Lining papering went wrong, but how?

[NotThatOne]

Hi,

I just lined a room, approx 28sqm, and all the lengths have either shrunk to leave gaps or lifted along the edges. I'm going to redo it, but I want to establish where I went wrong first. Here's what I did:

-steam tripped all previous paper back to plaster;
-sized the walls with Solvite Wall Size and let dry;
-used 1400 grade Erfurt MAV lining paper;
-used Solvite Extra Strong All Purpose (yellow packet), mixed for 'Normal Wallpapers' (3.5L with 95g packet);
-pasted up 4 lengths at a time and stood to soak;
-hung lengths after 10-20 minutes soaking (Erfurt suggest 7-10 minutes but I was a little slow doing the hanging);
-left room door open while paper dried overnight.

I can think of 3 reasons it hasn't worked:

-I didn't paste edges well enough;
-I used too dilute a paste mixture;
-I left the lengths too long before hanging them.

Any advice appreciated, so the second attempt works better!

Matt

 

[Robbie uk]

Lining paper is only thin and does not need to be soaked for 20 minutes. It only needs to be soaked until pliable, 4 or 5 mins should be enough. The edges will have dried out and havent stuck down. The longer you soak paper the more it wants to contract and shrink. Standard solvite is fine for lining paper. Put plenty on making sure the edges are well covered. By all means paste 2 or 3 lengths but dont leave too long, The other lengths will still be soaking whele you are putting the first ones on. Its all about timing really.

 

[RMS]

Do you really need to use 1400 grade? I find I have less problems with 800-1000 grade with regards to shrinkage and problems with the joins.

You are leaving it too long to soak. As stated 5mins is about right.

I always check and double check I have plenty of paste on the edges. I use a seem roller to make sure the edges a firmly in contact with the wall and to ensure there is no overlapping. You'll find that a small bit of paste may creep out to the surface, just use a wet sponge to wipe this away. This is important as if you leave paste on the surface of the paper it can react with the paint. I try to get the lengths as close as possible, no gap. Trust me the paper will shrink back ever so slightly.

I paste one length at a time, this takes longer obviously. I find myself going back and using my seem roller on the joins just to make sure.

 

[elrobbo]

Do you really need to use 1400 grade? I find I have less problems with 800-1000 grade with regards to shrinkage and problems with the joins.

You are leaving it too long to soak. As stated 5mins is about right.

I always check and double check I have plenty of paste on the edges. I use a seem roller to make sure the edges a firmly in contact with the wall and to ensure there is no overlapping. You'll find that a small bit of paste may creep out to the surface, just use a wet sponge to wipe this away. This is important as if you leave paste on the surface of the paper it can react with the paint. I try to get the lengths as close as possible, no gap. Trust me the paper will shrink back ever so slightly.

I paste one length at a time, this takes longer obviously. I find myself going back and using my seem roller on the joins just to make sure.

good advice rms.

if you can't prep the walls well enough for 1000 grade lining paper then i would be looking for another option i.e skimming. just paste the amount of lengths you can handle with out leaving for excessive soaking. as stated above 20mins is far too long.

 

[TheDec]

Nothing wrong with either 1400 or any other grade really, on the proviso that the paper is not over soaked and is hung in the correct manner.

Dec

 

[NotThatOne]

Very many thanks to all replies. I'll paste up only two lengths at a time so I don't end up leaving them too long to soak. And I'll ensure that edges are well pasted. I may also use a lighter grade (1200); previous times I've lined rooms this problem hasn't occurred.

Thanks again!
Matt

 

[opps]

(depending on height of ceiling/picture rail) I tend to paste 3 at a time (with a roller)- BUT I simultaneously paste the wall as well. Thus I can ensure that there is always wet glue somewhere.

On very hot days I may spray the wall where the seams will be with a fine mist of water (incase the glue has dried too quickly).

I have to admit that I almost never use diluted paste on the walls and have NEVER had any temporary bubbles when painting over the lining paper.

the only time I would use dilute paste on the wall is when working with old horse hair plaster. the dilute coat is applied just to trap the bits of grit which can then be removed with 180g sanding paper when dry.

I do spend more on paste but it is a cheap product.

Out of interest, I seldom hang super specialist/poncy papers, how do people rate premix with bog standard solvite?