Liquid wallpapers are modern and advanced building materials that look like decorative plaster. However, unlike plaster, they have a lot of unique features and properties. You can cover the walls with liquid wallpaper in any room. You can also create unique drawings. The application technology is quite simple, and the work is done independently at home. With the help of these materials, smooth, rough or embossed coatings can be obtained at the output. How to apply liquid wallpaper? Consider in our today's article.
Characteristic
This composition is one of the types of decorative finishes for walls and ceilings. Materials are sold both in dry and liquid form. Most often, these products on the market can be found in the form of a dry mix. The cost depends on the manufacturers, composition and filler. The dry mix is like sawdust. After dissolving in water, a mass is obtained that can be applied to varioussurfaces. We will look at how to apply liquid wallpaper to the ceiling and other surfaces.
The composition contains cellulose and cotton fiber, dyes, glue, various decorative components (it can be shavings, granules, sparkles, threads).
The mixture (if it is dry) is diluted with ordinary water. The material is applied to the wall with a spatula or trowel. Ultimately, with high-quality application, you can get beautiful and environmentally friendly decorative coatings. The wall will be warm and slightly rough to the touch. The surface has excellent heat and sound insulation characteristics.
Since this wallpaper contains cellulose, you can even make the material with your own hands. For self-production, there are detailed instructions. We will consider how to apply liquid wallpaper with our own hands. The price of such a finish, by the way, is from 580 rubles per package (1 kg). It is enough for 4 square meters of area.
Benefits
The main advantage of this finishing material is the ability to apply it on surfaces of even very complex shapes. This coating is combined, applications are made. As a result, a layer is formed that most closely resembles high-quality paper wallpapers.
Can I apply liquid wallpaper instead of regular wallpaper? You can and should, if you want to create a cozy and attractive room. It is only important to follow the technology exactly, and then the result will be of high quality.
Flaws
The main disadvantage is the price - itsignificantly higher than the cost of paper counterparts. You do not need to immediately trust the advertisement that one package is enough to finish 5-6 square meters (maximum 4). Moreover, it is impossible to believe when they say that thorough preliminary surface preparation is not needed before application. This is not true. Before applying liquid wallpaper, be sure to prepare the wall or other surfaces.
Besides the shortcomings, there is one more technical feature. As with textured plaster, liquid wallpaper is applied directly to the wall. If it is made of different materials, it has deep bumps and other defects, then sooner or later they will begin to show through.
If there are layers of old paint on the wall, putty is unevenly applied, height differences or there is a risk of self-tapping screws, screws and other fasteners coming to the surface, then all this can significantly spoil the appearance after a while.
Technology for applying liquid wallpaper
Let's see how to properly apply liquid wallpaper. In fact, there is nothing complicated in the finishing process. It is only important to follow the instructions exactly and pay attention to important nuances that are not covered in short manuals.
Surface preparation
The surface should be as uniform as possible. Moisture absorption capacity should be minimal and uniform. It is best if the background color is white. But if this is not possible, then it should be close to the shade of the wallpaper. On theThe surface should not have serious defects. These are potholes, large elevations, depressions. Finally, the surface must be durable.
Can it be applied over the old surface?
Before applying liquid wallpaper, you need to remove all old materials from the surface. These are paper wallpapers, paint, old plaster. Any of the above materials after a while will begin to peel off along with liquid wallpaper. Anything that may flake off over time should be carefully removed.
Next, fasteners are removed - self-tapping screws, nails, other metal elements, as well as plastic parts. If reinforcement comes to the surface, then these places are carefully sealed. To do this, apply a layer of putty - it should have a thickness of about two millimeters. Sometimes you can cover such places with oil paints.
Rough finish
Then the wall or ceiling is brought into level - you need to ensure that the surface is even, although it is not necessary to make it perfectly even. What is very important is to remove medium and small defects in areas less than one square meter. If you do not pay enough attention to this, then the consumption of decorative material will increase dramatically. In some places, the thickness of the finish coat will be thin, and stains will be visible on the wall.
