Is it possible to glue wallpaper on lime whitewash

Whitewashing is an old, once quite popular finish. It does not fit into modern interior styles, however, dismantling such a coating is a troublesome and unpleasant process. Therefore, many prefer to glue wallpaper on a lime whitewash without washing off the old coating. We suggest figuring out whether such a step will cause irreparable damage to a fresh repair.

Is it possible to glue wallpaper on whitewashed walls or the ceiling?

The answer to this question depends on the type of finishing material applied to the surface. The compositions used for whitewashing can be conditionally divided into two types:

• Colloidal solutions, the main element of which is slaked lime.
• Chalk based mixes.

Experts call several conditions under which pasting of walls and ceilings with wallpaper is possible:

1. The basis is lime whitewash.
2. Whitewashing is held tight to the surface of the wall, it is very difficult to separate with a spatula.
3. It is applied no more than two layers.

When is whitewashing necessary?

If the condition of the base does not meet at least one of the above conditions, freshly glued wallpaper may simply fall away. Unsuitable quality finish does not tolerate additional loads, swells and falls off, pulling the wallpaper.

Having summarized all the factors, we strongly recommend spending time cleaning the whitewashed surface in the following cases:

• The base is chalk whitewash.
• The finish is easy to clean, disappears.
• More than two layers are applied to the wall.
• Mold is found on the surface, if it is not removed, then this problem will spread to the updated walls.
• Whitewash is applied in an uneven, thick layer.
• The room is not heated, which means the walls froze.

How to understand if whitewashing is suitable for wallpapering: 4 tests

Visually determine the type of whitewash is almost impossible. Therefore, to find out whether the existing basis is suitable for our purposes, it should be empirically.

1. Just swipe your hand over the whitewashed wall. Cretaceous base, unlike lime, will paint a palm in white. Sticking wallpaper on such walls is a waste of time. Wallpaper sheets simply disappear from the coated substrate and even the highest quality primer will not be able to save the situation and provide the necessary adhesion.
2. The second test will help determine how firmly the lime is held. It is necessary to carry out trial gluing on an inconspicuous area. The wallpaper strip must be glued in compliance with all the technologies and recommendations of the manufacturer, let it dry, and then try to pull. If in order to tear off the sheet along with whitewashing, minimal efforts are required, you should not even think about the full pasting of the room without cleaning the walls.
3. The abundance of whitewash layers applied to the surface serves as a guarantee that, under the weight of the wallpaper, they will certainly stratify. To check, you should chop off a small piece of whitewash in an inconspicuous place.
4. Another barrier to pasting is frozen whitewash. You can determine this fact simply by running your hand. Residues of dust indicate that no matter how you try to erase it, there will be no result.

Keep in mind that even if the decoration in the apartment has passed all the tests, but the walls are uneven, wallpapering will not give good results. Exit: clean off the whitewash, plaster and putty walls.

Another risk factor

There is another unpleasant phenomenon, the appearance of which is impossible to predict. These are unsightly spots and stains on the wallpaper. They arise due to a chemical reaction, which enters lime and cellulose - a component of almost all types of wallpaper paintings.

How to clean the surface of the old whitewash?

If we are dealing with a relatively small and thin layer of coated whitewash, it can be removed with a damp foam sponge. Gradually cleans the entire surface, you only need to monitor the purity of the water. This method is practically dust free, but time consuming.

If we are dealing with a thick lime layer, it will be more difficult to wash off the whitewash.

• The entire surface is moistened, for which a spray with warm water is used.
• With a spatula or scraper, the wet layer is cleaned.

• To prevent severe contamination of surfaces, you can use a scraper with a pallet.

After removing the main thick layer, it is recommended to rinse the entire cleaned surface with a sponge. So the remains of chalk and dust are removed.

Glue whitewash wallpaper: surface preparation

Regardless of the type of wallpaper chosen, the base coated with whitewash should be prepared before gluing:

• The surface is ground so that the small grains that are almost always present on the lime do not interfere with adhesion. To this end, sandpaper or fine mesh with abrasive coating is used.
• Dust residues are wiped off with a damp sponge; the next step can only be started after it has completely dried.
•  If there are cracks on the surface of the walls, they should be expanded, cleaned, primed, filled with putty. After drying, the surface is leveled with a narrow spatula.
• Whitewash is covered with a deep penetration primer, preferably in two layers. Thus, it is possible to increase adhesion with the base and strengthen the whitewash. Application of the soil is carried out with a paint brush or roller.

• We apply liquid diluted wallpaper glue to a dry wall. So you can get rid of minor wall defects. After this layer dries, the surface will be ready for the final finish.

Sticking process

The trial pasting described at the beginning of the article will save you from unnecessary waste of materials and time. If as a result of the test it turns out that the glued strip is holding tight, we continue the process throughout the room.

Important! There is no guarantee that whitewash exfoliation will not occur elsewhere.

Next, we observe the following algorithm of actions:

1. In a bucket with the help of a construction mixer, stir the glue. Make sure that the mixture does not have lumps. Let her brew for about half an hour while we are preparing the paintings.
2. On the wall, mark the line along which the first wallpaper strip will be glued, measure its length and cut off a piece of the required size with a margin of 5 cm.
3. We apply glue on the canvas and on the walls, if the wallpaper is vinyl on a paper basis or paper. If they are non-woven or non-woven, the adhesive is applied only to the wall.
4. For better impregnation, we fold the wallpaper strips in half. Especially well should be missed places of future joints.
5. Wallpapering is performed from top to bottom, gradually smoothing the surface with a rubber roller from the center to the edges.
6. After gluing the first strip, you can proceed to pasting the rest of the room. The sheets are glued butt.

In more detail, the process of wall decoration with non-woven wallpaper is described here. On how to glue paper-based canvases correctly, it is written in this article.

The process of decorating a room with wallpaper on top of a whitewash layer is not difficult, but professionals still advise cleaning the base. But even with the observance of the above recommendations, no one can guarantee that the finish will not disappear.