Very often in the course of finishing work, the customer decides to paste the wallpaper himself, believing that it is very easy to do, and the cost savings are not in the last place. It happens, of course, that gluing succeeds, but most often the opposite happens. And it’s good if the work stopped after the first page, the material remained intact and almost unscathed. But in situations where some of the wallpaper is already on the wall (and pasted somehow), and the other is cut (and wrong), of course, there is no need to talk about savings.
Why is this happening?
How to glue wallpaper in the corners? This question most often becomes a stumbling block for home craftsmen who do not have practical skills in wallpapering. Possessing exclusively theoretical knowledge, it is very difficult to translate what was conceived into reality (and this applies not only to wallpapering, but, probably, to all spheres of our life). Therefore, having decided to stick wallpaper on your own, be prepared for the result,which may differ significantly from your expectations.
Top Reasons Newbies Can't Handle Wallpapering:
- Ignorance of key points and fundamentals. Only practical experience can help you achieve really good results.
- Irregular walls and corners that can make the work process much more difficult or stop it altogether. That is, the preparatory stage was done poorly or not done at all.
- The wallpapers themselves, or rather their inadequate quality or marriage. Yes, sometimes it happens that way, so even the most expensive custom-made wallpapers will not save you from a possible marriage.
Why do we need even walls and corners
First, the aesthetics. After all, even the most expensive wallpapers will look sloppy on crooked walls, and inexpensive, tasteful wallpapers will look great on well-prepared walls. The second is practicality. With subsequent repairs, the walls will not need to be re-prepared. And wallpaper with a complex pattern is extremely difficult to glue on a curved corner, not only for beginners, but also for professionals.
The speed of work is directly dependent on the preparation of the surface. On some surfaces it is simply impossible to stick wallpaper with high quality: concrete, loose or uncleaned surface. You can go on listing, but surface preparation is of great importance in the question of how to glue wallpaper in the corners of the room or on its walls. The correct preparatory stage applies not only to wallpapering, but to almost alltypes of finishing works.
Wall preparation
Before moving on to the question of how to glue non-woven wallpaper in the corners, you need to figure out how to properly prepare them. Let's start with the walls:
- First, you need to carefully clean the surface of the old material.
- Then (if required) beat off the tubercles and make notches. This is necessary if the surface has been previously painted.
- At the stage of wall preparation, electrical installation is carried out, if provided.
- Carefully prime the surface.
These are mandatory steps in preparing the surface before pasting the corners with wallpaper, but then the actions of many may differ. And it depends not only on the desire of the customer or contractor, but also on the condition of the walls and corners in the room. Plastering and puttying of the surface is possible. There are three ways to plaster walls:
- Partial alignment. With short strokes, the most “crumpled” sections of the wall are drawn out. More suitable for "quick" repairs, which are usually carried out before the sale.
- Alignment of the plane. It is carried out using a long rule of 2.5-3 m. A flat (without tubercles and dents) horizontal and vertical surface of the wall is achieved, and the level remains the same, that is, unchanged.
- Plaster on lighthouses. Using this method, the most even (in plane and level) wall surface is achieved. Wallpapering in the corners in this case is greatly simplified.
- But most often they use a combination of the last two methods: bylighthouses are usually aligned with those walls on which there are window or door openings, and the rest are pulled out by the rule.
Next, one or two layers of putty are applied to the walls, having primed the surface before that. There are those who skip this important step, but it is recommended not to do so. Since, regardless of the leveling method, the putty is able to hide the flaws made during the plastering process, as well as make the base uniform in color (important for some types of wallpaper) and smooth to the touch.
Preparing the corners
As you know, corners are external and internal. Their preparation is almost the same, unlike wallpapering in the corners. The only difference is that the outer corner is usually set according to the level, and the inner corner - along the plane.
The inner corner can be leveled both in the process of plastering the wall, and after that. To simplify, they use a paint plastic corner with a grid along the edges, but it will be enough to stretch it out with a rule, and when plastering on the beacons (if they are correctly set), the corner is pulled out by itself.
To finish the outer corner, use a painter's metal corner. You can, of course, and plastic, but the metal will provide the corner with greater strength. You need to set the corners only on the plaster mixture, although many advise using putty. Remember that putty is not used to level walls and corners, since the graininess of the mixture is very small and over time the corner will definitely fly out (perhaps not having lived to stick the wallpaper on the corner of the wall).
Preparation -this is a pretty important step. This directly affects the answer to the question of how to properly glue the wallpaper in the corners.
We breed wallpaper glue
How to glue wallpaper in the corners of the room? First you need to properly prepare wallpaper glue. First, a little about the choice:
- Glue must be chosen strictly according to the type of wallpaper.
