Liquid wallpaper - application technology

Liquid wallpaper is a relatively new finishing material. They have another name - silk plaster. This finish looks good both in the apartment and in the office. If you successfully choose a liquid wallpaper, the application technology will seem quite simple to you. How to apply silk plaster will be discussed in our article.

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What it is?

Liquid wallpaper is obtained if silk and cellulose fibers are added to a certain type of plaster. Instead of silk, cotton is sometimes used. These are the main components, but in order to make the surface look more impressive, they make compounds with pigments and fillers. As the latter use:

• granules;
• sparkles (shredded foil or mica);
• cotton spools;
• small wood shavings.

Important! Substances that can extend the life of the material are often added to the recipe:

• antiseptic additives;
• antifungal drugs.

The basis is the most ordinary KMC glue, which is now used for gluing roll wallpaper. If we talk about how to apply liquid wallpaper at home, then the technology has a lot in common with plastering or puttying.

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The advantages of liquid wallpaper

Why did silk plaster so quickly become an extremely popular type of finish? There are many reasons for this:

• health safety;
• hygroscopicity;
• environmental friendliness;
• antistatic properties;
• hypoallergenicity;
• good refractory qualities;
• excellent heat insulating properties;
• the ability to make high-quality sound insulation;
• the coating can be applied to any plane;
• no seams, as when gluing with ordinary wallpaper;
• silk plaster does not fade;
• the surface feels silky and very pleasant to the touch;
• extremely varied colors;
• varied texture;
• profitability.

Important! Liquid wallpaper is made from environmentally friendly materials. As for fire safety, the silk plaster not only does not burn, but prevents the spread of fire if a fire suddenly occurs.

Let us dwell on a few points in more detail.

Noise and dust protection

With the help of such coverage you can turn your apartment into a real corner of peace and silence, and this is especially important in monolithic and block houses, where on the ground floor you can hear what is happening in the fifth apartment.

The material does not absorb dust because it has good antistatic properties. Accordingly, it does not cause allergies either.

Plenty of room for imagination

The technology of applying such a finish allows you to beautifully design any fragment of the room, including all kinds of arches, ledges and curly panels. Almost no one manages to stick ordinary roll wallpaper neatly where there are such details.

Important! It should be noted that liquid wallpaper is simply indispensable for decorating a new house: the inevitable “shrinkage” of buildings is not terrible for them.

The assortment, which is offered to the attention of buyers by construction stores, allows you to choose suitable wallpapers for rooms decorated in any style.

Important! It is very easy to apply stenciled, painted or rolled drawings on the wall, so if you have a penchant for artistic creation, such material is just perfect for you.

Durability and durability

Here it is worth noting several nuances not only regarding the technology of applying liquid wallpaper, but also storage features:

• Such wallpapers hold for a very long time, in addition, they retain an attractive appearance for many years.
• If any fragment is damaged, there will be no need to re-make repairs in the entire room. It is enough to gloss over the desired area.
• It is not worth worrying that it will be different from other surfaces. This wallpaper does not fade.
• You do not have to buy a new package. If after the repair you have a certain amount of material left, it can be frozen to use in the future.

Important! The mixture removed from the walls can be reused.

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disadvantages

There are few disadvantages of silk plaster, but they are, and it is better to know about them in advance:

1. It is not worthwhile to cover a surface prone to corrosion with liquid wallpaper - corrosion will only intensify.
2. Wallpaper is pretty easy to get dirty.
3. The coating may wear out on contact with hard furniture.
4. Silk plaster does not like water.
5. Repair will cost a little more than using roll wallpaper.
6. The walls dry for a long time.

Important! So that the surface covered with liquid wallpaper is less contaminated, it is additionally varnished. But this will be a successful solution only if it is not very important for you whether your wallpaper is passed by steam or not.

Help pads

To prevent silk plastering from scratching and scratching, it is better to make decorative overlays in the areas where it touches objects. Washing walls with such a coating is not recommended. But low moisture resistance, at the same time, allows you to use the material a second time - it can be soaked.

Price and savings

The price of liquid wallpaper is slightly higher than for some types of roll. But this is more than compensated by the fact that there are no scraps left, as well as the ability to save leftovers.

Important! As for time, it will be possible to live in a room no earlier than two or three days after coating.

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What do manufacturers offer?

In construction stores you will find several types of liquid wallpaper:

• silk;
• cellulose;
• silk cellulose.

