Pasting of walls with photo wallpaper, their types, selection, sizes, preparation for work and installation technology. Photo wallpaper is a very interesting material for wall decoration. They are able to add a special flavor to any room and immerse its inhabitants in an atmosphere of comfort and amazing sensations. With the use of modern technologies, the process of pasting the surface becomes not so much complicated as more and more exciting. For this reason, many home craftsmen choose to do this work on their own, saving a significant part of the family budget. Today our article will tell you how to properly glue photowall-paper on the wall.
The main varieties of photo wallpaper for walls
Wall murals are made by printing a pattern on a suitable substrate. It is difficult to list all types of these products, which differ in the method of sticker, type of image, base material, purpose, texture and many other parameters. Consider the classification of photowall-paper according to the main features.
Photo wallpaper base material
According to the material that is used as a basis for production, wallpapers are divided into the following types:
- Paper wallpaper … This finishing material has a cellulose base, which has excellent hygroscopicity, perfectly reproduces color, but is very sensitive to moisture and can fade in the sun. Paper murals are the most affordable, but they are short-lived.
- Vinyl wallpapers … They are made by applying a polymer coating to a vinyl or paper base. In the first case, the material is more resistant to moisture, in the second, it is more convenient to install. In both versions, the wallpaper pattern does not get worse over time.
- Non-woven wallpaper … They have a base consisting of modified cellulose fibers with the addition of polyester. When making photowall-paper, a vinyl layer is sprayed on it. The material is good because it is able to be corrected in case of an unsuccessful location of the canvas. Such photowall-paper does not wrinkle, does not fade and is easy to clean, while their pattern does not deteriorate at all. The moisture resistance of the coating allows it to withstand even pipe leaks.
- Fabric wallpaper … Their appearance is simply excellent, despite the fact that this material is very moody and expensive. It is made from natural fabrics: cotton, silk or linen.
The structure of the photo wallpaper
The classification of the material is also carried out depending on the surface structure. On this basis, such types of wall murals are distinguished:
- Smooth wallpaper … They have glossy and matte surfaces. Wallpapers of the first type have shine, a photographic image looks great on them, the structure of matte wallpaper highlights the pattern well.
- Embossed wallpaper … They often imitate the design of wood, leather, stone and other materials. For relief, the material requires a thick base, so non-woven and vinyl are used as it.
- Canvas surface wallpaper … Such material is ideal for artistic depiction of objects and creating reproductions.
In addition to the wallpapers listed above, manufacturers offer finishes that imitate the structure of mat, frost and even clay tiles. A special offer from them is a laminated coating of non-woven and vinyl materials to protect their surface from mechanical damage.
Type of pattern on photo wallpaper
The drawing can be made in the form of an ornament, a landscape, a photograph, an abstract holographic pattern, or a reproduction of a painting. You can use ready-made wallpaper or make them to order.
By type of image there are:
- Background wallpaper … They represent a generic background picture.
- Subject wallpaper … There is one specific object on them - an animal, a flower, a portrait, and so on.
- Panoramic wallpaper … Most often, a landscape is applied to them.
- 3D photo wallpaper for walls … They have a holographic image that has a three-dimensional effect. This type of decoration prevails in interiors designed in modern styles.
Many wall murals have a fluorescent effect.
Photo wallpaper location
When glued, they can occupy a certain part of one wall, or completely the entire wall, and even two, forming an original panorama. The location of the wallpaper can drastically change the impression of a room. It can be:
- Zonal … In this case, the canvas occupies only a part of the wall and may look like a high vertical fragment or a picture. This method of positioning photo wallpaper is usually used to visually raise the ceiling.
- Modular … The image here also occupies a part of the wall and consists of small elements. Usually there are several of them, most often it is a triptych.
- Corner … In this case, the image occupies two adjacent walls.
- Panoramic picture … Covers the entire surface of the wall. It can consist of a single piece or several of its fragments. In the latter case, the work of creating a panorama is complicated by the scrupulous execution of joints for exact coincidence of individual drawings of the picture.
Wall murals may differ in the way they are pasted. Ordinary wallpaper is fixed to the walls with a special glue. For paper stickers, it is applied to the base and back of the prepared canvas, when installing vinyl and non-woven ones - only on the wall. However, there are also self-adhesive wallpapers. They have a vinyl base and a layer of polymer glue, which is applied by the manufacturer to the back of the material. The adhesive layer is protected with special paper. To stick such wallpaper, you just need to remove it.
Features of the choice of photo wallpaper on the wall
The main thing in choosing a wallpaper is to correctly determine the storyline that is in harmony with the style of the room, and the optimal size of their canvas. They can consist of one or more panels. The larger the number of panels, the larger the size and, accordingly, the higher the price of the wallpaper.
For example, a 2-panel photo wallpaper 190x135 will cost about 1000 rubles, a 3-panel photo wallpaper with a size of 295x135 - 1400 rubles, an eight-panel wallpaper 380x270 - from 1800 to 2200 rubles. However, it should be borne in mind that all these are standard sizes of wall murals, and they have a fairly approximate cost, which can vary depending on the quality of the canvas and the pattern applied to it.
Custom-made photomurals are more suitable for building an original pattern. In this case, you can not be limited by the size of the factory panels. In specialized firms, they will be printed in the sizes provided by the customer.
Mini murals consist of one canvas. Their big advantage is that they are seamless, and when installing them, no joining of any component parts is required. These wallpapers can be of standard sizes and on request. If you order a square mini mural, for example, 250x250 cm, it will look great on a square wall with natural side lighting. Small canvases are great for small rooms.
