one with the closet along it. A couple of the first strips you will be difficult, and then you will better understand what to what and mistakes will be less.

How to glue wallpaper on the wall

If the glue is required by the manufacturers, applied to the cut fragment, the smeared strip is folded so that the smeared side was inside. To do this, wrap the edges to the middle, then fold a few more times. Do not press the places of folds. Let them remain rounded. This is necessary so that all the layers are soaked and the cloth lies well on the wall, and also glued without bubbles.

If it is necessary to apply glue to the wall, you smear the area a little more than the width of the wallpaper. The area under the ceiling, in the corner and near the floor is smeared with a brush. Then the rules are general.

Take the cut strip, climb up the stepladder. The upper edge of a few centimeters lead to the ceiling, then align one of the edges on the drawn line “start”. Since wallpaper today glue butt, which of the edges – it does not matter.

Strictly applying the side edge to the line, movements from this line to the other edge, glue wallpaper in the ceiling area. Then, gradually moving down, go down a little lower.

The excess centimeters on the ceiling are cut off. It is more convenient to do this with a paper knife and a large spatula. Well press the paper to the corner, holding it with your hand. Then put the spatula. On its edge, run the blade of the knife.

Gluing the cloth, movements are made from the center of the strip to the side and slightly downward, driving out the trapped air to the edges. Previously, this was done with a rag, but it is better and faster to get a roller with an elastic nozzle (it is usually yellow in color). When working with it, there are practically no bubbles. But if the wallpaper is structural, with an extruded pattern, the roller can crumple them. Then take a wallpaper brush. It is wide and flat, with a stiff pile.

Once you get to the place where the strip is not yet glued, you unfold the rest of the density and proceed according to the same scheme. First, expose the edge, then using a roller or rag to expel the air, achieving an even surface.

The second strip is glued in the same way, with the only difference that the reference point for gluing the edge will be the existing canvas on the wall. That’s why it is important to glue it evenly, otherwise all the others will also slash.

Features of the choice of wallpaper for the bedroom are considered here.

Secrets of gluing corners

It is most difficult to correctly glue wallpaper in the corners. But this is only until you know the secret. At first, you can try to make it simple. One of the pieces is wrapped on the adjacent wall by 1-2 cm, and the second one is cut on the corner.

It is not difficult to do, this method looks good. But on some wallpaper, this strip is very visible. For this case, there is another way. Glue the cloths on both sides of the corner so that they are at least slightly wrapped on the other side (2-3 cm is enough). Press well, so that they precisely adhere. to the walls and the corner.

Then you take a special cutter or a large spatula. Press it in the corner, along its edge cut the wallpaper with a sharp knife. It is necessary to simultaneously cut both cloths, so that the effort may need a significant amount of force. To make the cut continuous, do not tear off the knife. After stopping, move the spatula, which you rest against the blade and then continue the cut.

Having cut off everything, remove both cut strips, and the remaining cloths dock in the corner. If the wallpaper before cutting was well pressed, the match is perfect, without any discrepancies.

How to glue wallpaper on the outside corners? Almost in the same ways. In the first case, one of the strips is wrapped around the corner by one or two centimeters (for thicker wallpaper, 2 cm is better, for thin – 1 cm is enough). The second strip is glued strictly along the corner. If this overlap is visible (usually on wallpaper on a fleezelin base), it will be necessary to cut along the entire strip. In this case, wrap more and cut vertically with the same trowel and knife. Cut off remove, the joint is glued.

Meter wallpaper in the corners glue in the same way as narrower ones. It happens that in the corner you need a narrow strip, and the rest is cut off. If the wallpaper is without a pattern, it will be possible to use it somewhere, at least in another corner. With patterned cloths, they also sometimes get somewhere to attach them, but it is more difficult to do this. Therefore, and take patterned with a decent reserve: just for such cases.

How to glue vinyl wallpaper on a paper base, how to kick out non-ideal corners in this video.

What wallpaper is better in the kitchen read here.

How to glue wallpaper near the door and window

If the door or window is at the same level with the plane of the wall, there are usually no problems. Wallpaper is cut along the door frame or along the edge of the platband. The cloth is cut at an angle of about 45° up to the corner of the trim or frame. The cut parts are wrapped along the opening, folded and then cut off with scissors or a knife. Smoother and faster is obtained using a knife and trowel.

More difficulties are caused by the option when it is necessary to glue and the slope of the door or window. When using paper wallpaper, the principle is again simple: glue a strip on the slope, bringing it to 1 cm on the wall. On top of the glue a piece of exactly on the cut of the window opening.

But with wallpaper on fleece, this method will not pass: too visible “overlaps”. In this case, the strip is cut along the window opening with a small margin. On top of the overlap glue another piece, cutting them exactly along the cut of the window opening. The glued piece is wrapped inside, on the slope. Further joints are made as before.

It is difficult to explain in words. It is more accessible in the video. In it, by the way, and the design of wallpaper archways there is a story.

How to make the joints invisible

That the joints of the cloths were invisible, you need to take care during gluing. You need to connect the cloths so that there is no gap between them, but also so that they do not go one on top of the other, even by a millimeter. It is necessary to achieve a perfect match.

Since the perfectly flat walls we meet, alas, not often, it turns out that the seam then crawls a little, then diverges. Your task is to move the strips so that it becomes perfect and invisible. You can move the fabrics with your hands – they can be slightly stretched and compressed. This is how you achieve the required alignment. If the resulting flaw is too big and shifts can not achieve anything, the strip is peeled off to this place and, having corrected as necessary, glued again. Sometimes, if the seam is sticking out a bit, rolling with a special conical roller can help.

With this technique, it turns out that first glue the edge, which joins, and then, from it begin to smooth the rest of the surface of the cloth. If you have examined the seam and are satisfied with the result, take a clean cloth and wipe it from the excess glue that may have protruded during all these actions.

On how to glue meter vinyl wallpaper on a fleezelin base and how to make the joint invisible, see the video.

Eliminating imperfections

With a lack of experience, it can happen that after or during drying on the walls there are bubbles. You can remove them with simple actions. Take a large syringe, fill it with glue, pierce the bubble and inject some glue into it. Vinyl wallpaper, acrylic, paper – the top is unimportant in this case. The actions change depending on the basis. If the wallpaper is paper-based, you wait five to seven minutes, if on fleeces – act immediately.

Next, you need to use a roller, spatula or rag to expel the air from the bubble. To begin with, chase the glue inside, then from the edges to the puncture displace the air along with excess glue. Wipe them off with a clean rag.

Quite often the seams diverge. Wallpaper can lag along the flow or baseboard. There are two ways to glue them up. Use a brush and the remnants of glue or buy a special one for the seams. It is in a tube and is applied point by point. Again, the order of actions depends on the basis.Having wet the paper, wait for a while, then glue, watching the matching edges.