Silk

This material is made on the basis of silk fiber. This is the most durable and spectacular wallpaper. They tolerate temperature extremes and are completely insensitive to ultraviolet. They serve for a long time, but also cost more than the rest.

Cellulose

Relatively cheap, but at the same time their quality is lower than that of silk. Excellent material for those who want to quickly and cheaply make cosmetic repairs and are not particularly interested in how long such wallpapers will last.

Silk Cellulose

A reasonable compromise between silk and cellulose. A successful combination of price and quality made this class the most popular. These wallpapers are durable, relate relatively well to temperature changes, do not fade.

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With or without pigment?

Working with liquid wallpaper with your own hands becomes a real pleasure if there is as little fuss as possible with the preparation of the material. According to the degree of readiness, liquid wallpaper is divided into two types:

• ready-mixed pigment;
• white mixes to which everything else needs to be added.

We will understand the nuances:

• The first option is much more convenient. It is enough to dilute the mixture with water according to the instructions, and you can work. Most buyers prefer just such a material, because it is suitable even for those who make repairs for the first time in their life.
• To successfully work with mixtures of the second type, you must already have some skills. This option is not suitable for modest amateurs, because it is very difficult to guess the color saturation. But professionals prefer this particular look.

Important! On sale you can find basic professional mixes in which there is only glue and white cellulose. The master himself adds granules, spangles, mother of pearl, and even gold or silver threads there.

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What wallpaper to choose?

Liquid wallpaper is very different in price, and this depends not only on the type, but also on the manufacturer:

• They make the cheapest in Russia - these are high-quality materials that meet all sanitary requirements. But their assortment is small.
• Turkey offers customers a fairly large selection of such materials - both silk, and cellulosic or mixed. In the Turkish line there are both wallpapers for people who are not rich and thrifty, as well as extra-class silk plaster.
• Expensive, but very high-quality wallpapers are offered to customers from different countries by French companies. To date, these are the best materials of such a seed. Among the French wallpapers there are both white and colored with a variety of fillers.

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Wall preparation

Do-it-yourself wallcovering with liquid wallpaper begins with surface preparation. Walls (or the ceiling) must be treated very carefully, not missing even the smallest irregularities.

Important! Strengthen weaknesses with ordinary plaster, otherwise - pretty soon the liquid wallpaper will crack.

Requirements

There are some requirements for the surface on which the wallpaper will be applied:

• it should not be too hygroscopic;
• coloring substances should not be emitted from it;
• the color should be white or similar to the main tone of the wallpaper.

Application technology

Surface treatment is not much different from that which is carried out during gluing with ordinary wallpaper:

1. Remove old wallpaper so that there are no fragments left.
2. Close up large cracks (small ones can be filled with liquid wallpaper itself).
3. Strip the irregularities with a sandpaper.
4. Remove metal elements - plug the pipes into the wall, remove screws and screws altogether.
5. If metal elements cannot be removed, paint them with white oil paint.
6. Apply primer to make the surface more durable and less hygroscopic.
7. You can make frame wall cladding, but it will cost a lot.

Important! For very smooth surfaces, it is better to use concentrated soil with quartz or marble dust.

Additional nuances:

• Never apply liquid wallpaper to an old finish. Firstly, they will not hold, and secondly, pieces of paper will be perfectly visible. The surface of the wall should be uniform.
• If there is a natural slope that usually occurs in old buildings, nothing needs to be done. But it is better to get rid of cracks. Small ones, of course, can be patched with wallpaper, but this will slightly increase the consumption of material.
• Metal elements will interfere with operation. In addition, some metals rust, and liquid wallpaper only increases this property. The soil is best used gypsum, it should be applied in at least two layers, and preferably in three.
• Before applying the next layer, you should wait three hours. On top of the soil it is useful to apply a white water-based paint.

Cooking Wallpaper

Liquid wallpaper is sold in plastic bags. They can be completely ready for use. You just need to read the instructions on the packaging, open the bag and dilute its contents with water in any large container. All lumps should be broken, and the contents of the basin or bucket should be mixed until the mass becomes homogeneous and similar in consistency to liquid sour cream.

How much mixture to prepare?

So much that was enough for either one wall or the whole room.

Important! Typically, 6 kg of solution is consumed per 6 square meters. It's okay if you cook too much of the mixture - it will not disappear, it can be used in a few weeks.

However, it is possible that you will open the package and find several packages there:

• with cellulose base;
• with glue in the form of a powder;
• with decorative elements.