To create an extravagant and stylish interior, it is not at all necessary to use wide-format canvases. You can buy 2 or 3-panel narrow photo wallpapers that visually lengthen the wall and create a bright interior accent in the room.
Huge and colorful panels in small rooms visually reduce the already small size of rooms. For these cases, you should buy small-format samples.
Narrow wall murals can mask small flaws in a room, emphasize its dignity and add elegance to the interior. Vertical leafs on the door create the effect of increasing the space.
Horizontal murals are suitable for hallway decor, if you paste over opposite walls in a mirror. The most popular use of such canvases is for pasting a kitchen apron.
Large size photomurals fit perfectly into the interior of an office, restaurant or spacious apartment. To create a realistic picture on the entire wall, use large format canvases, which consist of several panels. After their stickers, the edges of the room are erased, and it becomes visually endless. Horses running through endless fields, deciduous tall trees and huge rivers - all this can then be observed in your room.
When choosing the best photo wallpaper for the wall, it is very important to be able to determine the main color of the image, and you also need to take into account the general style of the art picture so that there is no contradiction between the design of the room and the decorative panel. Some colors have a zooming effect, others create a fading effect. For example, if the walls of a room are decorated in warm colors, then it seems smaller. If a small room needs to be visually expanded, you need to glue photomurals in cold shades. Visually enlarge and bring the subject closer to red, brown, pink, white and orange colors. Violet, cyan, blue, black and gray tones create a feeling of distance and a decrease in the volume of an object.
Preparatory work before installing photo wallpaper on the wall
Pasting of walls with wallpaper is carried out at an air temperature of +5 to + 20 ° С. To dry them evenly and prevent flaking, there should be no drafts in the room.
Before gluing the wallpaper on the walls, their surface must be carefully prepared. This procedure consists in removing old coatings, skirting boards, mold stains, rust and grease, then leveling the walls and priming them. It is advisable to lighten the surface before finishing with photo wallpaper. Therefore, its leveling should be done with plaster putty. After preparing the walls, it is necessary to markup for the photo wallpaper and prepare the glue. First of all, you need to spread the canvas panels on the floor until you get a whole picture and compare its dimensions with the dimensions of the wall. Then you should mark the wall for each panel. To do this, you need a pencil, a level, and a long ruler. At this stage, it is important to maintain the horizontal and vertical lines of the marking. This will help you to stick the wallpaper correctly and easily.
First, you need to draw a horizontal line equidistant from the ceiling and floor along the wall. Then mark the center of the wall on it and draw a vertical through it. This construction line will ensure that the drawing is exactly in the center of the wall. It is very important to place the first panel strictly vertically, otherwise this negligence will entail the next one, and the result will be obliquely pasted wallpaper.
Wallpaper glue must be prepared according to the proportions indicated in the instructions. It should match the type of wallpaper. After adding water to the dry mixture, the resulting mass must be stirred evenly and thoroughly. A prerequisite is the absence of lumps and uniformity of the composition. After the initial mixing, the glue must be left to infuse for 10-15 minutes, and then continue the process until the mixture is ready for use.
Technology wall mural wallpaper
If you do not take into account the fit of the image, wallpaper is pasted in the same way as usual. When working with paper-based material, the adhesive is applied to the canvas. In the case of a non-woven backing, on the wall. For the sticker of vinyl wallpaper, both the canvas and the wall are coated with glue. If possible, it is recommended to start the sticker of photowall-paper from the window. To precisely fit the parts of the image, you can draw its diagram on it.
Before you stick the wallpaper on the wall, you need to prepare a spatula, brushes, rollers, a dry clean rag and a step ladder. After that, the surface of the wall section must be treated with glue and wait for its partial drying: the water must be absorbed, and the wall must remain sticky. Then you should carefully attach an element of the photo wallpaper canvas to the wall, aligning its edge with the marking line. It is better to press a fragment of the canvas to the surface, starting from the middle. Smooth the glued wallpaper element from the center to the edges with a special plastic spatula. Each of the following parts of the image should be glued with an overlap or exactly butt.
When gluing with an overlap, you need to achieve the alignment of the pattern of both parts, and then make a cut along the alignment line. In this case, both strips are cut simultaneously from top to bottom in one movement along the ruler. After that, the cut edges must be removed, the joints must be aligned and carefully glued.
The drying time for wallpaper depends on the humidity and temperature of the air. If conditions are normal, the glue will dry in 3.5 hours. Drying time can reduce the use of hot air with a temperature not exceeding 60 ° C or infrared radiators.
If liquid glue remains at the joints of the canvases, it can be removed with soapy water or water. Acetone or ethyl alcohol can be used to remove dried glue. Remember that careless use of solvents can ruin your wallpaper laminate. Therefore, be careful when working with acetone or alcohol!
Self-adhesive wallpapers of this type are easier to attach to the wall than ordinary ones, but they cost a little more. When preparing the surface in this case, in addition to leveling with a putty, it must be degreased and primed with an acrylic compound. Then it is necessary to pre-assemble the image and draw the place of its placement on the wall.
The paper layer should be partially separated from the first sheet by 5-8 cm. Then the edge free from insulation should be pressed against the wall and held. After gluing it, the paper must again be separated by another 20-30 cm, and the canvas must be pressed against the wall. This procedure should be repeated until the entire piece of the canvas is glued.
How to glue photomurals on the walls - watch the video:
Photowall-paper easily transforms an ordinary ordinary interior of a room into a design project. Moreover, such canvases are successfully glued not only to a concrete or brick wall, but also to metal, wood, MDF, ceramics and even to a mirror. Therefore, the possibilities for imagination in the field of photo wallpaper application are truly endless. Good luck!
