Wallpaper for painting

No, whatever you say, women are the main engine of progress. For example, my husband is a man of a heroic profession: a pilot. And in general, on the whole, he is wonderful in all respects: he loves me, animals and the Vremechko program. And with the mother-in-law, by the way, contrary to all the vulgar anecdotes, he lives in perfect harmony. True, it is rare at home, flies back and forth: either Nice or Khanty-Mansiysk.

And recently he brought a salary. We bought a cake, sit in the living room, drink tea, watch some kind of Mexican rubbish on TV. I must say that I can’t keep track of the plot – either work, or summer residence, or some other problems. Unknown directors and cameramen convinced me of only one thing: Latin American housewives know how to design apartments – this is a fact. I say to my husband: “Look, they are good fellows, they probably do repairs every year. And we are going to re-paste the wallpaper for the fifth year! ”

Wallpaper from the Novaboss collection by Erfurt & Son – in the interior, already painted

“Uh-huh,” the husband absentmindedly assented and switched the TV to Novozhenov. “I’m asking you, do you think to do the house or not?” – I tried to ask in pursuit. “Uh-huh,” agreed my pilot, staring at the screen. The conversation faded, never struck. Then night fell, there was no time for conversations, but the thought nestled and grew for a couple of days. “No, you can’t live like that,” I was angry, “we live like homeless people. Not an apartment, but a trash heap! ” My husband just flew away again, and I took what was left of the salary and went.

The shops, as usual, were full of everything, in general – heaps of wallpaper. “Tell me, is it possible to buy such, so that later you won’t remember about them for ten years?” – I turned to the saleswoman. The girl looked at me with understanding and announced: “Yes! Moreover, you stick them on, and then you can repaint at least every month! ” And, conspiratorially leaning over to me, she asked: “Do you have dirty wallpaper around the switches?” “Dirty,” I honestly admitted. “So. You probably tried to glue the pieces, scrub them off with washing powder – and it’s all useless, right? ” “Yes,” I said sadly. “I strongly advise, buy paintable wallpaper, then say thank you. Any dirt, stains, or if the child gets hot with a felt-tip pen, simply paint over everything! At the same time, there is no need to repaint the entire wall, just select the desired tone, five minutes – once, once and the job is ready! ”

I was dumbfounded. And when the movers were dragging rolls of wallpaper, cans of paint and glue to the taxi, I trotted behind them and thought: “Probably, the girl’s husband is also a man of a heroic profession, maybe a policeman or a firefighter. In general, busy “.

This is how paintable wallpaper appeared in my house. Now is the time to say that I bought, it turns out, not the most expensive, paper ones. But when, on the instructions of the editors, I talked with representatives of the manufacturers of wallpaper for painting, it turned out that there are three types of such wallpapers on the domestic market: paper structured wallpaper, wallpaper with a non-woven base, on which foam vinyl is sprayed (in the form of all kinds of reliefs), and glass wallpaper. All types are united by one important feature – they can be painted or even repainted many times. But in essence they are completely different. Both their advantages and disadvantages are also different. Therefore, it is simply incorrect to compare them, they say, those are better than these. Therefore, let’s see how they, firstly, differ from each other and from ordinary, familiar to us wallpapers, and secondly. In fact, I will try to prove that there are three ways you can improve your life. Namely: how to do the right thing with the walls, so as never to quarrel with your husband.

Method one: paintable paper wallpaper

I bought paintable German paper wallpaper. These products are represented on our market by the German factory “Erfurt”. The factory was founded in 1827, so it has a rich history and experience. True, from the very beginning, paintable paper wallpaper was used only as a decorative decoration for shop windows. And in the twenties of our century, they began to paste over the walls of residential premises. The Germans have four collections of paper wallpapers. Moreover, they also come in several types: two-layer, three-layer and with filler from sawdust.

German upholsterers are active fighters for our health, their wallpapers are considered environmentally friendly products. And even paper for one of the collections – “Raufazer”, does not trust anyone, they produce themselves. This is the so-called recycled paper made from recycled materials. However, this does not mean that the paper is bad. It’s just that the Germans, with their inherent thrift, don’t let anything down the drain. However, because of this, the Raufazer wallpaper is not completely white. Moreover, the back of the paper is almost completely gray. So this wallpaper just can’t be painted.

The Raufazer collection is especially interesting because sawdust is pressed between two layers of paper. They, in fact, create relief. By the way, sawdust in this case is by no means recyclable. At the factory they take a “full” log and grind it on purpose. If you take a roll of wallpaper and look at the cut, tiny pieces of wood will stick out of it. They say that once our cunning painters themselves invented such a “covering” of the wall. The leveled surface was smeared with glue, and the craftsmen sprinkled it with rolled oats. And when the mass dried up, paint was applied on top.

