A practical guide on how to properly glue non-woven wallpaper

Many homeowners prefer non-woven wallpaper because of its longevity and simplicity of application. Non-woven wallpaper is easier to work with because it doesn’t expand when wet like traditional wallpaper does. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced do-it-yourselfer, understanding the right methods for adhering non-woven wallpaper can greatly impact the outcome.

It’s crucial to gather all required tools and materials before you begin. A wallpaper smoother, a sharp utility knife, a tape measure, a pencil, a level, and wallpaper paste appropriate for non-woven wallpaper are among the supplies you’ll need. Setting up your walls is also very important. Make sure they are dry, clean, and smooth. The wallpaper’s adherence and appearance may be impacted by any flaws in the wall.

It’s crucial to apply the paste to the wall rather than the paper when applying non-woven wallpaper. This technique aids in avoiding difficult and messy handling. Starting with a little extra length at the top and bottom, measure and cut your wallpaper strips. Working in sections to avoid the paste drying out too quickly, apply an even layer of paste to the wall. Place the wallpaper strip on the wall where it has been pasted, taking care to line it up with the previous strip or your starting point.

After applying the wallpaper, smooth out any air bubbles with a wallpaper smoother to make sure the paper sticks to the wall securely. To release any trapped air, start at the center and move outward. For a clean edge, trim any extra wallpaper from the top and bottom with a sharp utility knife. If your wallpaper has a pattern, repeat the process for each additional strip, being mindful of the alignment of the pattern.

Adhesing non-woven wallpaper can give your living area a modern, fashionable look with the right technique and patience. These instructions will help you achieve a polished finish that will increase the appeal of your house.

What it is?

Rolls of multi-layered non-woven wallpaper are used to decorate interior spaces. It is composed of 30% binders and 70% modified cellulose fibers.

Non-woven wallpaper is not the same as plain paper in a few ways: it is stronger, more resistant to abrasion, and has a higher fire rating. Has a typical fiberglass structure and feels like elastic fabric.

Three categories of wallpaper exist:

1. Full non-woven. They consist of several layers of material, are impregnated with a special binder, do not get wet, do not shrink and do not lose their appearance. The most expensive.
2. With a non-woven base. The top of this type is decorative and can be made from anything: vinyl, textiles, paper. Vinyl coating gives the material a special sophistication, which is why they are a leader in sales.
3. Wallpaper for painting. They give the walls additional sound and heat insulation and they can be repainted not just once, but a dozen times. The cheapest. We talked about what other types of wallpaper are suitable for painting here.

Non-woven wallpaper can be easily applied with glue to give a room a modern, fashionable look. This helpful tutorial will take you step-by-step through the entire process, from priming your walls to making sure the wallpaper is correctly positioned and attached. We’ll go over the necessary equipment, how to cut and paste the wallpaper, and advice on getting a bubble-free, smooth finish. This guide will assist you in getting professional-looking results without breaking the bank, regardless of your level of experience with do-it-yourself projects.

Pros and cons of non-woven material

Benefits

• Non-woven wallpaper is particularly elastic, which allows it to be used in new buildings without fear of cracks and shrinkage appearing on the walls.
• Steam resistant – t.e. do not deform in conditions of high air humidity, but dry out and their appearance remains unchanged. Therefore, they can be used both in the bathroom and in the kitchen.
• Thanks to the cellulose fibers in the composition, the wallpaper is environmentally friendly and breathable. This type of covering is absolutely safe for both adults and children.
• They have a high level of fire safety (do not support combustion with open fire).
• They serve for a long time and do not fade under the influence of ultraviolet rays.
• They are easy to wash (using special detergents).
• Wallpaper can be glued to any type of surface (OSB, plywood, plasterboard, putty, plaster, concrete), and this procedure is very easy. Non-woven wallpaper is even used for ceiling decoration.
• Due to the increased density, roughness, small cracks and other minor imperfections on the walls are well hidden.
• Does not absorb odors, removes well.
• The wallpaper sheets do not get wet from the adhesive mass and are easy to adjust to the design (the glue should only be applied to the wall, and not to the wallpaper itself).

