Wallpapering concrete walls – recommendations for preparation and rules for performing work

Wallpapering concrete walls can transform a plain, cold surface into a warm and inviting space. Whether you are refreshing a room or giving it a complete makeover, wallpaper offers endless design possibilities. However, to achieve a smooth and long-lasting finish, proper preparation and careful execution are essential.

It’s critical to properly prepare the concrete walls before beginning the wallpapering process. This include cleaning, filling in any holes or cracks, and priming as needed. These procedures guarantee perfect adhesion and appearance of the wallpaper.

We’ll walk you through each step of wallpapering concrete walls in this article. You can find all the information you need to get started, from the necessary equipment and supplies to the methods for cutting and hanging the wallpaper. You can improve the interior of your home and have a professional-looking result by heeding these tips.

To achieve a smooth and long-lasting finish, wallpapering concrete walls requires precise application and meticulous preparation. To improve adhesion, start by thoroughly cleaning the surface, filling in any holes or cracks, and using a primer. When ready, precisely measure and cut the wallpaper, then evenly apply adhesive to prevent wrinkles and bubbles. These steps will help you transform your concrete walls with minimal effort and a professional-looking finish.

The main nuances of wallpapering concrete walls

Is wallpaper glued to concrete possible? Yes, but only if you follow a few specific guidelines for setting up the concrete base—which has its own subtleties. The preparatory step affects both the process of producing works and the outcome.

The following are the primary nuances:

1. Initially, a concrete wall does not have a smooth surface – in addition to the fact that it has a large number of pores, concrete can be rough to the touch. It will not be possible to obtain a smooth decorative coating in such conditions due to the impossibility of joining adjacent canvases;
2. There is no point in gluing wallpaper on an unprepared concrete wall – they will not hide defects, but only emphasize them, and as such, the adhesion of the paper material to the untreated surface will be minimal – such wallpaper will quickly fall off;

1. It is also worth considering that concrete is gray and unevenly shaded, therefore, if you glue thin wallpaper, it will have an uneven color due to the gray base showing through;
2. As a result of the fact that the glue is distributed unevenly over an unprepared concrete surface, white spots may subsequently form.
3. Untreated concrete is susceptible to the formation of fungus and mold, which will also appear on the wallpaper if the base is not properly treated initially.

Crucial! Over time, rust or dark spots appear on the wallpaper in panel houses because the concrete walls are internally reinforced with an iron mesh that may protrude above the surface or be located very close to it.

Consequently, it is essential to prepare concrete walls for wallpapering; the steps for doing so are listed below.

Methods for carrying out preparatory work

There are various techniques for readying a concrete surface, but they all start with removing the previous finishing layer, if there was one, from the concrete wall:

1. Paint from a concrete wall can be removed using a grinding machine with an attachment in the form of a metal brush or a special solvent;

Crucial! Wearing gloves, a respirator, and glasses are essential pieces of personal protective equipment when working.

1. Whitewash is removed with a sponge soaked in water;

1. Old wallpaper is torn off, and the remains are scraped off with a spatula or a special wash.

Preliminary pasting with paper

If there are no noticeable variations in the wall’s level, this is the simplest method for leveling concrete. Wallpaper will adhere well to the paper base; however, the concrete surface itself must be firmly adhered to by this layer.

This is accomplished by pre-washing the wall to get rid of dust and dirt, then letting it dry. They are sanded to create a smooth surface if the surface is rough. After that, a deep penetration primer with an antiseptic effect must be applied to the concrete.

Using a roller, the primer is applied in two layers. The composition is first spread across the wall from bottom to top and given time to dry. After that, the prior layer is covered with primer, and the wall is given time to dry. You begin the remainder of the work only after this.

The traditional technique involves using old newspapers to paste the wallpaper onto the wall. However, thin white paper is available for purchase that creates a white surface when pasting the wallpaper, which is crucial when using light-weight wallpaper.

The advantages of this kind of concrete preparation are as follows:

1. Reliable adhesion between the wallpaper and the paper base is ensured;
2. The paper allows you to provide a smooth surface – it covers the pores on the concrete, forming a smooth coating;
3. It is easy to carry out such preparation – you will only need glue and old newspapers or paper, the price of which is affordable;
4. This method is the cheapest.

The waste-in-law, as the paper is also known, is adhered to the wall using a unique paper glue that is applied to both the wall and the paper canvas.

Counseling! If the paper is thick, it is pre-moistened with water to lower the adhesive composition’s flow rate.

It is glued horizontally so that the waste-in-law’spaintings’joints do not line up with the wallpaper’s joints. Thin paper should be glue-overlapped and dense in this instance. This substrate needs at least two days to dry.

Crucial! In the event that this preparation method is selected, it is important to remember to apply an antiseptic primer to the concrete beforehand to stop the growth of mold and mildew. Additionally, you should use putty to seal any noticeable imperfections that the waste paper backing cannot conceal.

