Wall decoration with liquid wallpaper, material characteristics, its advantages and disadvantages, selection and application technology. Wall decoration with liquid wallpaper is one of the decorative design options. Such materials, which are a powdery mixture, are more like decorative plaster than the usual wallpaper on everything. But their composition and properties are quite consistent with the concept of traditional types of paintings.
Characteristics of liquid wallpaper
Liquid wallpaper consists of cotton or cellulose fibers with the addition of glue and decorative fillers. The dry mix is sold in 1 kg bags. Before use, it is diluted with water, following the recommendations of the manufacturers. Material consumption depends on its type, but on average it is 0.25-0.3 kg per 1 m2 walls.
Depending on the additives introduced, liquid wallpaper can be silk, cellulose or silk-cellulose. There are also professional base mixes that contain cellulose white base and glue, but do not have decorative additives. Various dyes and components, for example, quartz, mother-of-pearl, gold threads, mica, sparkles or mineral chips, are added to the composition on their own.
Just like putty, liquid wallpaper is applied to the walls with a trowel, spatula or a special float. This determines a huge choice of methods of using mixtures and their clear superiority over traditional roll materials.
Such wallpaper can be applied on surfaces of simple and complex shapes, combine textures and make applications. As a result, the coating is soft to the touch and warm.
Pros and cons of liquid wallpaper
Decorating surfaces with liquid wallpaper has undoubted advantages, which are manifested in the following:
- Natural components included in dry mixes of wallpaper make this material environmentally friendly. Cellulose is hygroscopic, due to which an optimal microclimate is maintained in the premises.
- Liquid wallpaper, having antistatic properties, does not absorb dust, which is often the cause of allergies.
- The composition of the material excludes the formation of mold and mildew on the wallpaper.
- The coating has soundproofing and heat-insulating properties.
- The process of decorating walls with such wallpaper is quite simple. It does not require long preparation and adjustment of the pattern, as is done when gluing roll materials. The mixture is easily applied to concrete, metal, gypsum board, plaster and plastic.
- Liquid wallpaper is used in unheated rooms: summer houses, attics. The coating is not afraid of drafts; it is not necessary to close doors and windows when working with it.
- Due to its plasticity, the material can be easily applied to hard-to-reach places behind heating radiators, in niches and corners.
- The coating looks very aesthetically pleasing, its joints, unlike roll wallpaper, are practically invisible. By creating a relief surface, you can vary colors and apply different patterns.
- Liquid wallpaper does not deform, does not absorb odors. The damaged area of the coating can be easily replaced by removing the old mixture.
- Such a finish is not afraid of the shrinkage of the new structure.
- The applied mixture can be reused. To do this, it is enough to remove it from the surface, soak it and re-coat the wall with the composition.
But, like any building material, liquid wallpaper for walls has some disadvantages. The most important of them is the low moisture resistance of the coating. The surface of the wallpaper cannot be washed, but can only be wiped with a damp cloth. This disadvantage is eliminated by applying a layer of varnish to the wallpaper, but then the hygroscopicity of the coating will sharply decrease, disrupting the air exchange in the room.
The variety of color shades of liquid wallpaper in comparison with their roll-to-roll counterparts is somewhat limited, and their price is much higher. Therefore, this type of finish is not the most economical, although this disadvantage is compensated for by minimizing waste when working with liquid material. Indeed, when paper wallpaper is pasted on the walls, whole pieces and even rolls of them may remain unused.
In addition to the price, there is also a technical aspect related to the preparation of the walls. If they have irregularities, a dissimilar surface, the emergence of nails, screws, fittings and other metal on it, all this can ultimately ruin the final appearance of the coating. Freshly applied to the walls, the coating dries for a long time, it takes 2-3 days. It is sensitive to mechanical damage, although this defect can be easily eliminated.
Despite some drawbacks, liquid wallpaper remains an excellent material that ensures any creative fantasies come true. Using stencils and various paints for their application, you can radically change and decorate the interior.
Features of the choice of liquid wallpaper for walls
Such wallpapers have different prices, which are determined by foreign and domestic manufacturers working in the market of finishing materials. Russian-made wallpaper is the cheapest, but the range of colors and textures is somewhat limited, although the material meets the necessary requirements.
Turkish products are more varied and more expensive, among them there are also collections of luxury wallpapers.
Wallpaper by French manufacturers is the world market leader. The cost of their mixtures is several times higher than domestic ones, the materials have a wide assortment and a different price range. There are white versions of liquid wallpaper, in which you can add the necessary decorative components if desired.
When choosing a mixture, you should be aware that adding silk threads to it makes the coating more resistant to sun rays than adding cellulose. Such wallpapers do not fade, look beautiful, last longer and cost more.
Liquid wallpaper wall decoration technology
It is impractical to repeat the instructions for use of liquid wallpaper, which always accompanies the packaging with the material. Therefore, it will be better to pay attention to the most important aspects of the work that are not covered in the quickstarts.
Preparing the surface of the walls for applying liquid wallpaper
Before applying liquid wallpaper, wall preparation is of paramount importance. The following requirements are imposed on it:
- Absence of depressions, potholes and drops with a depth of more than 2-3 mm per 1 m2 surfaces;
- Its strength and uniformity;
- Uniform and minimal moisture absorption capacity of the base;
- White or similar to the tone of the future wallpaper, the color of the base surface.
To begin with, it is necessary to remove the materials of the old finish from the walls: whitewash, paint, wallpaper, peeling plaster and others. All metal and plastic parts protruding to the surface should also be removed. If these are pipes or fittings, they must be embedded in the wall. This work can be done with plaster putty. It is not necessary to bring the plane of the wall to one level and make it absolutely smooth and even, although it is desirable.