Drawbacks:

• The top textured layer is vulnerable to mechanical damage, and traces of glue that get on it will not be easy to clean off.
• High cost of the material: the price for 1 roll of wallpaper is over 1000 rubles, which is significant for people with a low income.
• To keep your walls looking neat, you will have to regularly wipe the wallpaper with a damp sponge or clean it with a vacuum cleaner. Dust accumulates in the relief pattern, which is harmful for allergy sufferers and asthmatics.
• Non-woven fabric will not be able to hide bright color spots on the wall – it is so transparent. For the same reason, it is not recommended to stick it over old wallpaper with large drawings, inscriptions, etc.P.
• When buying wallpaper for painting, you will also have to spend money on paint, and, without experience, you will also have to hire people to do the work.

Where to begin?

1. First of all, clean the surface you need from the old finish: remove old wallpaper, decorative plaster, paint. Remove all nails, bolts and sockets.
2. Microcracks, “sinks”, and delaminations are best smoothed out with putty and the surface sanded with sandpaper. This must also be done if there are differences of more than 10 mm per 2 m.
3. Prime the walls with penetrating acrylic primer. It will reduce the moisture capacity of the base and strengthen it. Carry out the work in 2 steps, taking a break of 3-4 hours between stages. Acrylic primer can be replaced with wallpaper glue diluted to a liquid state.
4. Apply markings for convenience: one vertical line – at a distance of 1 meter from the corner, from the starting line – segments equal to the width of the roll, and vertical strokes for joining the wallpaper.

Reference: Use a medium-grained abrasive to remove old paint, and use a specialized product to remove dust.

The following is a list of tools needed for work:

• Laser level (plumb).
• 3 meter tape measure.
• Wide metal spatula.
• Knife.
• Glue cuvettes.
• Rollers (rubber – for rolling out wallpaper, with pile – for applying glue).
• Water bucket, foam sponge, pencil, clean towel.

How to make gluing yourself?

Walls

1. A day before starting work, ventilate the room, then close the doors and windows tightly. Wash the floor and cover it with thick plastic film.
2. Prepare the adhesive mixture. This should be done in advance so that the composition has time to swell, and do not prepare the entire mixture at once, but in portions to avoid polymerization and reduced adhesion. You can find out how to prepare the paste yourself here.
3. Lay the roll face down on the floor, measure the required length using a tape measure (this is the height of the room and 15 mm of reserve), bend the roll along the length and cut it. If you need to join the pattern, also cut the next roll with a reserve.
4. Apply glue to the walls using a brush or roller, and make the strip larger than the width of the roll – this will make it easier to fix the edges. Apply the strip of wallpaper to the wall, observing the markings and straightening it from top to bottom. Smooth the surface to remove air bubbles and folds, with a spatula, and cut off excess material from the bottom and top with a sharp blade. Instead of a spatula, you can use a rubber roller.
5. The remaining rolls are glued in the same way. The patterns and edges fit together as tightly as possible: the canvas will not be deformed and cracks will not appear.
6. When finished, wipe the joints with a damp sponge to remove excess glue. You need to do the same with the ceiling.

Angles

The only challenge is the width of the trellises; otherwise, the algorithm for working in corners is the same as that for working with walls.

Here’s how you can do it on your own:

1. Crooked corners are straightened.
2. The sheets are glued with a couple of centimeters extending onto the adjacent wall.
3. The next piece of canvas is overlapped.
4. An incision is made along the seam.
5. The excess pieces are set aside and the seam is smoothed out.

Butt-butt

Expert artisans can apply glue straight from the roll, but novices should first use a knife to cut the roll to the correct length and pattern. Remember to apply a fungicidal mixture to the walls prior to the procedure in order to prevent fungus growth.

This post has more details on applying wallpaper adhesive end to end, and it also explains how to neatly join them.

Nuances for thin people

They shouldn’t be overly stretched or smoothed because doing so will damage the canvas and require replacement. There are no unique regulations in other cases.