Foamed polyethylene backing

These days, cork or foamed polyethylene backings with a paper face layer are used to prepare concrete walls for wallpapering. This material not only levels the wall and hides flaws, but it also insulates against heat and sound.

It is most frequently utilized when applying non-woven wallpaper to walls. The primary advantage of this type of backing is its ability to withstand mold and mildew.

Because of its environmental friendliness, the material can be utilized in residential buildings without affecting the microclimate.

The positive aspects of this material can be observed as follows:

1. Low cost;
2. Sound and heat insulation properties;
3. Biological resistance;
4. Excellent surface leveling and masking of defects – the backing can be up to 8 mm thick;
5. The material is waterproof;
6. High degree of adhesion to wallpaper;
7. It is white, which is relevant for light thin wallpaper;
8. Withstands the load of heavy types of wallpaper.

It’s easy to paste a substrate onto the wall. The wall is prepped in the same manner as before paper is pasted: deep cracks are filled with putty and sanded after drying; the wall is cleaned of any previous coating, washed, and dried. The wall is subsequently primed twice and given time to dry. Usually, this takes a day or two.

Since the substrate is a roll material, it must first be cut into strips the length of which matches the room’s height before being pasted to the wall. You will need a specific adhesive composition, used for pasting walls with heavy wallpaper, in order to glue the substrate.

Crucial! You can use liquid nails or baguette glue in a high humidity room. Although these compositions are not inexpensive, the coating’s durability will be guaranteed due to their high temperature tolerance.

After applying adhesive solution to the backing’s back side and letting it sit for ten minutes, the backing is smoothed onto the wall. It is advised to use masking tape to glue the joints. The backing is allowed to dry for several days before wallpaper is pasted over it to ensure a firm attachment to the concrete wall.

Putty

Plaster mixtures are typically used to finish concrete walls. After applying the solution to the wall’s surface, it is sanded, primed, smoothed, and covered in wallpaper.

The wall’s relief and curvature are measured before any leveling work is done. Starting and finishing putty are applied in two layers if the level difference is less than 3 mm. The concrete surface is primed prior to this.

Crucial! For a small relief, the putty’s thickness doesn’t go above 5 mm.

The following is how the work is completed:

1. The wall is cleaned of dirt and protruding irregularities are removed using a spatula;
2. The primer is applied to the wall;
3. Prepare the putty. When using a dry mixture, it is diluted with water according to the instructions. The finished solution must be mixed with a spatula until a homogeneous mass is obtained;
4. When the primer on the wall dries, you can apply the putty. At the stage when the starting layer of the solution is distributed, the wall is reinforced with fiberglass mesh to prevent cracks;

Crucial! A thicker putty layer for leveling and the use of beacons are required if the difference is substantial. Doing such a task with your own hands the first time will not be easy.

1. The dried starting layer must be leveled using a diamond mesh installed on a plaster float or sandpaper;
2. The finishing coat is applied after the wall surface has been primed and dried;

1. After drying, the finishing coat must be carefully sanded to obtain a smooth surface. To do this, a spotlight is directed at the wall at an angle, in the light of which even small irregularities are visible;
2. The sanded smooth wall is primed again and after drying can be pasted over with wallpaper.

Wallpaper primer – which one to choose?

The composition of film-forming primer, also known as primer, enables it to deeply penetrate the porous concrete structure. In this instance, separate particles are adhered to one another, resulting in the creation of a homogenous protective film that is imperceptible to the naked eye.

Using a primer aligns the wall’s surface and removes construction dust and minor flaws.

In order to guarantee the following, concrete walls must be cleaned and primed before applying wallpaper.

1. A smooth, even surface;
2. A solid base;
3. Prevent mold formation;
4. Ensure adhesion between materials;
5. Give the concrete surface a uniform color.

Deep penetration primers have an antiseptic effect that helps kill off any microorganisms already present in the pores of the concrete and stop mold from growing.

Before wallpapering the concrete surface, a variety of primers are used to prepare it:

Betonokontakt

After addressing the query of how to apply wallpaper adhesively to concrete walls, the question of whether it is feasible to do so emerges. Let’s attempt to solve it. Betonokontakt is a dispersion made of quartz sand and acrylic base.

The positive attributes allow for the following to be observed:

1. This pigmented pink composition is used on weakly absorbent bases;
2. A positive quality of the polymer dispersion is that it can be used on any smooth base, making it rough;
3. The convenience of using this primer is that it can be applied to an old decorative coating – tiles, plasterboard, polystyrene foam;
4. The leveling solution retains moisture, so drying occurs evenly – this ensures that cracks will not appear on the plastered surface;
5. Antiseptic additives in Betonokontakt eliminate the appearance of fungus and mold;
6. The material is vapor-permeable.

Because of the pink tint of Betonokontakt, you can regulate how evenly the composition is distributed on the wall.

