'Paste the wall' wallpapering question.

[Mottie]

Mrs Mottie has decided that she wants a couple of walls papered. I quite like wallpapering and I’m not too bad at at it but….. she has seen this paper which is 'paste the wall' which I’m not sure about. I remember using some 'paste the wall' paper years ago and it was a b'stard to hang. Thin as tissue paper too although the sample we have for the paper we are getting is like normal paper. This one: https://www.next.co.uk/style/st141664/a97596#a97596. I'd much prefer to paste it, let it soak and then hang it. I find soaked paper easier to work with.

My next question is that currently the walls that it will be going on is lined and painted. Should I strip this off and go direct on the wall or can I just paste the lining paper and hang the wallpaper? I’m worried that soaking them with paste might make them bubble up and come loose.

Any idea's?

 

[conny]

I was always averse to 'paste the wall' types of paper, but over the past few years have become a great fan of them, (because that's all Mrs C seems to buy)! One of the advantages is, you are not trying to climb a ladder with sopping paper that sticks to everything it touches!
I think things have greatly improved over the years regarding their design and capabilities. The old stuff tended to make the papers stretch on the wall causing bumps and bubbles. New papers don't seem to suffer this fate.
Regarding lined walls, I would be tempted to remove it. It's not designed to be put up as 'paste the wall' paper, so would probably bubble up when pasted over and not give a smooth surface for the new paper.
Mind you, I was always taught never to paste over old wallpaper either as it can become a breeding ground for bacteria, so I have always stripped old stuff off.

 

[opps]

Paste the wall papers tend to be woven backed. They don't expand or contract whilst working with then. If the existing lining paper didn't bubble up when you painted over it last time around, on the balance of probability you will be fine. Just ensure that none of the new joints don't line up with previous ones. Lining paper is 56cm wide, wall paper is often, but not always, 54 cm wide.

Ideally, the lining paper would have been applied with powder based adhesive, the next layer will be PVA based. But, if done correctly you can use starch based over starched based

 

[Mottie]

Ideally, the lining paper would have been applied with powder based adhesive, the next layer will be PVA based. But, if done correctly you can use starch based over starched based

I just used all purpose 'normal' wallpaper paste. The lining paper has been painted several times since and I can’t say I remember any bubbling. Just noticed that Solvite do a paste for 'paste the wall' wallpaper paste so I’ll use that.

 

[opps]

I just used all purpose 'normal' wallpaper paste. The lining paper has been painted several times since and I can’t say I remember any bubbling. Just noticed that Solvite do a paste for 'paste the wall' wallpaper paste so I’ll use that.

My advice would be to use the tub, BUT butter up the extremities of the wallpaper. It will make the edges softer, meaning that if, like me, you use a flat, wide filling knife and sharp blade to trim it, the paper will push into the corners. If you don't, the dry paper will be extremely rigid at the edges where you need to cut it.

I may talk rubbish (on occasion), but my bread and butter is decorating.

 

[jonsho]

I've papered the baby room with a mix of paste the wall paper and paste the paper paper.

The walls were lined and painted as it was an office before, it was a water based paint. Putting it up, the paste the wall gear was so much easier as you can properly saturate the wall and not lose any to the lining paper.

With the paste the paper stuff I was finding the paste got soaked in quickly in some areas and there was a little lifting. Also the paper expanded (as expected) and that's just a pain in the a*se.

6 months on, tbf both seem pretty comparable, but by no means has the "paste the wall" fared any worse for simply going over lining paper.

 

[Tetrarch]

Did some wallpapering last weekend for my daughter. She bought a PTW vinyl from Homebase for a mist-coated chimney breast. I haven't wallpapered for seven years (two feature walls for the OTHER daughter)

I remember the old days lumping what felt like half a hundredweight of cold soggy mess onto a wall - all you got was bubbles, sticky pasting table, squishy edges and a smoothing brush covered in glue

This stuff was a dream. I use a plastic smoother, so no brush and it was so easy to keep clean. took no time at all to hang - I will ask for PTW next time, but it won't be happening in ,my house

Regards

Tet

 

[Mottie]

My advice would be to use the tub, BUT butter up the extremities of the wallpaper. It will make the edges softer, meaning that if, like me, you use a flat, wide filling knife and sharp blade to trim it, the paper will push into the corners. If you don't, the dry paper will be extremely rigid at the edges where you need to cut it.

I may talk rubbish (on occasion), but my bread and butter is decorating.

I always overlap on internal corners by about 10mm with ordinary paper and use overlap adhesive. Do you do the same with PTW?

 

[jonsho]

I always overlap on internal corners by about 10mm with ordinary paper and use overlap adhesive. Do you do the same with PTW?

I did, but I was using different patterns on a feature wall. Worked well, yes. No lift, and that was a transition between PTW and PTP

 

[opps]

I always overlap on internal corners by about 10mm with ordinary paper and use overlap adhesive. Do you do the same with PTW?

With PTW, if I am using a tub paste rather than a powder based paste, I stick with the tub. If powerbased starch, yeah, I would use overlap adhesive, and a sponge to remove any excess.