To finish the walls and ceiling with the so-called silk plaster with your own hands, you do not need any special skills or knowledge. Lack of experience is also not a serious obstacle - even a schoolboy can glue liquid wallpaper. However, to do the job quickly and efficiently, diligence and care will be required. And knowing the important nuances, at least in theory, will free you from doubts and the “shaking hands effect”.
Features of the material "fillings"
Before starting work, it is useful to know the main qualities of the material with which to deal. The first thing you need to pay attention to: liquid wallpaper, despite the name, is completely different from standard roll wallpaper. According to the principle of application, they are more like decorative plaster. The hardened coating is devoid of seams, soft and warm to the touch.
The most common ready-made dry mix, in which decorative inclusions and colors are added. There are also design options for the compositions, which are a white base for self-adding the color and texture elements necessary for the master.
In the absence of work experience, it is better to give preference to the first option: the correct calculation of the required amount of additives for the area to be covered can cause difficulties. And all the mistakes will be clearly visible on the finished layer: color differences, lack or excess of sparkles, etc.
A package of dry liquid wallpaper is a light porous mixture of completely natural hypoallergenic components, designed to be diluted with water. The material is prepared on the basis of:
- silks;
- cellulose;
- cotton.
Adhesives and decorative elements are added to the base composition.
The most resistant and at the same time the most expensive are wallpapers made entirely of silk fiber. They are not subject to fading in the sun, do not fade and do not lose the freshness of flowers for many years.
Important features of working with the material
The method of applying liquid wallpaper is completely different from the process of gluing your roll "namesake". By analogy, finishing is more like working with paint or decorative plaster, with experience in handling which, mastering new skills will not be difficult.
The nuances of working with liquid wallpaper:
- In the process of finishing, a seamless uniform layer is formed over the entire surface of the walls, ceiling, and slopes.
- The composition is well suited for covering corners, ledges and any uneven areas.
- Liquid wallpaper is easy to apply with a minimum of special tools. And some varieties are suitable for spraying with a hopper gun.
- Interaction with the material does not require the use of skin protection products due to the absence of toxic and allergenic components. Only a building respirator is used when mixing a dry mixture with water to protect the respiratory organs from hygroscopic particles.
- It takes a decent time to set the material - from 12 to 72 hours - which allows you to remove the errors of the finished layer before it hardens.
The structure of the composition allows it to be applied a second time if necessary: it is enough to soak the previously applied fragment of the coating with water and glue it again.
Essentials: Tools
It is impossible to single out a list of the necessary devices for working with liquid wallpaper. The uniqueness of the material is that it can be applied with almost any improvised means, and it is worth starting from those devices that the home master has or from his experience in handling other types of finishes - putty, paint, plaster.
The consistency of the finished solution is also important, which can vary in degree of density.In one case, it will be easier to use a roller to cover, and in the other, a trowel or spatula. And when it becomes necessary to process a large area, it is better to use a textured spray gun (gun) with a large nozzle.
So, for work fit:
- Graters.
- Trowels (a special transparent plastic trowel is shown in the photo below).
- Plastic or metal spatulas.
- Hopper gun.
- Rollers (with a sparse pile - for application, ribbed - to create texture).
Surface preparation
To get exactly those shades of the coating that were planned, or to create a high-quality pattern from liquid wallpaper, you need to carefully prepare the base.
In general, the preparation comes down to the removal of previous finishes - whitewash, peeling paint, old rolled wallpaper and others - as well as the elimination of pits and cracks in the ceilings, followed by the application of primer. Detailed step-by-step instructions for pre-treatment of walls and ceilings can be found here.
If you plan to finish the drywall surface with silk plaster, you will need to know some of the nuances. Recommendations for the preparation of the FCL are described in this article.
Note! Liquid wallpaper does not require such careful alignment as under ordinary roll material or paint. A viscous mass will fill small depressions and hide flaws. However, it should be understood that the more uneven the wall, the higher the flow rate.
First step: preparing the mixture
Most often, liquid wallpaper is packaged in packages with a nominal weight of 1 kilogram. In addition to the base, various decorative elements are added to the package.
When calculating the amount of the mixture, it should be noted that the entire area must be processed at a time. The joint of the hardened coating and the wet mixture is not allowed, except in cases of restoration of the old layer.