When the coating becomes even, it should be primed. It is recommended to use deep penetration materials. The primer is applied in several layers, and each of them must dry for three hours. Only after thistreat the surface with specialized putty mixtures. Many people use a mixture of water-based paint with PVA glue as putties. You can apply liquid wallpaper to the paint if it is white.
How to mix?
Work on the preparation of liquid wallpaper should begin in advance. Different manufacturers indicate terms from 6 to 12 hours. This is how much it will take for the product to be ready for use after kneading. Experts recommend preparing wallpaper along with priming the wall.
When buying a bag with a composition, you should definitely make sure that it contains cellulose, as well as basic fibers. The package should also contain decorative fillers and dry CMC glue. All ingredients are usually packaged in separate packages. Then everything contained in each of the packages is poured into a pre-selected container. An ordinary film is also suitable - the contents of the packages are poured onto it. Then everything is thoroughly mixed. In the process of mixing the dry mass, it is important not to fluff or crumple the liquid wallpaper. How to apply them on the wall, consider further.
When the product is premixed, it must be fluffed until there are no lumps in it. This is not a fundamental condition, but if it is observed, you can get a better result. This will ensure that the wallpaper is applied more evenly.
Manufacturers do not recommend mixing a decorative part (such as glitter, dry flower powder or granules) with the base. Decorative components are among the first sent to a bucket of water, thoroughly mixed, and only then other components can be added to the bucket. This approach allows for better solution distribution.
Nuances when kneading
The volume of water that is needed for mixing is needed only in a strictly defined amount. First, the container is filled with liquid, and then dry material is added there. It is best when the contents of one package are diluted and stirred in one container. It is not recommended to dilute two portions of wallpaper during the first batch. Manufacturers strictly forbid diluting part of the composition in water.
Using hands
Mixing components is best done by hand - the composition does not contain hazardous substances. It is possible to perform the same work using drills and nozzles, but it is undesirable - this will then necessarily affect the quality of the mixture. Products from different manufacturers can have very long fibers - if kneaded very actively, they break. But some products quite allow such approaches with drills when preparing liquid wallpaper. How to apply them on the wall, manufacturers indicate in the instructions.
When the mixture is sufficiently soaked and absorbs water, it is recommended to leave the container for a while. The term is from 6 to 12 hours. It is necessary to wait. There is glue in the product - it should all soften enough and bind all the components.
Producers recommend cooking this amountenough wallpaper to cover an entire wall. It is best to cook with a small margin just in case. If you apply wallpaper from different mixtures to the surface, then there is a risk that a transition will be noticeable. As for the angles, here the difference will be almost imperceptible. The wallpaper left over from finishing one wall can be used when finishing another surface.
A package of 1 kilogram, according to the manufacturer's instructions, is enough to treat a surface of 6 square meters. But practice shows that this is not always the case. It is better to expect that 1 kilogram of the composition should be enough for 4 square meters.
Ready-to-use solution for many hours. If it is stored in a closed container, it will not lose its characteristics for several weeks.
When the wallpaper is ready, proceed to the actual finishing process. We will take a detailed look at how to apply liquid wallpaper with your own hands.
Application
For application you will need a trowel, a grater - metal or plastic, a spatula and an airbrush. The mixture is also applied with special graters, which are distinguished by a narrowed web and transparency. This is done in order to be able to control the process of smoothing the mass.
How to apply liquid wallpaper? This process resembles the application of putty compounds, but it is much easier to work with wallpaper than with putties. The finished solution should be taken with your hands (you can also use the tool). This portion is placed on the wall andrubbed so that the layer was no more than 3 millimeters thick. Wallpaper is better to put in small areas.
The grater should not be held flat to the surface, but with its front edges slightly raised. Significant effort is not required. They should be sufficient to ensure that the solution is distributed over the surface in the desired layer.
Next, the grater is moistened and the already treated area is leveled. It is important that there are no grooves and lumps on the wall. After that, the next square meter is processed. Experts recommend that during the application process, monitor the direction in which the fibers lie. To get a high-quality result, the coating is leveled in small areas. Movements should not be wide. The corners are leveled from the corner.
Conclusion
Now you know how to apply liquid wallpaper at home. It's really not as difficult as it might seem. Anyone can cope with this, observing the technology and following certain recommendations of specialists.