In this case, there should not be any difficulties, but it is necessary to adhere to a certain order:

1. Shake the bag vigorously.
2. Pour decorative elements into a large container (7-8 L).
3. Pour them with clean water at a temperature of 25-30 C and stir until a homogeneous mass.
4. Add base and stir too.
5. Add glue and mix until the mass is homogeneous, without any clots and lumps.
6. Allow the mixture to brew for as long as indicated in the instructions (usually 6 to 12 hours).
7. Stir the composition again immediately before use.

Important! It is better to mix the base with your hands so as not to tear the fibers, but you can also use a construction mixer.

Cooking Tools

Tools for applying liquid wallpaper can be bought at any hardware store. You need:

• grater (metal or plastic);
• atomizer;
• trowel;
• putty knife.

Apply wallpaper

Having prepared the wall, material and tools, you can start applying wallpaper:

1. If the wallpaper is multicolor, apply it in spots on different areas.
2. Smooth the edges so that there are no joints.
3. Adjust the direction of the fibers.
4. Apply wallpaper of other colors on free areas and also smear the edges.

Important! The room should have good ventilation and optimum humidity should be maintained.

One-color wallpapers should be applied immediately to the entire wall, without making large breaks:

1. Fill with a spatula or hands a small “patch”, as when working with multicolor silk plaster.
2. Level it with a grater, giving the fibers a certain direction.
3. Gradually expand the area.
4. Align by adjusting the position of the fibers (they can be located in the same direction along the entire wall or in different).
5. After filling the entire wall, smooth the wallpaper with a grater in the direction from the corners to the center of the wall.
6. Let the finish dry.
7. If desired, coat the surface with clear acrylic varnish.

Important! With strong pressure, the wallpaper loses its shape. If you do not press at all, the layer will turn out to be thick and uneven, so it is important to determine the middle ground. The coating thickness should be 2 to 3 mm.

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Where to use liquid wallpaper?

Since such a finish does not really like water, it should be used with great care with sources. As for the materials on which such a coating is applied, they can be very different:

• concrete;
• brick;
• drywall;
• wooden surfaces.

Important! A gypsum primer is applied to concrete or brick, otherwise, the dyes from the wallpaper will “go” to the wall, and the color will be lighter than planned. For weak and crumbling concrete walls, reinforcing soil is more suitable. In the old house, reinforcing soil is necessary in any case.

Plasterboard partitions

Drywall is best painted with water based paint. It’s not worth it to stick the wallpaper directly on the wall, because white stripes will almost certainly appear on the surface.

Important! Paint the screws that secure the partition, paint with oil paint - white or to match the wallpaper, putty on the joints.

Wood and plywood

Silk plaster lays perfectly on a tree or plywood. But first you need to check whether the wall itself is well fixed and whether it is deformed. It is better if the partition is thick enough. Prime the wall, paint with water-based paint (oil is also suitable), and only then apply wallpaper.

Are liquid wallpaper acceptable in the bathroom and the kitchen?

Despite the fact that the wallpaper does not tolerate moisture, it is possible to stick them in the bathroom in the kitchen:

1. Prepare the wall so that there are no bumps.
2. Paint over leaking areas with white oil paint.
3. Apply liquid wallpaper in 2-3 layers.
4. Let the walls dry for 2-3 days.
5. Coat the surface with a colorless waterproof varnish.

Important! Try to use materials from the same manufacturer during repairs.

Wallpaper on the ceiling

Why not? Such an original design will give the room a very elegant look! You can make the ceiling plain, or you can draw a ceiling, as in a palace:

1. Remove whitewash and other unnecessary items.
2. Remove the chandelier.
3. Turn off the electricity.
4. Level the surface and prime.
5. Apply wallpaper.

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How to remove liquid wallpaper?

Silk plaster lasts a long time, but sometimes it has to be removed. This is pretty easy to do. It is not necessary to remove the layer completely - you can only remove it from the area where the wallpaper is damaged:

1. Fill the spray bottle with clean water.
2. Moisten a lot of the desired area.
3. When the surface becomes soft, clean off the wallpaper with a knife or a sharp spatula.
4. Put the pieces in a bucket or basin.
5. Add warm water.
6. Stir the composition to the consistency of liquid sour cream and apply it on the wall.

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Stock footage

In this article, you have learned all the necessary information about liquid wallpapers - from the technology of applying and choosing the material, to the way of decorating various surfaces and rooms in the house. We hope you could easily pick up such a plaster and realize a unique design in your home.