The desire to diversify your interior without resorting to overly expensive finishing materials has led to an increase in the popularity of such wall decoration as wallpaper with a photo image. No less responsible than the selection or manufacture of the coating itself is the choice of such an important component as glue for photo wallpapers. It largely depends on how it will look and how long such a finish will last.
What glue is suitable for wallpaper
As a rule, when buying a ready-made set of photo wallpapers, we receive instructions for handling this particular type of coating. It also contains information on what glue to glue photo wallpapers on and how to prepare it correctly. Most manufacturers of wallpaper with a photographic image recommend a highly specialized adhesive that is most suitable for “their” type of canvas.
For modern photo wallpaper, two types of glue are used:
- for light wallpaper - paper;
- for heavy canvases - based on interlining, vinyl, textiles, etc.
When choosing an adhesive for photo wallpaper, you should pay attention to the degree of its moisture resistance, which can be increased by adding PVA glue to the finished solution (approximately 10-15%). But when using such a mixture, you need to be prepared for the fact that during subsequent repairs it will be much more difficult to remove the old coating, since this glue increases the adhesion of the wallpaper to the wall.
Important! As practice shows, universal wallpaper glue holds only light paper or medium-weight vinyl wallpapers; such a composition is not suitable for non-woven wallpaper, textile and other heavy fabrics.
A component of many types of modern adhesives are ready-made antiseptic additives that prevent the occurrence of fungus and mold under the wallpaper. These components allow you to use wallpaper with photo printing in rooms with high humidity.
Important! It should be noted that the diluted adhesive solution is homogeneous after infusion and does not have a sharp unpleasant odor.
It would not be superfluous to recall that the glue should be diluted and used strictly according to the instructions, carefully observing the proportions, the method of dilution and the time of infusion, since such properties of the adhesive composition as stickiness and adhesion and, accordingly, the result of painstaking work directly depend on this.
Note! When working with any wallpaper glue, there is a general rule - the heavier and thicker the wallpaper, the thicker the adhesive solution should be.
Glue for non-woven photo wallpaper: features and application rules
At gluing photo wallpapers on non-woven base strictly special glue should be used, a feature of which is an important nuance: it is not applied not to wallpaper, but only to the wall.
High-quality special adhesive for coatings based on interlining should:
- spread quickly and evenly;
- have a long shelf life before preparation and several days in a diluted form (in a closed container);
- be safe to use and harmless to health;
- have a coloring pigment (usually pink or blue), which allows you to control the uniformity of application;
- be economical to use.
Such an adhesive solution is prepared simply and quickly: the dry substance is poured with the required amount of water (observing the temperature and proportions) and infused for 5–10 minutes with occasional stirring. Next, a section of the wall is covered with the finished mixture and a fragment of photo wallpaper is immediately applied to it, straightened and leveled.
Important! Non-woven fabrics to be glued must be dry.
Glue for vinyl wallpaper on non-woven and paper basis
Vinyl wall murals are a polyvinyl chloride film on a paper or non-woven base. It is the type of substrate that determines the type of adhesive used to attach vinyl coatings.
- For non-woven vinyl, an adhesive for heavy vinyl wallpaper is suitable, which must necessarily contain a bactericidal component, since the vinyl film does not allow air to circulate, that is, an environment favorable for the reproduction of microorganisms is created. The process of working with glue is the same as in the case of non-woven wallpaper, and the method of gluing is similar - an adhesive composition is applied to the wall fragment and a dry cloth is applied.
- Vinyl photo wallpaper on a paper basis is glued both on “non-woven” glue with the same properties, only a little more liquid, and on a special one designed for lightweight vinyl sheets. Only it is applied not to the work surface, but to the wallpaper sheet. Despite the paper material of the substrate, it is better not to use a universal composition for gluing paper wallpapers in this case, as it will not withstand the weight of the PVC film.
Composition for gluing paper wallpaper with a photographic image
Paper wallpaper, the "lightest" wall covering, both in the literal sense and in work. For this type of photo wallpaper, special glue is also preferable to universal glue, and its estimated amount depends on the thickness of the canvas. In this case, the adhesive solution is applied to the paper web, which is then aged for several minutes for impregnation (folded). After that, carefully, without stretching, you need to stick it on the wall, level it and remove air or a possible excess of adhesive mass.
Advice. It is better to coat thin canvases with a cold adhesive composition, and two-layer or foamed canvases with a warm one.
Adhesive for textile photo wallpaper
Textile photo wallpaper is the heaviest type of wallpaper that does not shrink. They need a special high quality dispersion adhesive with improved adhesion, moisture resistance and no color pigment. Often such an adhesive solution is sold ready-made, that is, diluted. When working with such a finishing material, the adhesive composition is applied either to the wall or to the canvas.
Composition for gluing wallpaper joints
Poorly glued joints and edges of photo wallpapers can nullify all design efforts, so the use of special glue for joints is especially justified on such wallpapers.
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- Means for gluing joints "Cleo"
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- Means for joints "Metilan"
The universal agent is used for all types of wall coverings, dries quickly and becomes completely transparent. Sold ready to use in an easy-to-handle package, also ideal for minor refurbishments.
