FAQs
Can you give me some tips on bubbling wallpaper, gaps appearing at seams and lifting of the paper?
Hanging most wallpaper including traditional wallpapers such as embossed papers, lining papers or prints is not ‘rocket science’ and a beautiful finish will result so long as a few basic steps are followed. As with any other decoration work investing time in the preparation and using good quality materials will pay dividends in the end.
One of the most common problems encountered when hanging wallpaper is bubbling, shrinkage and lifting, this article is meant to be a practical aid, (rather than an exhaustive technical article) to avoiding the issue or at the very least to understand in all likelihood what has gone wrong. Understanding the basic science of what is happening helps in preventing all the above.
NB; in this article we are referring to traditional wallpapers rather than technically different paste the wall or non-woven wallpapers.
The basic science bit...
The first thing to understand, if you don’t know already of course, is that a traditional paper based wallpaper expands in dimensions when it is pasted (soaked) with adhesive (paste). Typically a 52cm wide wallpaper will expand 6 to 8mm or more (around 5/16 of an inch or more in old money) across its width –which is over 1.5%. It will also expand at a similar rate along its length.
Why does this expansion occur? The paper fibres are a natural cellulose material and they expand when they come into contact with water.
Remember, paper is wood based and we all know wood expands when its wet, most of us will have experienced wooden doors that suddenly don’t open easily in wet weather for example.
The second thing to keep in mind, again, if you didn’t know already, is that it takes time for the paper to expand fully – generally the thicker the paper, the longer the soaking time – depending on the wallpaper type you will see soaking times between 6 minutes and 15 or even 20 minutes.
So the first important rule then; when hanging traditional wallpaper is to let it soak for the correct time – in our opinion the very minimum time should be as stated on the label and as a general rule a little longer is better than not enough time.
So why are we droning on about this? because Bubbling occurs because of inadequate soaking time…
The simple point is if the paper is not allowed to expand fully on the paste table then it will carry on expanding on the wall – the classic cause of bubbling wallpaper. If the bubbling is not excessive then it may go flat as it dries out when the paper shrinks in the areas that have bubbled…
So what about Gaps and Shrinkage at Seams?
This is the reverse of expansion issue we have already talked about above; If paper expands when wet then it will want to shrink when it is drying…
This is why the wall preparation and the quality of paste you are using is so important because the paste doesn’t simply bond the paper to the wall but its job is also to permanently hold the wallpaper in its expanded state whilst the paper and wall dries out.
What about the surface the Wallpaper is being applied to?
The first thing to consider is the condition of the wall.
For a start it may well be ‘OK to go’, especially if the plasterwork has old paint on it and there is nothing flaking or loose material. The perfect surface is a slightly absorbent one – too absorbent and it will suck all the water out the paste and weaken/compromise the bond, not absorbent enough and the paste may not be able to bond and grip the wall…
So does the wall need sealing or sizing? Try the ‘flick test’ to give a good indication; flick some water from a saucer at the wall – if it soaks into the wall it needs sizing – if it runs down the wall it doesn’t.
So the water soaked into the wall and it needs sizing, what do I do next? We recommend a PVA based size diluted to the manufacturer’s instructions and painted onto the porous area. On a molecular level PVA is smaller than starch based sizes so gets deeper into the wall for a better job.
Don’t go over the top and put so much PVA on that it forms a skin on the wall – this could lead to bonding issues.
It is important not to go over the top or you could end up with a totally non-absorbent surface that is not compatible with the paste you are using and this will result in a weakened bond or no bond at all.
Non porous smooth surfaces will need a light sanding to form a ‘key’ and stability for the paste to bond to.
Paste and paste application;
Once the wall is prepared you are ready to hang the paper – remember to soak it as described earlier and then use a paste of suitable quality;
If the manufacturer is recommending a good quality ready mixed paste – don’t ignore it as the reason will be they believe the superior adhesion characteristics of a good quality paste are required and these qualities are more commonly found in Ready Mixed Pastes; A good ready mixed normally contains higher quality ingredients such as PVA for example. Ready mixed pastes also have a much higher percentage of bonding agents in than flake types, around 20% for ready mixed and only 4 or 5% for flake type pastes.
Use the paste to the instructions recommended – typically for example you will need at least a kilo of ready mixed paste per standard roll.
So, how do I prevent Gaps and shrinkage occurring?
As we have explained, paper expands when soaked and it naturally wants to shrink back to its original dimensions as it dries. The paste’s job is to hold the paper in its expanded state as the paper and paste dries and stop it shrinking back - not just simply to stick the paper to the wall. The bond has to be strong enough to do this and a cheap paste or one past its ‘use by’ date may not be good enough to do this whatever it says on the packaging.
If the paste doesn’t do its job, either because it is not suitable or because of wall preparation, or both, then the paper will shrink and you will see gaps opening up at the seams as the paste loses its fight against the paper wanting to shrink – in really bad cases the paper will lift off completely towards the edges.
So why does the lifting only occur at or close to the Seams?
When the paper wants to shrink, the maximum tension is at the furthest distance from the centre point of the sheet of paper. At the centre point there is no tension and as you move further out towards the edge the shrink tension increases.
Drying times and drying conditions
Always allow plenty of time for the wallpaper to dry out especially when the surface is going to be painted or overhung with decorative wallpaper – as with our products. The manufacturer’s instructions will offer guidance but conditions vary greatly so the drying times will inevitably vary.