Let’s go back to the real branded paintable wallpaper. Why is this collection good? They are suitable for any surface (not even a particularly carefully leveled one). They can be used to paste over not only the walls of the room, but also the ceiling, and then the feeling of a homogeneous seamless surface is created. Wallpaper is applied quickly and easily. They do not have any specific pattern (sawdust, you understand, are scattered chaotically), so the edges can not be adjusted.

Applying, painting and removing wallpaper from the “Patent Decor” collection:

1. Apply glue
2. Apply a sheet of wallpaper
3. Press down with a roller
4. Cut the edging with a spatula and a knife
5. Subsequent sheets are glued end-to-end
6. Cut the overlap with a sharp knife
7. Apply paint with a paint roller
8. Remove the wallpaper dry without residue

Still, you shouldn’t relax. For example, the instructions say: “After applying glue to the wallpaper, you need to wait 10-15 minutes.” And the experts firmly told me – it’s better to do it in 10 minutes: “overexposed” for another five minutes, the canvas can get so wet that there is simply nothing to glue.

On other paper collections of the Erfurt factory, the relief is made by embossing. First, two layers of paper are glued together, then the resulting web is rolled between two rollers. On one of the rollers a convex pattern is made, on the other, on the contrary, the pattern is pressed into the roller. It is clear that when the paper is rolled, a drawing is squeezed out on future wallpaper.

Another Erfurt collection is Novaboss Plus – two-layer paper wallpapers without filler. The front side (unlike the previous type) is snow-white, and if desired, they can not be painted. (True, why buy them at all then?) They must be glued, like most heavy wallpaper, end-to-end. But keep in mind, if the wallpaper is not painted, the joints will be noticeable. The wall looks ugly.

This collection contains a wide variety of reliefs. But if you chose paintable wallpaper from this collection, then consider some features. Firstly, the reverse side of the wallpaper is not smooth, but just as embossed as the front. Therefore, the wrong side must be properly coated with glue. Secondly, this type of wallpaper definitely requires rapport – fitting the edges. True, the neat and thorough Germans simplified our work: they indicated in the instructions exactly how many millimeters you need to adjust. This means that already in the store you can ask how much waste there will be and, therefore, how many more rolls you will have to buy.

Collection “Novaboss pro” – three-layer wallpaper. Rather, it is a modification of Novaboss Plus. The third layer is glued to the already bonded two layers, it seems to strengthen the embossing. In addition, it is much easier to stick on Novaboss Pro: the back side, just because of the third layer, is smooth. Therefore, the adhesive will absorb better. But the wall must be perfectly aligned. So if somewhere in one place you had to putty the wall, you will have to go over the entire surface with the putty.

How to smooth wallpaper? To avoid air bubbles, brush with a special wallpaper brush, brushing it from top to bottom along the wall. And in any case, do not use an ordinary rag, and even more so – do not smooth the wallpaper from the middle to the edges. Otherwise, ruin everything. The fact is that the wallpaper, still wet from the glue, deforms for some time. Wet paper swells, and the relief fades, disappears. But, drying out, the drawing tends to recover, and the glue interferes with it. And gaps may appear between the edges of the panels. However, even in such an accident, do not put out, do not panic. And it is not at all necessary, swearing, to tear off the wallpaper. Take a putty and run your finger (not a spatula) along each seam.

And, finally, the last paper collection of this factory – “Raufazer Color” – colored wallpaper for painting. These are already factory painted wallpapers, but they can be easily repainted later. The only drawback of this collection is that unpainted joints will be just as noticeable as on ordinary paper wallpaper.

Method two: is it possible to paint non-woven?

Wallpaper in combination with a plinth, which is produced by the Marburg company, the collection “Patent Decor”)

The second type of paintable wallpaper is non-woven wallpaper. Non-woven fabric is a panel made of compressed fiber sections, very dense in structure. I’m not sure if men know what non-woven is. But we women, as always, know everything. Especially for those who know how to sew. In order, for example, to make some detail of the jacket wrinkle-free, interlining is glued to the inside out.

So, it is on him (through a stencil with a pattern) that foam vinyl is sprayed. The reverse side of the wallpaper (wrong side) remains smooth. If you buy wallpaper for painting on a non-woven base, it is a wonderful thing in every respect, because it is even easier to glue them than paper ones. They do not deform, do not shrink, do not swell. Moreover, it is not the cloth that is smeared with glue, but only the wall. Therefore, less glue will be needed, and the work will go more fun..

It is because of their strength that experts especially recommend gluing them in new homes. Why? I will explain. The walls in the new house, as you know, “shrink”, and for quite a long time, several years. In especially severe cases, irregularities and cracks even appear. So, the wallpaper on a non-woven base will not only not tear, but in a sense, will keep the crack, will not let it go further.

