How to glue glass wallpaper: preparation, gluing, painting

Painted walls and ceilings are becoming more and more popular. But preparing for painting is another task. The paint shows all the flaws and irregularities and it takes a long and dreary time to do this. To simplify the task, and at the same time to make the wall embossed, you can use fiberglass wallpaper. They are designed for painting and last a very long time. How to glue glass wallpaper and we will discuss further. 

What is glass fiber

Glass fiber is a finishing material for walls and ceilings. Most often used for painting. Fabrics are woven from fiberglass on special machines, which are called “glass wall papers”. Due to the use of fibers of different thicknesses and their different weaves, different patterns are obtained. There are not as many of them as on ordinary wallpaper, they are not too pronounced. And this is considered one of the disadvantages of this finishing material. But practicality, durability and the ability to repaint them up to 20 times outweigh this disadvantage.

There are almost imperceptible drawings, which after painting just give a slightly rough surface. The most common type is matting. So named because the weave is made in the same way as they used to weave a coarse cloth – matting. There is small, medium, large. The difference is visible in the photo.

Herringbone, chess and rhombuses are also widespread. They also have small, medium and large. They differ in the “span” of the pattern. In addition to these types, there are other weaves, but they already belong to the category of author’s or collector’s and cost more.

This material is sold in rolls, the width is usually 1 meter. Roll length – from 12,5 m (there are also 50). The price per roll is from $20 to $50. The cost depends on the length of the material in the roll, the complexity of the pattern, the manufacturer.

Advantages and disadvantages

Before gluing glass wallpaper, we will deal with their pros and cons. Let’s start with the positives. They are made from natural raw materials, safe, environmentally friendly, do not support combustion. Differ in the increased durability, service life — from 10 to 30 years. Suitable for painting, which allows you to quickly change the interior. They can be repainted without changing the appearance from 5 to 20 times (depending on quality).

Glass fiber makes it easier to prepare the surface for painting. The walls should be even, but not perfect – all small deviations will be hidden by fiberglass and wallpaper relief. And this is a significant plus.

Another positive point is that they are not afraid of high humidity, therefore they can be used both in the bathroom and in the kitchen. You just need to choose the right paint.

The disadvantages are as follows:

• Not as large an assortment as conventional wallpaper. The spring view can be diversified by decorating walls pasted over with glass wallpaper, various design techniques.
• Fiberglass is prickly when sticking, it is necessary to work in protective clothing.
• The price is higher than ordinary beautiful wallpaper.

In general, not ideal, but if you need a durable finish with the ability to quickly change color, gluing glass wallpaper is your choice.

How to choose

Usually, glass wallpapers are chosen according to the pattern, and the quality is determined by the density of the material in the roll. But it is worth saying that not everything on the wall looks as voluminous as in a roll. In order to make the pattern look clearer, some manufacturers use fluffy threads. When sticking to the wall, all the villi are pressed, the volume goes away. So the volume in the roll is not a guarantee that the pattern will be clearly visible on the wall. The way out is to purchase proven brands that guarantee a certain quality.

Almost the same is the case with the density of glass fiber “to the touch”. To give them extra strength, some manufacturers impregnate the canvas with starch. When sticking from glue, this impregnation soaks, the surface turns out to be loose, which absorbs a large amount of paint.

See technical specifications

How to determine in this case a good cullet? Look in the technical specifications. There is a line – density. The higher the number, the denser the wallpaper (normal density is about 145 g/m²). If there is no this indicator, there is the weight of the roll. In this case, too, the heavier the roll, the greater the density of the material. But in the case of weight, you also need to look at the length of the canvas in a roll – it can be very different – from 12,5 meters to 50. There is another way out – trust trusted manufacturers or try on a small piece – glue, then paint. Only the question of where to get this piece remains open …

What else is worth knowing about glass wallpaper … that they come in two varieties – the first and second. The first grade is of good quality, they are usually covered by a guarantee. The second grade is something like a lottery. They may be wow, they may not stick well, have a large amount of marriage, etc.