The existing slopes of the walls or irregularities commensurate with their entire area, which are characteristic of old buildings, will not visually highlight the applied liquid wallpaper. If your own capabilities allow, you can perform a full alignment or frame cladding of the walls, but this will require a significant investment. It is more important to get rid of minor defects, since if this is not done, the consumption of wallpaper will immediately increase, and spots will appear in places where there are more layers of them.
The best option would be to cover all walls or partitions with a solid layer of gypsum plaster. After such a leveling of the surface, it should be primed. For this, special formulations of deep penetration are used. The primer should be applied in 2-3 layers, holding for 3 hours after applying each of them. After the walls have dried, they must be painted with white water-based paint, using it as a preparation for liquid wallpaper.
Preparation of liquid wallpaper for walls
For wall decoration, liquid wallpaper should be prepared in advance. Since this process takes 6-12 hours, it can be started even at the stage of priming the surface. The package of liquid wallpaper contains the following components: silk or cellulose fibers of the base, dry glue and decorative fillers. They can be packaged in separate bags or in a common mixture.
In the first option, the dry contents of all bags should be poured onto a spread film or into a large container and mixed well. In this case, the mass should not be crumpled, but fluffed.
Decorative additives such as granules, gloss or pigments are not recommended to be mixed dry with glue and fibers. It is advisable to pour them first into a container with water, mix, and then add the main components of liquid wallpaper. In this way, the homogeneity of the mixture will be ensured without sticking of lumps of additives on its fibers.
The amount of water required to obtain a liquid mass is indicated in the instructions for the purchased wallpaper, and it should be taken for kneading. Pour water into the prepared container, and then add the dry mixture. You cannot mix the contents of two packages at once. Violation of this rule will lead to a distortion of the proportions of the components of the solution, and then to the inhomogeneity of the wallpaper layer and a violation of its color gamut.
It is best to stir the mixture by hand. The composition of liquid wallpaper does not contain any components hazardous to the skin or health. After impregnating the dry wallpaper mixture with water, the solution should be left for 6-12 hours to soften the glue and bind the fibers of the material.
After the required time has passed, the prepared portions of the solution can be mixed. It should be enough for the entire area or at least the whole of one wall. Wallpaper applied to the surface from different mixes can differ in contrast, creating a noticeable transition line. Between adjacent walls in the corner, the difference in the tone of the coating will be almost imperceptible.
According to manufacturers' assumptions, a kilogram portion of wallpaper should be sufficient to cover 5-6 m2 surface. However, in fact, the consumption of the mixture is slightly higher. Therefore, when buying packages with material, it is better to calculate its consumption as 1 kg of a mixture for 3-4 m2 walls.
You can also just take a couple of packages in reserve and use them as needed. Excess material can be returned to the store, but the packaging must be intact and the sales receipt kept.
The finished mixture, when closed, remains usable for several weeks. However, only unforeseen circumstances can extend the repair for such a long time. After preparing liquid wallpaper and drying the walls, you can start the creative process.
How to apply liquid wallpaper to walls
To work on the coating device, you need to stock up on a set of spatulas, a trowel, a spray bottle and a metal or plastic grater. For liquid wallpaper, there are also special graters, which are often made of transparent plastic in order to be able to control the process of smoothing the wallpaper fibers. This helps a lot when you need to make applications from different types of mixtures.
The technology itself for applying liquid wallpaper to the wall is quite simple and is in many ways similar to the putty process:
- The mixture can be picked up by hand or with a spatula. Then a portion of it is applied to the wall and spread over the surface with a layer of 2-3 mm. Some types of liquid wallpaper need to be applied in a thicker or thinner layer. These recommendations are available in the instructions for the material.
- Liquid wallpaper should be glued in small patches, gradually expanding the section of the wall with the already applied solution. It happens that a thick solution does not adhere well to the surface of the wall. In this case, you can add up to 1 liter of water per serving.
- The grater must be held, lifting its front edge slightly along the movement by 5-15 degrees in relation to the plane of the wall. The force should be small, but necessary to distribute the mass with a layer of the desired thickness.
- Each square meter of the surface filled with wallpaper must be leveled with a wet float before applying the solution to the next area.
- In the process of work, an important role is played by the direction in which the spatula or grater moves. This determines the arrangement of the wallpaper fibers on the wall.
- Each portion of the mortar can be smoothed out with short movements directed in different directions, or supplemented by twisting them. You can use more sophisticated methods.
- If you apply wallpaper in a certain direction on one section of the wall, and change it in a neighboring section, for example, by 45 degrees, different background patterns will be formed.
- After filling the entire wall with wallpaper, you can once again walk along it with a wet float and eliminate the remaining irregularities.
- The remnants of the wallpaper do not need to be thrown away, they will be useful for correcting possible shortcomings that will manifest themselves after the mixture dries.
- If the surface is damaged, its area can be easily repaired. To do this, in the damaged area, the wallpaper must be abundantly moistened, the unnecessary layer removed, and a new one should be glued in its place.
To give the wallpaper its durability, it can be coated with a colorless acrylic varnish. The result is a washable wallpaper. However, they will not be completely waterproof. Therefore, liquid wallpaper should not be used near water sources, for example, in a bathroom. For such purposes, special wallpapers are produced, designed for use in conditions of high humidity.
Watch a video about wall decoration with liquid wallpaper:
We hope you figured out how to properly apply liquid wallpaper to the wall. When getting to work, arm yourself with patience, and you will surely succeed. Good luck!
