The variety of textures and sizes, reliability and practicality, the convenience and simplicity of the pasting process have made non-woven wallpaper a leader in wall finishing materials. Particularly popular are canvases, conditionally called meter-long, whose width is 90-140 cm, in contrast to the standard 53 cm. Master finishers admit that gluing meter-long non-woven wallpaper is a pleasure. Due to the structure of non-woven material made of cellulose fibers bonded with a polymer, they do not stretch, do not tear and easily glide over the work surface.
Advantages of wide non-woven fabrics
Meter non-woven wallpaper has a number of important advantages over other finishing materials due to the combination of composition and increased width.
- Such coatings are sometimes referred to as "seamless", since the number of strips glued to the wall is less than in the standard version. Consequently, the number of joints is reduced. The relief surface of the material additionally helps to make the seams almost invisible.
- Installation of meter-long sheets saves time, since fewer strips have to be marked, cut, applied, adjusted and joined.
- The price of one wide roll is not equal to the cost of two standard ones, which means that the cost of material and repairs is generally reduced.
Some disadvantages and inconveniences
Along with the advantages, it is worth identifying several disadvantages of this type of wall covering, which turn into inconvenience during installation.
- The main inconvenient moment: despite the fact that non-woven wallpaper is able to mask minor defects and flaws in the working surface, for finishing with meter-long canvases, you will have to properly and efficiently prepare. If there are differences on the surface, there will be problems with joining the sheets.
- Working with wide canvases alone is difficult and tiring, especially when pasting the ceiling.
- It is more difficult to calculate and fit meter-long wallpapers, taking into account complex areas, than standard ones. The lack of a couple of centimeters in width will entail the purchase of an additional roll.
- Before gluing wide canvases, you will have to align the corners and transitions between the wall and the ceiling. With curved connections of surfaces, it is not an easy task to dock non-woven meter-long coatings.
Tools and materials
The bonding of non-woven fabrics must occur quickly in order to prevent the glue from drying out. So, it is worth worrying about the necessary materials and tools in advance. An example list looks like this:
- special wallpaper glue for non-woven fabric, diluted and aged according to the instructions;
- paint brushes or roller for applying adhesive solution;
- rubber roller for leveling cloths and removing air;
- sponge or dry rag for excess glue;
- sharp knife (wallpaper or clerical);
- pencil and tape measure;
- table (ladder).
Surface preparation
The stages of rough finishing for pasting with meter-long non-woven wallpaper are standard, but they are carried out with particular care. The surface should be smooth, dry, clean and uniform.
- The working space is freed from sockets, switches, electrical appliances, the previous finish is completely removed. How to remove different types of old coatings, read here.
- Detected foci of fungus or mold are treated with an antibacterial composition.
- Irregularities are puttied, after drying they are rubbed with sandpaper.
Note! If the glued wallpaper is not planned to be painted, the surface color will have to be leveled, otherwise you can get a surprise in the form of spots translucent through the translucent interlining.
- The final step to improve adhesion is applied one or two coats of primer.
Advice! If the area of the room and the height of the ceiling allow, it is better to quickly level the surfaces, joints and corners with drywall.
GKL preparation for wallpapering is described in detail in this article.
Marking and cutting canvases
Non-woven meter-long wallpapers are glued only end-to-end. To simplify the work, it is better to pre-mark the surface and cut the required number of strips.
- Experts recommend starting pasting from the corner. From the chosen starting point, a distance of two to three centimeters less than the width of the roll is measured. A straight vertical line is drawn. For example, with a panel width of 106 cm, the distance from the corner to the marking line will be 104 cm.
- Then, with vertical lines along the width of the wallpaper, the surface is marked up to the next corner.
- Since whole meter strips are not glued into the corners, from the resulting extreme line the roulette is wound around the corner by 2 cm, markings are applied, then (to the next corner) the width of the panel is measured from this line.
- Whole strips of the desired length are cut with a margin of up to 10 cm each. They will be neatly trimmed after the wallpaper dries. If a ceiling plinth is used in the design, it is necessary to leave an allowance only at the bottom - 2-3 cm is enough.
- In the same way, stripes are cut out for the corners of the required width, obtained during marking.
Gluing process
When the surface is prepared, dried and marked, the panels are cut, the inventory is picked up, we proceed to pasting.
Pay attention to the room temperature. Drafts and dry air should be avoided while working with wallpaper and for about a day after they are finished.
- With a paint brush or roller, glue is applied to the wall with a slight overhang of the marking line.
- A dry non-woven fabric is applied, aligned along the wall-ceiling junction and at the same time aligned with the vertical line.
Important! When working with non-woven coatings, there is the possibility of adjustment and adjustment: a 10-minute margin of time until the adhesive solution has completely set. Therefore, for independent work, it is not recommended to use a quick-drying composition.
- The strip is pressed tightly in the center, then leveled with a special roller. The movements are reminiscent of drawing a Christmas tree: from the center to the sides and at the same time from top to bottom. Excess glue that has come out can be removed with a sponge or cloth.
- Each subsequent non-woven fabric is tightly fitted and joined with the glued one.
- The resulting overlap in the corners is cut in the middle, the extra strips of wallpaper are removed, resulting in a smooth, imperceptible seam.
Pasting difficult areas
The technology of pasting non-woven wallpaper on straight sections is simple. Difficulties are usually caused by such "uncomfortable" places as the surface of the wall behind the radiator, openings and external corners.
- To glue part of the wall behind the radiator, you will have to cut non-woven sheets into small fragments, and the presence of a pattern complicates the assembly of such a “puzzle”.
- External corners are pasted over in the same way as internal ones: by overlapping, followed by cutting and removing excess. At the corners and openings, where there is a chance of hooking and tearing off the wallpaper, the overlap should be done not in the center, but with an offset of 3-4 cm. The method of pasting the corners is described in more detail here.
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- Battery sticker
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- Cut in inner corner
Coloring
It is possible to paint non-woven wallpaper intended for these purposes after complete drying. This will happen 2-4 days after gluing.
You can use water-based, acrylic, latex compositions. Apply paint to the wallpaper in 2 layers. After the first application, the surface must dry, usually it takes 12 hours.
Is it possible to glue non-woven meter-long wallpaper alone?
It is difficult to answer this question unambiguously.
Arguments against":
- The process of working with wide panels requires physical strength and endurance.
- Without an assistant, you may not have time to glue and smooth the canvas before the glue dries.
Arguments for":
- Pasting technology, subject to strict adherence to the instructions, is very simple. Non-woven fabrics are the most convenient material to use compared to other types of wallpaper.
- Wallpaper, not smeared with glue, weighs little, does not tear, does not crumple and does not stretch.
A decision should be made after a careful study of the theory, realistically assessing your capabilities. The process of pasting walls with non-woven wallpaper with your own hands is in the video below.
