...continued from previous page
Wallpaper, Choosing
Quality Wallpaper
Some people think quality means expensive but that's not necessarily true. Some of the most expensive wallcoverings are the least desirable from a functioning standpoint.
By Stacey Enesey Klemenc
Which is precisely why you should always prime a wall for residential applications. According to the Wallcoverings Association, more than 90 percent of wallcovering failures are due to poor surface preparation.
First, you should start with a clean, dry wall that is structurally sound and free of any stains, grease or mildew. Any irregularities should be corrected and loose paint removed. Then you should apply a good quality wallcovering primer.
“Be sure you use a wallcovering primer vs. a regular primer. There’s a big difference between the two. A wallcovering primer seals things off and won’t let the adhesive penetrate into the wallboard,” says Joe Parker, president of the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers and owner of Precision Painting & Wallcovering Inc. in Chadds Ford, Pa.
Priming is different than sizing, Kelly points out. “The words aren’t interchangeable.” Primers protect porous surfaces and allow for better adhesion, making strippability easier. Wall sizes simply reduce the porosity of the surface by filling the holes. “Sizing doesn’t seal the surface. Acrylic and oil-based primers do.”
When it comes to prepasted wallpaper, Kelly says that water alone usually doesn’t do the trick. He suggests using a cellulose adhesive, a thinned-down clear-adhesive or a prepaste activator to get the job done right.
“The fact is you don’t know if the wall is going to be porous, nonporous or semi-porous,” Kelly says. “And the idea that you can control the amount of adhesive simply by dipping the paper in water is absurd. It’s not going to happen. If prepasted papers worked the way they should, they should cost more because they would be value-added.”
Parker say he uses an activator 90 percent of the time he hangs prepastes. As for Thomas, he rarely uses prepasted products. “But when we do, we always use our own adhesive thinned out a bit.”
If you want to go an extra step, there are products you can apply to wallpaper once it’s been installed to give it added protection. Renee Chavez, contract wallcovering coordinator for Vista Paint Corp. headquartered in Fullerton, Calif., says “If the wallcovering doesn’t have a protective coating, the contractor can put Scotchguard or an acrylic coating to protect it.”
Kelly says Gerard Jansen, a longtime paperhanger in Atlanta, swears by Danacolors Clear Flex UV D308.5, manufactured by Triangle Coatings Inc. He adds that he usually uses Sikkens Cetol UV, a water-based clear coating.
Prepping the surface will pave the way to a successful job. A critical part of wallpapering is to properly prepare the wall surface. Time spent before hanging the wallpaper will make the job easier and longer lasting. Each type of wall surface needs to be treated accordingly:
New drywall: Make sure the drywall is free of contaminants such as dust, dirt and mildew. Joints and spackled areas should be thoroughly cured and sanded smooth. Best results are obtained when the moisture content of the drywall is minimized. Apply a good quality opaque/white primer or an acrylic wallcovering primer.
Paint: Test painted surfaces for moisture sensitivity. Hold a wet sponge or cloth to the paint surface for 15 seconds, and then rub the surface vigorously with a cloth. If little or a slight amount of paint is removed, paint should be sound. If all or a large quantity is removed, the wall should be washed with ammonia and water or sanded and washed to remove the paint. Painted walls should also be tested for adhesion. Cut three small x’s into the painted wall surface, then apply a piece of clear cellophane tape over the x’s. Yank the tape off vigorously. Inspect the tape for any paint: no paint flakes indicates good adhesion. Paint flakes on the tape indicate that the paint adhesion is not adequate for hanging wallpaper. The wall should be sanded with a coarse sandpaper to remove or break through the old paint. All painted walls should be primed with a good quality wallcovering primer.
Walls where old wallpaper has been removed: Old adhesives should be removed by sanding or by using adhesive remover. Rinse the wall and allow to dry. Old adhesives can act as a food source for mold and mildew and make the wall surface uneven and difficult to bond to. If the wall shows any signs of existing mold or mildew, it should be washed with a diluted household bleach solution and thoroughly rinsed and allowed to dry. Repair the wall as necessary. Prime with a good quality wallpaper primer.
Paneling: Sand or chemically remove all surface contaminants and prime with adhesion promoting primer. Grooves should be filled, then re-primed and/or an appropriate wall liner should be used. For best results, use a clay-based adhesive. Some wallpaper will require additional priming of the wall liner before installed. See wall liner instructions for priming, installation and adhesive recommendations.
If there are any questions concerning the surface to be covered, a test installation of at least three strips of wallcovering applied three days in advance of the main installation is recommended.
Below is a listing of the most important or common characteristics of wallpaper:
- Scrubbable means that the wallpaper can withstand scrubbing with a brush and a prescribed detergent solution. (An attribute that would be useful for wallpaper used in a kitchen, bath or laundry room, for example.)
- Washable means that the wallpaper can withstand occasional sponging with a prescribed detergent solution. (Great for living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms.)
- Stain Resistance is the ability to show no appreciable change after the removal of different types of stains such as grease, butter, coffee, etc. (Ideal for kitchens and baths.)
- Abrasion Resistance is the ability to withstand rubbing, scraping or scrubbing. (A good attribute for wallpaper in a foyer or hallway.)
- Colorfastness is the ability to resist change or loss of color caused by exposure to light. (Most of today’s wallpapers easily provide this attribute.)
- Peelable means that the decorative surface and ground may be dry-peeled from the wall, leaving a continuous layer of the substrate on the wall. This remaining substrate can be used as a liner for hanging new wallpaper. Peelable paper is great if you love the look of wallpaper and plan on redecorating with it again and again.
- Strippable means that the wallpaper can be dry-stripped from the wall without damaging its surface. It leaves behind a minimum of paste or adhesive residue. This is the type of paper renters should use as the paper can be easily removed when they leave.
- Prepasted means that the substrate of the wallpaper has already been treated with an adhesive that is activated by water or a prepaste activator.
Whether a particular wallpaper is strippable, peelable, washable and so on is shown in the sample book or on the label of the wallpaper bolt.
The above information is courtesy of the Wallcoverings Association.
|