Never try to speed up the process by advancing the drying process – such as turning the heating up in the room. This can result in the paper drying much more quickly than the paste behind meaning the paste does not have the time to bond the paper in its expanded state before it shrinks too quickly with the heat being applied – the result will again be lifting and shrinking
All the above is especially important when the surface is going to be painted or overhung with a decorative product – as is the case of most of our Wallpapers.
For example, most modern paints are ‘water based’ so when the paint is applied to the surface of the wallpaper the paper will try to expand – if the bond is fully cured and as strong as it should be, the surface will not be able to expand and a very satisfactory finish will be the result. But if the bond strength is inadequate then once again lifting, especially at seams will result.
Please note the paint will not penetrate all the way through the paper and be able to weaken the paste bond directly – the paint can only cause shrinking if the bond with the wall is too weak.
Conclusion
We want you to enjoy using our products but if that’s not possible at least for you to enjoy the results and following a few basic rules will we hope ensure this.
The old saying ‘don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar’ holds true in this case…
I have a newly skimmed wall that has a hair-line crack. Will Vellum be a good choice to cover this? Also, what is the difference between Vellum and Papyrus?
Do I need to size my wall before hanging Silk Ground?
I purchased one of your Luxury Textured Vinyl papers. It is on the wall and ready to paint. Some people on the web used a primer first on their paintable wallpaper. Do you recommend a primer?
Is it correct that Silk emulsion paint cannot be used on Anaglypta?
No, this is incorrect. One customer has reported that a low priced Silk emulsion sold by a leading UK DIY chain will not dry on their Anaglypta Argo.
We carried out our own tests using the same paint and experienced very slow drying, especially on surfaces that do not breathe such as Vinyl wall paper.
We always recommend good quality materials are used and all other silk emulsions have been found to dry perfectly and rapidly on Anaglypta wallpapers of all types.
I have some really bad textured walls in my house and Thermal liner will be a good way to get back to flat walls as well as making the room more comfortable and saving energy in the longer term. Do I need to take special precautions when applying Thermal liner over such poor surfaces?
Hi, I’ve just bought some of your Wallrock Thermal Liner and was wondering if it was possible to bend it round corners, also what is the best way to cut this product?
I put up Wallrock Thermal Liner and I’m still getting patches of mould appearing – Why?
Wallrock Thermal Liner ‘combats’ mould by alleviating the moist conditions which mould spores need to grow – namely condensation. How? By trapping warm room air at the wall surface and evening out any dramatic differences between the wall and air temperature. A good way to think of this is similar to how condensation forms on the outside of a glass of cool drink on a summers day.
So if you are using this product to help combat mould, it is important to remember that damp and subsequent mould problems can also be caused by penetrating damp from outside or in ground floor rooms by rising damp. As a general rule, condensation problems such as mould often manifest themselves in the coldest parts of a room such as in corners and window reveals. So a mould problem in the middle of a wall would most likely be caused by penetrating damp. As such, damp that is only low down on ground floor walls (approx 1 meter or less) may well be rising damp.
Penetrating damp problems are best dealt with at source, by fixing the cause – similarly with rising damp too. Localised problems however can be dealt with by applying a damp barrier behind the thermal liner; these are available as specialist paints and in roll form i.e Anderton 3 in 1 Damp Foil.
However, you should always remember that these products only mask the underlying problem and stop the wall breathing, expert advice is always well worth sorting out if you have any doubt.
Can you please tell me if your products are fire rated?
Hi I’ve recently bought an old Victorian house and I’m told that the old paper on the living room walls is Anaglypta, unfortunately a section has suffered some water damage and instead of striping the whole room I’d prefer to try and match the pattern and replace the damaged area. Can you help?
Hi, we will always try and help people with matching old and existing patterns, the first step is take a few photos that show the pattern clearly in a good light, this will help us to quickly identify the pattern if possible from our archive of old pattern books.
Over the years we have produced many different patterns and unfortunately not all are current and subsequently no longer in production, if we are unable to match the pattern we can always suggest a paper similar in style, size and relief.
I have some wallpaper left from a project that I did last year, and have bought some more of the same pattern. Why are they a different colour?
I have a hallway and stairs with a dado at 89cm, which of your Dado Panels will be most suitable for this application?
I have lined my walls to smooth them out before emulsion painting them and I have noticed that after painting the seams are opening in places. Why is this as I sealed the walls carefully beforehand?
As with any standard wallpaper, lining paper expands when soaked by circa 10mm and wants to shrink to its original dimensions when dry.
So when dry there is in effect inbuilt tension in the paper which is at its maximum at the edge or seam.
So even though the paper was flat before emulsion painting in your case it is likely the water based emulsion has weakened the bond at the seams. Wallpaper contains ‘size’ to prevent it soaking up too much water but at the seams the water can more easily track around the side and weaken the adhesive bond which can lead to lifting at the seams.
The poorer the adhesive quality and the weaker the mix the bigger the risk.
The best way to combat this is to use a good quality adhesive that has more ‘wet tac’ i.e. it remains quite sticky when wet and the bond strength returns after re drying. These characteristics are not found in most dry flake adhesives whereas most ready mixed adhesives do have good ‘wet tac’ properties.
NB; Please see other FAQ’s especially ‘The problem of Bubbling Wallpaper, Gaps appearing at seams and Lifting of the paper’.