A few words about marriage. It is found even in good manufacturers – the threads are torn, they lay wrong, etc. This place is marked on one of the edges of the roll with a glued black stripe, and 50 cm (penalty) is added to the length of the roll. When buying a roll in a transparent package, inspect the ends. The fewer black “markers”, the easier it will be when cutting.

Manufacturers

And finally, about proven manufacturers. We can definitely recommend the Wellton (Welton) and Oscar (Oscar) brands. Any collection, any roll they have is of good quality. Even the second grade is not about quality, but about non-standard length (so you can save money).

According to the pricing policy: Welton is more expensive, the choice of patterns is larger, you can repaint up to 20 times; Oscar – cheaper, fewer textures, can be repainted up to 10 times. So there is a choice for every budget.

How to glue glass

Glass cloth wallpaper for painting is glued to a special glue or PVA and its analogues. Ordinary wallpaper paste won’t work, so don’t even try. If this is your first experience, it is better to take a special composition, and not in powder, but ready-made, in a bucket. Yes, it is more expensive, but the quality is guaranteed, it will be easier to glue, there will be fewer problems.

Surface preparation

Before gluing glass wallpaper, you need to prepare the walls or ceiling. The walls should be smooth, without potholes, ledges. It is necessary to remove stains, dust, it is desirable to cover with a primer. Diluted 1 to 10 PVA is suitable as a primer. This composition is applied to the walls with a roller, they wait until it dries, after which they begin to glue the glass walls.

A few tips for preparing for gluing for different substrates:

• Old wallpaper. They are completely removed. To do this, they must be soaked with water, removed with a spatula. If the wallpaper was vinyl, first remove the vinyl layer, moisten the remaining substrate with water and remove with a spatula. If necessary, level the surface – putty, level with sandpaper, apply primer.
• If old glass wallpapers are pasted on the walls, they do not have to be removed. If there are bubbles somewhere, they are pierced or cut, glue is injected, the canvas is pressed so that there are no bubbles. After drying, a layer of putty is applied, leveled (with sandpaper), primed. Next, you can glue the new glass wallpaper.
  

• If you want to glue glass wallpaper on drywall, putty only the joints. They are filled with a composition for drywall joints, glued on top with a reinforcing tape (not a mesh), the tape is pressed into the putty with a spatula, then everything is leveled. After drying, they level with sandpaper, remove dust and prime, but not only the joints, but the entire surface of the GKL. When everything is dry, you can start gluing fiberglass wallpaper.
• Concrete, brick walls are prepared in the same way. First, large potholes are sealed, then they are puttied with the first layer, after drying they are leveled, covered with a layer of soil. When it dries, apply a second layer of putty – leveling. The dried wall is covered with soil, after drying, fiberglass wallpaper can be glued.

As you understand, when preparing the base, it is important to repair significant depressions and remove protrusions. It is possible not to achieve a perfectly flat surface, as for painting, but significant differences are visible. Therefore, they are smoothed with sandpaper. If there are cracks, they can not be filled, but glued with reinforcing paper (which is used for drywall) before applying putty.

Pasting with glass wallpaper

Now specifically about how to glue glass. The process itself is no different from gluing conventional ones – vinyl, acrylic, etc. The steps and sequence are the same. The peculiarity is that the glue is applied only to the wall, the wallpaper is not smeared. Everything else is the same:

• Glue is evenly applied to the wall or ceiling. It is faster to do this with a roller, in the corners and junctions from the ceiling and walls use a narrow brush. Glue must be distributed evenly. Where there is too much of it, “dips” form, handprints can be seen. In places where there is little glue, the cullet will not stick, a bubble will form. Until the wallpaper is painted over, the bubble is not visible, only felt by hand (after drying). When painted, they all show up. Therefore, we try to distribute the glue evenly over the entire surface.
• The canvas is cut along the length of the wall + a small margin (5-10 cm).
• The first sheet of glass wallpaper is glued to the wall strictly vertically. The verticality of the edge is checked (preferably with a plumb line). The canvas is smoothed out by movements from the center to the edges – this way the air escapes better. To do this, it is advisable to use a plastic wallpaper spatula. They work quickly and comfortably.

Excess lengths (top and/or bottom) are cut off. In the right place, a steel ruler or a wide spatula is applied, fiberglass is cut with a sharp blade or a clerical knife.