And everything would be fine. But they have one “harmfulness”: they need to be handled very carefully. They are a gentle and capricious person. The fact is that the relief (foamed vinyl), in principle, can even be scraped off with a fingernail. I’ve tried it. I picked up the “squiggle” of the drawing, and it flew off. Therefore, they must be painted, then the top layer will become much stronger. On the other hand, it is better not to crawl over them with the back of a chair and not to put a sofa or table right next to them – the wallpaper will be more intact.

There are many manufacturers in the capital market that specialize in wallpaper with a non-woven base – Mohr, Marburg, Erismann and AS Creation.

Wallpaper by “Marburg” company (collection “Patent Decor”)

Almost every manufacturer of such paintable wallpaper, except for two Erismann collections – Roll Over and Profi Design – has borders. And in the collection “Patent Decor” (“Marburg”), in addition to the continuous wallpaper, which is glued from floor to ceiling, there are also the so-called upper and lower parts of the canvas. That is, the wall can be pasted over with two wallpaper panels of different pattern, and a border will separate them. Moreover, you can choose a border of a different texture. In addition, you can combine not only wallpaper, but also paint colors. For example, if you paint a border, and then run a sponge over it (not yet dry), the paint will be absorbed into it and will not be so bright on convex areas of the relief. And the drawing of the border seems to “turn gray”. They showed me a sample – quite nothing, for my taste, beautiful.

There is one more type – completely non-woven wallpaper – the latest collection of the Erfurt factory, and it is called “Fleecephaser”. This is a structured wallpaper. The relief is made in the same way as in other collections of this factory – it is rolled (that is, the wallpaper is rolled over the rollers). But there is one difference – the reverse side of the relief is visible on the wrong side, and the back side of wallpaper on a non-woven basis is absolutely smooth. On this basis, it is precisely possible to distinguish real non-woven wallpaper.

They are very durable. For example, in the office of the representative office they gave me a Fleecephaser roll to be torn apart. “Don’t be afraid, tear, tear bolder!” – the manager admonished me. I must say, you don’t have to persuade me to spoil anything for a long time. I furiously began to gut the roll, for a long time and persistently tried to tear off at least a piece, or at least, at worst, crush it. Nothing worked, no matter how hard I tried. The trick failed. “What is it,” the girl beaming with pleasure, “this wallpaper is special in general. These are the only wallpapers that can be glued dry. No, the wall should be covered with glue, of course. And further. What to do if, for example, you get tired of them over time and you want to tear them off? ” “Well, I’ll wash them off, rip them off, scrape them with a knife to cement…” I suggested. “But you don’t have to scratch anything! – the Fairy “Fleesphaser” triumphed. – Just pick up the cloth from the corner and pull it towards you. The canvas will come off completely “.

Indeed, what miracles do not happen in our progressive time? But this wonderful paintable wallpaper is not everything..

Method three: fiberglass

This wallpaper is produced using a completely different technology. However, in two qualities, they are akin to non-woven wallpaper: they are also durable and also just stick. But it is very difficult to tear off the wall, one might say almost impossible. So I was advised against buying them home. They are more suitable for offices. But, on the other hand, as you like. Fiberglass wallpapers have other important differences and features, but this is a topic for a separate article. Therefore, we will tell about it next time..

In the meantime, let’s summarize.

How to handle them?

In any store, they will definitely tell you that, they say, no special preparation of the walls for wallpaper for painting is required. But, you see, any surface before starting repair work should still be properly putty. In this case, the surface must be dry and hard. The plaster should not run at your fingertips. The glued canvas must not be rolled along the wall with a hard roller. Your best bet is to buy a special brush. As a last resort, use a soft roller. Otherwise, the texture may be damaged again. And most importantly, you need to glue the edges of the wallpaper as carefully as possible. Otherwise, the seams will part..

Now attention! We are not just talking about wallpaper, but about paintable wallpaper. So, the wallpaper should be painted with water-dispersion paint. Whichever paint you choose, this is how the surface will look: the wallpaper may appear matte or, conversely, silky. Again, paint determines whether your wallpaper is washable or not. Better to use acrylic, latex paints. The girl-seller did not deceive me, the office of the company confirmed to me: “You can repaint them at least every month!” But experts still advise not to get carried away and repeat your art a maximum of 10-12 times. On the other hand, it all depends on the quality of the paint. Therefore, we advise you not to be greedy, otherwise you can completely ruin the canvas for a few paints..

What glue is needed? It is better to choose the one recommended by your chosen firm. They know better. But the well-known glue of the company “Henkel” (Xenkel) “Moment-Extra” is considered universal.

That’s all. Now you can kiss your husband on the forehead and go to the store. And there, guided by our advice, choose the wallpaper you like for painting. There is still time before the New Year. Just in time to step into a new century with new walls.

Ekaterina Achkasova