Note! The mass of the contents of the package is taken in accordance with the instructions, plus a small margin. The fact is that manufacturers use ideal application conditions in calculations, which are rare in reality. Usually it is 300–400 g of dry composition per square meter. m.
We act in stages:
- To dissolve dry material, pour it into a container and fill it with water.
As a standard, 6 liters of liquid are taken per kilogram of wallpaper.
- We mix the resulting mass. It will be correct to do this only with your hands, so as not to damage the texture of decorative inclusions.
- After cooking, leave the container with the batch to swell for 12 hours.
- Before starting work, mix the wet mass thoroughly again.
Applying liquid wallpaper to the surface
There are two ways to glue the material: manual and mechanical (spray method). It is worth noting that the word "glue" actually does not reflect well the process of applying a thick mass to the surface. Working with the composition is in many ways similar to the method of fixing decorative plaster.
Manual way
As the name implies, the work is done by hand using several tools. The process itself is simple, and it is easier to deal with liquid wallpaper than, for example, with putty.
Application without the use of a gun gives better coverage.
Step-by-step instruction:
- The finished mixture is drawn from the container simply by hand or with a small spatula.
- Then it is applied to the surface in small portions.
- Leveling is done with a plastic or metal trowel. When needed put wallpaper on the ceiling, trowel and roller are used.
It is better to maintain the layer thickness in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations written on the package: depending on the composition, it may differ. Sometimes the manufacturer does not indicate information about the thickness, in which case a layer of approximately 2-3 mm is applied.
Important! It is forbidden to work with liquid wallpaper in the cold. The optimum temperature is from +10 degrees and above.
Application with a gun
The mechanical method is more often used when covering large areas. It should be borne in mind that not all types of wallpaper are suitable for use in a spray gun.
You also need to pay attention to the device itself, with which the material will be sprayed. If a Hopper gun is used, then the operating pressure of the compressor must be at least 3–4 atmospheres, and the total capacity must be from 210 l / m. However, given the inevitable loss of power at the outlet of the liquid from the nozzle, it is recommended to use a unit that processes at least 250 l/m.
The mixture of wallpaper for spraying should have the consistency of thick sour cream. Application is carried out progressively, without gaps and delays in one place. As with the manual method, joining dry and wet coatings is not allowed.
Advice. In the course of work, use a bright spotlight aimed at the surface to be treated. Such a backlight will easily shade layers of different thicknesses, allowing them to be leveled before the material dries, and will also make all gaps noticeable.
Subsequent finishing
The disadvantage of standard liquid wallpaper is their instability to water. Therefore, to use them, for example, in the kitchen or bathroom, you will have to resort to additional processing.
Acrylic varnish is used to clog pores and protect the material from moisture. After impregnation, liquid wallpaper can be washed and not be afraid that they are deformed from high humidity. It is also often used to varnish the lower part of the wall, for example in children's rooms, where there is a need for a stable coating. But at the same time, it must be remembered that the surface will lose its "breathing" qualities, and there will also be difficulties if it is necessary to restore the damaged area.
Sometimes on sale you can find special impregnations for liquid wallpaper. But their use is not always advisable due to the high cost and low prevalence in retail chains.
Repair of the damaged area
To restore a fragment of liquid wallpaper, it is better to use the excess dry material remaining after finishing the room. So there will definitely not be any tone drops and other unpleasant surprises.
For work you will need:
- plastic grater;
- home spray bottle with warm water;
- putty knife;
- stationery knife.
The restoration process will look like this:
- The damaged area is abundantly sprayed with water and left until the moisture is completely absorbed.
- When the material becomes soft, it must be carefully removed with a grater or knife.
Advice. When small scratches appear on the coating, it is not necessary to remove the wallpaper, they can simply be smoothed out with a grater after soaking.
- If the treated area was clean, then the old removed mixture can be used for embedding. But if there is pollution, it is better to use a new one, and throw it away from the wall.
- In case of deep damage, you need to change the entire layer, smoothing the fresh material with a grater or spatula flush with the edges of the rest of the wallpaper.
As it dries, the repaired area will become homogeneous with the base coat.
Visually, the process of applying liquid wallpaper is in the video below. If something remains unclear, write in the comments. We will answer everyone!