We glue the second canvas

The next canvas is glued end-to-end. It is applied to the edge of the already pasted, aligning the pattern. Then smooth to the surface, first with your hands, then with a spatula. You should not use a rolling roller for gluing the joint – it “rolls out” the pattern, and the knock stands out even more. By hand, the canvas is combined well.

When gluing the outer corner, there are two options:

• Stick the canvas so that its edge sticks out by about 10 cm. Apply glue to the second side of the corner, wrap the canvas with your hands or a sponge, press it to the corner. The next strip is glued with an overlap (2-3 cm), but so that the pattern matches, glue it to the wall. Take a metal ruler or a wide spatula and cut both sheets at the overlap. This line is made at some distance from the corner – the strip to be cut should be 1-2 cm wide. Next, remove both cut strips (one from above, the second from below). We coat the joint again with glue (brush), we connect the canvases. If the drawing is chosen correctly, almost nothing is visible even before painting.
  

• Stick the canvas on one side of the corner, cut off the excess with a sharp knife or blade along the line of the corner. Glue the canvas to the second part of the corner and cut it in the same way. At the junction, connect both canvases.

When gluing an inner corner, the technique is usually the same. The last canvas on the wall should go to the next wall by 1-2 cm. If it is wider, it is cut off. This makes it easier to lay glass wall paper even if the corner is uneven. The next strip is overlapped. At this point, a double layer is obtained, but usually it is almost imperceptible. If you really don’t like it, you can make the entry a little more than 3-4 cm, glue it with an overlap, and then cut off the excess stepping back from the corner 1-2 cm.

We finalize the little things

In those places on the wall where sockets meet, the switches operate when the power is off. It is best to turn off the machine on the shield. Remove the outer parts of sockets and switches, stick the canvas. At the outlet of the electrical network, the fiberglass is cut crosswise. Take a spatula, applying to the outlet. cut off the excess with a knife, press well.

While you are gluing the fiberglass wallpaper for painting and while it dries, there should be no draft in the room. It is also worth curtaining the window so that the sun does not overdry the surface (bubbles may form).

You have probably already understood that if you have ever pasted ordinary wallpaper, you know exactly how to glue glass wallpaper. Because there are almost no features. All the same. Features begin later – the wall needs to be painted. That’s what’s unusual.

How to glue glass wallpaper is described in the video clip. Everything is accessible and understandable.

Fiberglass Wallpaper Paint

You know how to glue glass wallpapers, we will figure out what and how to paint them. Most often, water-based and water-dispersion paints are used for painting glass. Acrylic and latex dispersions wash well, some with a brush and detergents. Some of these compounds withstand thousands of brushing cycles (vandal-resistant up to 20). Therefore, they can be used even in rooms with active exploitation – in the corridor, hallway, kitchen, bathroom.

Water-based emulsions are also washable, but they are not so stable. They, at best, can be wiped several times with a damp cloth. But they do not reduce the vapor permeability of the walls. Because they often paint living quarters.

There are also special enamels designed for painting wallpaper. They are good too, but more expensive. When choosing, pay attention to the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXboperation – there should be an inscription that this composition is suitable for wallpaper (or glass).

How thick is the paint needed? Basically, it doesn’t matter. If it is liquid, you will have to apply more layers, if it is thick, less. In any case, to obtain a good effect, the same amount of dry matter is required. Another thing is that sometimes thicker ones turn out to be more profitable, although they are more expensive. In this case, it is necessary to look at the hiding power and the required number of layers.

Features of paint for fiberglass

Pay attention to the type of surface obtained when painting. Silky matte paint will emphasize the relief best of all, and simply matte paint will partially hide it.

There is one more thing. Glass fiber is a porous material and paint consumption, especially when applying the first layer, is large. To reduce it, it is advisable to prime them. As a primer, you can use the main paint, diluted 1 to 1 with water (if the paint is water-based). Its hiding power will become lower, but due to the large amount of water, it will better penetrate into the pores. The pigment fills them when dry. The next layer of “normal” density will lie better, it will be less absorbed. This, although not very strong, will reduce the overall consumption of paint.