Meter width

According to the above plan, non-woven wallpaper spanning meters is adhered to. However, there are a few subtleties:

• Firstly, it will be difficult to do such work alone, precisely because of the large size of the canvas. Therefore, an assistant will not hurt you.
• Secondly, use not one, but several stepladders.

What to do if bubbles form?

Many apartment owners make the primary error of failing to ventilate their spaces right away after work. Bubbles form in trouble spots, corners, and joints due to draft. It takes a day or two at the very least for full drying. The drying time for non-woven wallpaper is even longer—72 hours.

Occasionally, the cause is even more trivial: you purchased inferior wallpaper, the interlining of which starts to swell as the adhesive absorbs. A plastic spatula or roller can be used to smooth out bubbles by first "wiggling" a piece of glued canvas on the wall and then moving it slightly.

Little bubbles won’t harm you if you wait for the walls to dry completely. Three days after work, if the bubbles are still visible, they need to be glued.

1. Cut each one a couple of millimeters.
2. Insert a syringe with glue inside (without a needle) and release the composition inside.
3. Then blot the area with a damp sponge.

Recommendations and tips

• Before purchasing finishing material, calculate how many rolls you need, to immediately take the required number of tubes of one release change and article number. This will help to avoid color mismatches in different wallpaper rolls. First, determine the area of ​​the walls (multiply the height by the length and sum up all the results), subtract the area of ​​window and door openings, divide by the area of ​​one roll.
• Choose the right glue. It should be diluted to the required (thick) consistency so that it is applied in a thin layer and does not leak, has good adhesion to the wallpaper and does not leave yellow marks after drying. All these requirements are met by specialized glue (for heavy and light wallpaper). It is better to use universal glue only as a last resort – it does not hold the wallpaper well. Popular brands:
• "Moment Flizelin".
• "Methylan Flizelin Ultra Premium".
• "Quelyd Special Flizelin".
• "FliziLex", "Exclusive Non-Woven".
• "Kleo Flizelinovy".

The method used to determine the number of packs is as follows: the wall area is divided by the consumption in square meters listed on the package, and the resulting number is rounded.

Transfer the necessary quantity of warm water into a basin, then pour the glue into the center while stirring the water until a funnel forms. You can use a stick or your hands to do this; to break up all the little lumps, a drill attachment called a mixer is used afterwards. The glue is then used after being given 15 minutes to swell. You can add an additional 200 milliliters of water within 30 minutes of beginning the kneading process.

Using your hands to hang wallpaper is not that hard. The key is to measure carefully, compute ratios, purchase premium supplies, and give the task your whole focus. Your efforts won’t be in vain then.

Any room can be transformed by adhering non-woven wallpaper correctly, which gives your walls texture and beauty. Even if you’re a do-it-yourself enthusiast, you can achieve a professional-looking finish by following a few easy steps. Making sure your walls are smooth, clean, and defect-free is the first step in the process. It is essential to complete this foundational step for the wallpaper to adhere correctly and appear seamless.

The next step after prepping your walls is to measure and cut the wallpaper. Here, accuracy is crucial because precise measurements will guarantee that no strip is wasted and that it fits perfectly. Your final product will look more polished if you use a sharp blade to create clean edges. Always remember that cutting slightly longer strips that you can trim later is preferable to cutting them too short.

The correct application of the adhesive is an additional crucial step. Applying paste directly to the wall is common for non-woven wallpaper, which streamlines and expedites the process. To prevent lumps and bubbles, apply a uniform coat. To prevent the adhesive from drying out before you can apply the wallpaper, work in small sections.

The wallpaper strips should now be carefully hung, aligned precisely, and wrinkles and bubbles should be smoothed out as you go. An even, level surface can be achieved by using a smoothing tool or a wallpaper brush. This is a step where a steady hand will yield the best results, so take your time. For a neat finish, trim off any extra wallpaper at the top and bottom.

You can successfully glue non-woven wallpaper and give your room a modern, fashionable makeover by following these instructions and taking your time. Making sure that every step is done carefully and with precision is crucial. Have fun with the décor!

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