Do I need to prime the walls before wallpapering

Repair always requires a lot of time, effort and decision-making, on which the result will depend on in the future. One of the main tasks during the repair is wall decoration: if everything is carefully thought out, the room will look perfect and please the eye for a long time. Wallpapering the room is one of the easiest and most convenient ways, but here some questions may arise, in particular, whether it is necessary to prime the walls before wallpapering.

Do I need a wall primer?

And yet, do you need to prime the walls or can you save time and do without pre-treatment? Actually, in theory this is possible, but in practice it is better not to skip this stage, because the result suffers because of this. And in particular its durability, since if you do not prepare the walls, then after some time the wallpaper can literally slide down from them. It happens that the material begins to puff and peel off the very next day after the repair work.

The cause of the problems is too low adhesion. Small cracks and voids do not allow the wallpaper to adhere well, and no matter how much glue is used and what quality it is, they will not hold well. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the walls in advance and create the most convenient working conditions.

When applying a primer, its composition penetrates the surface of the wall and fills all the pores and voids, thereby increasing adhesion, so the wallpaper is better glued.

Work on a flat and smooth surface is much simpler, and the appearance of the finish looks better with a primer mixture than without it.

Primer benefits

In addition to the fact that thanks to the primer, the wallpaper is better to hold and look more attractive, there are a number of advantages of wall pre-treatment:

1. The primer mixture strengthens the surface layer of plaster and putty, thereby preventing its premature destruction, the appearance of all kinds of defects and chips. This is especially important if the wall is papered.
2. If the surface is not primed, then for high-quality gluing of wallpaper you will have to spend a lot of wallpaper glue, and preferably high-quality. It turns out that if you simply use the soil, the costs will be significantly lower.
3. Many primers include antiseptic substances that help protect walls from mold and other fungal formations.
4. The wall will not absorb unnecessary moisture from the adhesive.
5. The soil allows you to even out the color, in particular this is necessary when pasting the room with thin wallpaper. If you first apply the primer, then after you do not have to worry about the fact that the surface may acquire an ugly yellow, or gray shade. Everything else will hide stains on the walls and drips.
6. Wallpapering primed walls is much easier. Sometimes the material does not want to stick to the surface or starts to fall off if it is not pre-primed. Without primer, the glue on the wall dries quickly, and it has to be applied to the wallpaper again, which is why they get wet and tear. It is much easier to prime the wall in advance. By preparing the surface, you can save time, effort and nerves.
7. Priming is a guarantee that the glue will be distributed evenly and there will be no dry spots on the wallpaper.

Primer selection

In the store it can be difficult to choose the necessary material, as the choice should be made individually. As for brands, for the best result, of course, it is better to give preference to well-known and trusted companies.

Some manufacturers, under the guise of a primer, sell diluted PVA glue, which although it can be used for priming, is inferior in effectiveness to specialized primers. In addition, PVA, sold in cans labeled “primer,” is unreasonably expensive.

Types of primer:

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• Alkyd primer is suitable for the treatment of wooden surfaces before applying any type of cladding to it, starting with paint and ending with wallpaper. It is quite simple to use, the applied composition dries completely after 15 hours. But there is one caveat: such a composition can not be applied on top of the plaster, especially the one that is on a gypsum base, as well as on drywall.

• Glyphtal primer mix has proven itself well when working with metal and wood surfaces. Unlike alkyd primers, this type can be applied to plaster and putty, the main condition is that the room is not too wet. Such a coating dries for about a day.

• Acrylic primer is best suited for processing walls for wallpaper. This composition does not smell, it can be applied to any material except metal. It dries incredibly quickly, within 5 hours. Suitable for walls made of brick, wood, plywood and cement.

Acrylic primer composition is of two types:

• usual;
• deep penetration.

The first is a universal option for those who do not know which primer to choose. Such soil looks unclear, almost colorless.

The deep penetration primer lives up to its name - it penetrates deep into the surface to be coated, strengthening it. Such a composition is absolutely necessary if you are going to paste on an unprepared wall without prior puttying.

Do not buy a primer that contains silicone. Wallpaper glue will not hold on it, which means that the wallpaper itself.

Some recommendations

When preparing for priming and wallpapering the walls, use the following tips.

• Not everyone knows how many times to prime walls. A high-quality primer on a well-prepared surface is enough to be applied once. Soil in 2 layers should be applied to porous, highly sprinkling and moisture absorbing substrates.

You can check the absorbency of the wall as follows: apply the primer in one layer and wait half an hour. If the surface appearance has not changed, then the entire primer has been absorbed and an additional coat is needed.

• The subsequent layer is applied evenly on the entire surface only after the previous one has completely dried.
• Dry primers are cheaper than ready-made liquid primers.
• Dilute the soil mixture strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package. The result should be a homogeneous mass composition.
• Be sure to observe safety precautions, protecting the body and eyes from getting a primer.
• If you do not have the opportunity to buy a primer, you can apply diluted wallpaper glue to the wall before gluing.