- When buying, pay attention to the expiration date, as it exists for wallpaper paste.
- Glue is bought with a margin. The packaging usually indicates the average consumption of glue, but for substrates with different absorbency, this figure may differ.
- Price is irrelevant, so it makes no sense to overpay for brands.
For making glue:
- Use the proportions indicated on the package, which is especially true for beginners.
- Don't use too warm or hot water, as you may not have time to fill the pack to the end.
- Glue is poured slowly while stirring. This will prevent lumps from forming.
- Stir by hand (using, for example, a stick) or with a screwdriver and whisk.
- Don't forget to maintain a technological pause, after which you need to stir the glue again.
The lifespan of the diluted adhesive depends on its brand: usually 7-10 days.
Glue wallpaper on an uneven surface
Yes, it happens, and not so rarely. And this is perhaps the worst option for someone who does not know how to glue wallpaper in the cornersrooms. If you decide to "save" on the preparation of walls and corners, then you can safely forget about gluing all kinds of frescoes, photo printing or photo wallpapers, thin wallpapers of any type. Do not even try to glue the wallpaper on the inner corner entirely, that is, go through the corner in one piece.
Better to do this:
- Start gluing from the corner of the room, no matter which one. The main thing is that the first strip must be brought to the adjacent wall by 1.5-3 cm, while gluing the corner itself well (all the bumps and dents).
- The first strip must be leveled (the side that does not start at a corner). It will be more convenient to do this with a laser.
- The second piece is glued from the corner with an overlap to the release of the first canvas, which we left earlier. The side that is further from the corner is set according to the level (optional if the canvas goes to the door or window opening).
- Next, join two pieces of wallpaper. To do this, it is necessary to make a vertical cut (two canvases at once) using a wide spatula and a paint knife. It is more convenient to cut from top to bottom, but without tearing the knife blade off the wallpaper. After that, you need to pull out the cut strips, apply glue (if necessary) and smooth the joint with a spatula.
- It should be noted that in the presence of obvious bumps and dents on the wall, it is almost impossible to get a quality joint.
The outer corner is glued in a similar way, but with a slight difference. If the corner has not been leveled (using paint corners), then there is no point in even trying to pass it. Better to cut the canvasalong the corner and with the remaining piece, start gluing the next side. The canvases are also set according to the level. On the corner, you can later stick a decorative corner of a suitable size and color.
Glue wallpaper on a flat plane
How to glue wallpaper in the corners? On a flat surface, this will be much easier. The corner without bumps and dents is glued well enough, but the edge of the outlet on the adjacent wall will not be level.
Therefore, vertical trimming of both canvases is necessary. The procedure is approximately the same as in the previous case, but with a slight difference:
- Wallpaper with a not quite clear pattern can be cut without indentation, that is, along the corner.
- If the pattern has a complex shape, then glue the corner with the first strip going to the next wall. The width of the entry is not of fundamental importance. The second strip is glued with a small (3-5 mm) overlap on the first piece. Then cut with a knife and spatula. A slight overlap will ensure minimal shearing of the pattern.
- If by the next corner the canvas comes out in large pieces on both sides of the wall, then you can cut it along and join it in the corner with cut edges.
Perfect
Ideal is a qualitatively leveled surface of walls and corners in plane and level. Not as common as really good wallpapers. In this case, even a beginner will understand the question of how to glue non-woven wallpaper in the corners:
- The first strip is set according to the level, and you can start from the corner orwith a small entry to the next wall.
- Docking using a vertical cut is not necessary, since the corner has a clear vertical level.
- The outer corner is glued in the same way as the inner one: with an approach to the adjacent wall. First, one side of the corner is glued, and only then the second. Going around the corner with wallpaper, try to do it evenly over the entire height of the corner.
Conclusion
In order for the result on the question of how to properly paste the wallpaper in the corners to be good, it is enough to observe several conditions:
- Avoid drafts. Sticking is done with tightly closed windows.
- Try to avoid areas that are not smeared with glue. Glue on the wall is best applied with a roller with a medium pile. The corners are smeared with a brush.
- When joining strips or gluing corners, try not to stretch the wallpaper. It is highly likely that after the glue dries, such a joint will disperse (depending on the wallpaper).
- Try to avoid air bubbles between the wall and the wallpaper. The canvases are smoothed with a special wallpaper spatula or brush.
- The first from the corner of the strip (in both directions) must be set strictly on a vertical level.
To avoid electric shock, disconnect or insulate all points before starting work. It is recommended to remove fittings of sockets and switches before wallpapering.
