New wallpapaper curling/bubble on seams


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Old 04-10-18, 07:59 AM
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Question New wallpapaper curling/bubble on seams

i recently hung new wallpaper last week and I could not get hold down some seams even after putting paste directly in. Any suggestions to smooth out and have stick. Really can’t peel back due to little space and and fear of tearing. Thanks for any advice.
 
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Old 04-10-18, 08:43 AM
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At this point your only option is probably to make a nice clean slit with a razor blade, fold back what's loose and reglue it. It's probably the underlying paper that is loose and bubbling, not the overlaying one.
 
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Old 04-10-18, 08:50 AM
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So for lessons learned, what is under the wallpaper, was sizing used to prep?
 
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Old 04-10-18, 08:55 AM
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It was latex painted drywall underneath that was in good shape. Sanded, washed clean, and dried before application.
 
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Old 04-11-18, 06:52 AM
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I've never seen wallpaper packaged without a small direction sheet (sometimes on the back of the Brand label. Almost always, the directions for wallcoverings state that the walls should include the coating/priming of the wall with a "pre-wallcovering primer." This primer is a special vinyl that, when dried, creates a vapor barrier so that the wallcovering is forced to dry slowly OUT through the surface and prevents the moisture from the paste side of the wallcovering to soak into the "substrate" which includes any paint already on the wall. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, this pre-wallcovering primer sealer MUST BE put on the walls, prior to hanging any of today's wallcoverings. Without it, there is no warranty and, although it may look pretty good, right now, the lack of that primer will spell years of frustration, loosening seams and even large areas where the paste or adhesive won't hold the wallcovering on the wall.

If you should go to the expense and time of removing and re-installing NEW (unused) wallcovering as a second attempt, any residual paste MUST be removed from the wall, after removal and BEFORE the primer is applied.

I have a previous post on removing-and-prep-to-paint that goes into detail with hows and whys.

Leave a post if you have questions. I'm not a moderator. I'm retired and usually see new posts, via an email alert.
Best Regards

ps.
Sanding the previous paint actually made the surface that much more porous which is okay if followed by the necessary primer.
 

Last edited by papernpaste; 04-11-18 at 06:53 AM. Reason: additional info
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Old 04-11-18, 12:41 PM
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Thank you papernpaste! This makes complete sense yet of course obviously frustrating for me since I followed the directions included to a T but they did not mentioned priming and it was barely ever mentioned in any of the tutorial videos I watched. Lesson learned! I may wait awhile and eventually redo in a few months once I have the energy to tackle again. With new wallpaper of course, I'm just going to order the same rolls now since I love the design. Not looking forward to stripping but I want it done right. If only I had your advice sooner I would have saved some money and more importantly time and energy. Now I know. Thanks again, enjoy the retirement!

BTW. the pic posted horizontal for some reason. The seam does run vertical.
 
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Old 04-12-18, 05:23 AM
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No matter what I begin to tackle, I've learned to check the Internet of Things, thoroughly. There is a product made by Zinsser that is called Gardz that may save you a step in your situation. Gardz is designed to penetrate any porous surface and then, within two hours, is hardens to "encapsulate" everything on the wall including any missed residual adhesive. This is a great step-saver in that, IF YOU ARE INSTALLING ANOTHER WALLCOVERING, you won't have to wash every inch of the wall, once the current paper is removed. You MUST, however, remove any bits of paper that were left during the removal process because they will be encapsulated if left.
Take a work light and reflect it off the wall. Get on the other end of the wall and look toward the direction of the light but, at the wall and, with a damp microfiber towel and a sharp scraper, pick off any "bits". Then, apply the Gardz, USING A MICROFIBER ROLLER COVER. These hold more Gardz and lessens the splatter and dripping. You have to roll-out the Gardz IN THE TRAY (This provides that you will be working with a not-so-soaked cover.) BEFOREyou go to the wall with it. Your first direction with the laden roller cover must be UPWARD. Roll upward only for the first two strokes. You'll get a good idea of how much you can load on the roller cover while in the pan and how much it can handle without dripping down the wall. This does not have to be two-coated. It's very effective with one coat. This can replace your "pre-wallpaper primer" and it a little less expensive. Shine a light on your wall. Light shined on your work area is always a good way to strive for perfection, no matter what sort of project your tackling.
Good luck.
 
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Old 04-12-18, 07:08 AM
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It was latex painted drywall underneath that was in good shape. Sanded, washed clean, and dried before application.
I have never installed a wall paper that did not recommend using sizing prior to installation!
 
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Old 04-12-18, 01:31 PM
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The Gardz product sounds great from what I read and I will certainly use after I strip and remove excess backing. Thanks again for the tips. It is much appreciated.
 
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Old 04-13-18, 07:10 PM
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Many people use the term "sizing" to mean many things. There is sizing which is simply watered-down adhesive. In some cases, it does assist in installation. When the paper is wet either after running it through a water tray or actually applying "premixed adhesive to the back of the paper, if the prepped wall has had sizing applied, it can actually make installation tedious because that additional adhesive on the wall can cause the paper to cling too much to the wall and it will be difficult to move into the perfect position where the pattern matches, is plumb, and the seams are butted properly. Also, "overworking" the wet paper can cause it to stretch and then getting the three things mentioned in the last sentence becomes a nightmare.
In the old days when wallcover was wall paper, it was common practice to "size" the walls with a watered-down adhesive and then hang new paper right over the old paper. I've had removal jobs that had five (5!) layers of paper Wallpaper. Thank goodness it was plaster and not wallboard.
Ever since the 1970's wallcoverings have been modernized by using vinyls and vinyl-coated papers instead of the old paper wallcoverings. When this changed, many people didn't read the instructions for this new type of paper the industry was now producing. The instructions should have included the NECESSITY of applying an acrylic primer to the walls that created a vapor barrier when thoroughly dried. NOT doing this created a twenty-thirty year period of wallcoverings getting a bad name because, even if it went up okay, when it came time to remove it, the lack of that specific primer allowed the adhesive to bond with latex painted walls and oh my! What nightmares followed!!!
The short of this is: Priming and Sizing are two different steps. Priming is with a "pre-wallcovering" acrylic latex primer that creates a vapor barrier and aids in removal, some day down the road. Sizing is the application of a coating of adhesive, usually watered-down (diluted) to reduce it adhesive qualities, prior to installation.
This is FYI for everyone that might read this thread.
Peace.
 
 

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