Over the years, wallpaper has been widely used in homes and apartments as decoration material. This is a popular and inexpensive finishing method. Modern wallpapers should be not only beautiful, but also durable. Unfortunately, their service life is not always long. Therefore, the issue of additional coverage protection becomes relevant. Can the wallpaper be varnished? Experts give a positive answer. But there are some nuances. How to varnish the wallpaper and what will it give? Consider this publication.
Why open the wallpaper with varnish?
Varnish wallpaper in order to protect them. So, among the advantages of this operation can be noted:
- Moisture resistant. This applies even to paper wallpapers. Having treated them with varnish, it is possible to prevent deformation of the coating when water enters. And this allows you to use paper wallpaper in the bathroom.
- Resistance to mechanical damage. The varnish forms a thin but strong film.
- Top layer protection. The pattern cannot be erased or damaged in any other way (for example, after sticking adhesive tape). In addition, the paint on the wallpaper does not fade under the influence of sunlight.
- Appearance. The surface treated with varnish for wallpaper becomes more saturated and shiny.
disadvantages
But before you get varnish for wallpaper, you need to take into account the negative sides:
- The surface can become transparent and shine through the wall.
- If there are bumps on the wall, all defects will become more visible.
- It is possible to undermine the wallpaper in places of voids or joints during the drying of the varnish.
- Complex dismantling. This operation will require more effort than when removing raw wallpaper. At the end of the article we will return to this issue.
What can be covered?
An important point: not every type of wallpaper is subject to such processing. If we talk about vinyl, these coatings initially have good moisture repellent properties. It is possible to process them with varnish, but this will not increase their service life. And work during dismantling will increase.
It is also not recommended to open the fabric wallpaper with protective varnish . Textile is itself a durable material and resistant to various negative influences. In addition to the fact that the application of varnish does not extend the service life, the coating can easily be damaged during processing.
But bamboo wallpapers are often varnished. This material can be treated with any varnish. Lacquered bamboo wallpapers will last much longer. The same goes for cork wood wallpapers. Non-woven can also be subjected to this treatment. But the exception is white wallpaper for painting. They must first be painted. Only then can a layer of protective varnish be applied. Otherwise, the coating will become transparent and all the flaws on the wall will be visible.
Basically purchased varnish for wallpaper paper. It is they who undergo protective treatment most often. As practice shows, such wallpapers will be resistant to moisture and mechanical damage. Thanks to the varnish, you can significantly increase the life of the coating. Also, varnish allows you to expand the scope of paper wallpaper. They can undoubtedly be used in the bathroom and other rooms with high humidity.
What varnish to cover the wallpaper?
It is important to use only specialized products. You can not do the processing with improvised means (for example, hairspray). This will lead to unnecessary spots and bumps on the wall. VAK A-104 wallpaper varnish receives a lot of positive reviews. It is great for paper coatings.
Particularly demanding for varnish is a material such as cork. Cork wallpapers are beautiful, but prone to damage. Therefore, in order to protect, many resort to varnishing. You can not use ordinary varnish for cork. This will reduce the elasticity of the material and also close the pores through which air passes. Therefore, only that varnish is used that is designed specifically for balsa wood.
We prepare varnish
If you plan to process photo wallpaper, you can prepare the varnish yourself. For dark tones, it is optimal to prepare varnish by mixing shellac and borax. In the case of processing light-colored wallpaper, sandrac is added to the storm. This mixture is diluted with alcohol. How to make varnish? Below is a step-by-step guide:
- You need to boil 400 milliliters of water.
- Add 20 milliliters of borax.
- Put 50 grams of shellac.
It is important to add borax only in the right amount. Otherwise, we will not achieve a quality result. By mixing all these components in an enameled container, you can get high-quality water-based varnish.
Instructions for varnishing
First of all, old wallpapers are not subject to varnishing. Otherwise, all flaws on the surface will be visible. Also, before gluing, you need to carefully align the wall. For this, putty is used. Additionally, the wall is primed for better adhesion and painted with white water-based paint. This will even out the tone of the wall (since the varnish will highlight all spots and differences in shades). For reliable fixation, it is recommended to add PVA glue to the solution. It is necessary to carefully glue all the joints. If it is non-woven or paper wallpaper, they are primed with a PVA solution before varnishing.
Then proceed to the application of varnish. This can be done using a roller. The brush should not be used, as it leaves noticeable and ugly stripes. Varnishing is carried out in two layers. In this case, you should wait for the complete drying of the previous one. This will take about a day.
What next?
An important stage in the processing of walls with varnish is drying. It should occur at a temperature of 5 to 30 degrees above zero. It is also unacceptable that the air humidity is more than 80 percent. Experts do not recommend accelerating the drying time of the surface with a hairdryer. After that, you can polish the varnish. Further, the coating does not require attention, since it differs in antistatic properties. In the presence of severe contamination, it is sufficient to treat the surface with a damp cloth. To remove greasy traces, it is pre-dipped in a soap solution.
How to remove varnished wallpaper?
There are several ways to remove old varnished wallpapers:
- Using sandpaper. But since the volume of work will be large, it is recommended to use the tool. As an assistant, a grinder with a nozzle is used. This nozzle consists of numerous pieces of wire and is able to quickly remove a layer of wallpaper on the wall. However, not everyone uses this method, since after processing the wall must be puttied.
- Using special formulations. To remove the wallpaper, you can apply the softening composition Quelyd Dissoucol. After applying it to the surface, walk with a needle roller. So the active substances penetrate into the wallpaper and reduce the adhesion of the material.
Information in conclusion
So, we found out if the wallpaper is varnished. As you can see, this operation is relevant in most cases only for paper coatings. In other situations, the wallpaper already has all the necessary qualities or is not intended for varnishing. Can be varnished and bamboo wallpaper. This will extend their lifespan. However, such a protective layer should only be applied to a fresh surface. It is also worth remembering that after this treatment it is very difficult to remove the coating. Therefore, it is important that the wallpaper design meets the requirements as much as possible.