The wall needs to be dust- and dirt-free before primer is applied. One tool that is used is a brush or roller. For large volumes of work, a mechanized method of application is also feasible.

Similar to a standard primer, betonoconteno is applied in two coats. In this instance, a clean solution can be used for the second layer and a deep penetrating primer diluted for the first.

In contrast to a deep penetration primer, Betonokontakt is an adhesive composition that imparts high adhesive properties to a smooth surface by making it rough. By deeply penetrating the base, the primer stops leveling compounds from causing moisture loss.

Going back to the original question, can wallpaper be adhered to concrete walls that have only been treated with Betonokontakt? The answer is obviously no, as the rough layer will not be able to support the wallpaper. As a result, a finishing plaster layer for leveling is required.

Because liquid wallpaper has the consistency of plaster, it won’t work well on a concrete wall that has been treated with Betonokontakt.

Wallpaper pasting technology

Depending on the kind of wallpaper, there are different ways to paste them on the walls. Depending on the type of wallpaper, here’s how to glue it on concrete correctly.

Vinyl wallpaper is long-lasting, wear-resistant, and biologically passive without emitting any toxins. They are resilient to mechanical harm, elastic, and do not deteriorate in the presence of sunlight.

Their striking aesthetics and wide color spectrum set them apart. They may have a noticeable felt, velvet, or velor texture. The process of creating velor wallpaper involves first applying a pattern to the paper base, followed by the velor pile, which results in a velvety texture that is pleasant to the touch. When such wallpaper is applied to walls, it creates the illusion of a seamless, monolithic coating by hiding the joining seam.

When completed, it applies to the wall similarly to plaster and is scraped on with a spatula. They develop into a highly ornamental textured monolithic coating after drying, which has the ability to insulate against heat, sound, vapor, and damage while also being extremely strong and environmentally friendly. Silk-fibered liquid wallpaper hardly ever fades in the sun.

Wallpaper masks uneven areas on the wall and fills them in with a consistency similar to plaster, saving careful leveling of the base.

Clean concrete walls are suggested by contemporary industrial styles. You may use wallpaper with a concrete appearance in rooms constructed of brick or another alternative material.

The process of gluing wallpaper

The following steps are involved in the wallpapering process:

1. Preparatory work is described earlier and is associated with cleaning the wall, leveling and priming;
2. Using a long plumb line and a pencil, it is necessary to draw a vertical reference line on the surface of the base for gluing the first strip of wallpaper;

1. Then measure and cut the wallpaper strips in the required quantity, adding a reserve of 2 cm;
2. Dilute the adhesive;

1. The adhesive is applied to the wallpaper strip or wall with a roller or brush. When applying to the strip, first cover the middle, and then distribute the glue, moving towards the edges, thoroughly smearing them;

Crucial! Every time, the area where the new strip is placed face down needs to have the glue removed.

1. The coated canvas must be left for a short time so that it is saturated with glue. Then attach it to the wall, focusing on the markings.

1. Using a rubber roller or brush, the canvas must be carefully smoothed onto the wall and excess glue must be removed with a clean, dry cloth;
2. When gluing corners, it is important that the sheet does not extend more than 5 cm onto any side, and when gluing the next sheet, these 5 cm must be covered.

Recommendation	Description
Surface Cleaning	Remove dust, dirt, and loose concrete particles from the walls.
Surface Repair	Fill any cracks or holes with filler and smooth out the surface.
Priming	Apply a concrete primer to ensure better wallpaper adhesion.
Measuring and Cutting	Measure the wall and cut the wallpaper to the required size.
Applying Adhesive	Evenly spread adhesive on the back of the wallpaper or directly on the wall, depending on the wallpaper type.
Hanging Wallpaper	Start from the top and carefully align the wallpaper on the wall, smoothing out bubbles and wrinkles.
Seams and Edges	Ensure that seams are tight and edges are firmly pressed down.
Drying Time	Allow the wallpaper to dry completely, avoiding drafts and direct sunlight.

A room can be transformed by wallpapering concrete walls to make it appear more fashionable and welcoming. It is possible to prolong the adhesion and longevity of your wallpaper by taking the appropriate preparatory measures.

Smoothing and cleaning the concrete surface should come first. Eliminate any loose particles, dust, or dirt. Fill in any holes or cracks to form a stable, level base. Performing this step is essential for a polished end.

To increase the grip, prime the wall or apply a coat of wallpaper adhesive after it has been prepared. Let it completely dry before proceeding to the next step. This base makes sure the wallpaper adheres firmly and doesn’t come off easily.

Take your time aligning the patterns and smoothing out any wrinkles or bubbles when applying the wallpaper. For a smooth, even application, use a smoothing tool or a wallpaper brush. For a polished look, carefully trim the edges.

If you follow these easy tips, wallpapering concrete walls can be a do-it-yourself project that is doable. You can improve the appearance and feel of your space with a stunning, long-lasting result by carefully planning ahead and applying the right amount of care.

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