Sizing: PVA vs the others

deko · 13 Apr 2008

I've read a lot of threads on this forum relating to 'sizing' a wall prior to wallpapering.

Some say use PVA, some say use thinned down wallpaper adhesive, others say use glue size.

If we were to lock the three in a cage fight who would come out on top and why?

Growler · 14 Apr 2008

deko said:
If we were to lock the three in a cage fight who would come out on top and why?

Good question.
Glue size, because it's specially made for t'job.
I could make a good argument for pva, but i'm a bit busy right now.

deko · 15 Apr 2008

I can walk into any diy shop and buy a big pot of PVA, but finding 'glue size' is not so easy. I can also use PVA for glueing wood together, so from a practical point of view PVA just seems more versatile.

Are there any bad points to using PVA as a sealer for walls prior to wallpapering? Such as that put forward for on the ultimatehandyman website (in this case prior to tiling) here:

http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/tiling/diy_Tiling_Why_not_to_use_pva.htm

"When you treat a surface with PVA it partly soaks in and partly sits on the surface of the substrate much in the same way as wallpaper paste.

If PVA gets wet it becomes slightly live again, it doesn't completely return to it's liquid state but it becomes sticky."

Will PVA become 'live' when it interacts with the water in the wallpaper adhesive? If so, the resulting stickyness should would surely benefit the adhesive properties of the wallpaper paste? Would glue size show the same behaviour?

Thanks for your input Growler, would like to hear your argument for pva when you've got some time.[/i]

Growler · 15 Apr 2008

Mate of mine uses pva as size, all the time and never has probs. I don't use it, but I have.
About 1979, I pva'd a room prior to papering and all the joints split and kept splitting over time ..I know, I know it was my fault. I'd made the pva too shiny, too thick and this had given it a too glossy surface. A disaster for papering over.
Last time I used it, about 3 years ago,I was doing a staircase and over the picture rails where I'd stripped the paper off, it was distemper. I'd no time to mess about washing off etc. so I pva'd it and papered it with blown vinyl. Big success.
As for the techy side of pva.... I have no expertise.

54aardvark · 18 Apr 2008

I tend to go for a PVA size 1 part PVA to 4 parts water and paper while it is still slightly damp.

Had a nightmare week using just a paste size, everything prepped OK, come back next morning to blown lining paper all over. Most all repaired OK but ended up having to re-hang 2 drops hence emulsion today rather than 3 days ago!

Not a clue why it happened but the sizing was the only thing I did differently.

deko · 18 Apr 2008

May I ask why you used paste size instead of pva that time 54aardvark?

54aardvark · 19 Apr 2008

Reading so much about paste-sizing on the forums and thought I'd give it another go as its the "proper" way to do it.

Its a lot harder to strip paper thats been PVA sized but I see no problem using it on lining paper as its going to be emulsioned and, as a courtesy to future decorators, I'll emulsion if I'm doing a finish paper over the top so it can be stripped back to the lining paper.

Growler · 19 Apr 2008

54aardvark said:
Reading so much about paste-sizing on the forums and thought I'd give it another go as its the "proper" way to do it.

Its a lot harder to strip paper thats been PVA sized but I see no problem using it on lining paper as its going to be emulsioned and, as a courtesy to future decorators, I'll emulsion if I'm doing a finish paper over the top so it can be stripped back to the lining paper.

Eh

54aardvark · 19 Apr 2008

Re-phrase - a trifle confused (been a long day, started painting at 6.30 this morning!)

Stripping paper where the walls have been PVA sized is a lot harder, but if the L/P is sealed (emulsioned) prior to a finish paper, when the finish paper is stripped, it shouldn't take the L/P off with it.

Maybe speaking burlax but it works for me.

Time for bed zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Zampa · 21 Apr 2008

Ive used PVA as a size..once, to be honest I cant see they advantage and refering to Growlers post..if it goes wrong, its going to go really wrong.

I often add PVA to a paste..

As for size, I find a little drop of white vinyl matt is good..it semi seals the wall and you can see where you have been when your applying it.

deko · 22 Apr 2008

As for size, I find a little drop of white vinyl matt is good..it semi seals the wall and you can see where you have been when your applying it.

I rely on the shine to guide me when rolling the pva on, which is why I'm often seen hovering just above the wall surface with a distant stare. So armed with this little tip I will no longer look like I've PVA'ed myself to the wall

Thx!

Zampa · 22 Apr 2008

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Sizing: PVA vs the others

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