Should I Prime walls before installing wallpaper?

Are you debating wallpaper installation? Have you seen friends, family, TV shows with wallpaper and are ready to try wallpaper yourself? We say welcome to the party! Wallpaper to day is not what you saw or hear about from the 1970’s and 1980’s. It is much better in so many ways, but also more difficult in many ways. If you are hiring a wallpaper installer or installling wallpaper your self the one thing you need to know is the prep work. The most common question we are asked is Should you I Prime walls before installing wallpaper?

Before we get into the details (the answer is pretty much yes) there are several things to know about the primers available and the requirements of the wallpaper, before putting primer on a wall. So lets get into the details of wallpaper primer.

What are the different type of wallpaper?

1st things 1st, know thy paper! We install many types of wallpaper, and overall they have the same technique to install, but the types of wallpaper paste, the methods used to actually putting paper to wall can vary. So – read the instructions to see what you need or if the wallpaper requires special tools, adhesive, primers etc.

Some of the wallpaers you may encounter or buy are made with;

• vinyl
• paper backed vinyl
• paper
• fabric

Each of these wallpapers will have a different type of adhesive requirement.

In all of these cases, the adhesive or wallpaper paste is what sticks to the walls or ceilings. Since the adhesive is sticking to the wall or ceiling, we need to prepare the walls for that adhesive so it adheres correctly and the wallpaper is removed correctly.

Types of walls for wallpaper installation

The type of wall also will determine the prep work, mainly the primer needed for wallpaper. We primarily deal with drywall, but some times plaster.

If you have new drywall, you will need to have that wall primed with a drywall primer. Some of the new homes we have been at in Hampshire, Elgin, St. Charles, had walls primed with a PVA primer, which is nice for paint, not for wallpaper.

Walls should always be considered, not wallpaper-ready. When we are installing, we assume and figure in time to apply a wallpaper primer or wall sealer before we install anything on your walls.

If you have Plaster walls- (thing older homes in Chicago, Elgin, and historic areas like Woodstock) the type of paper being installed may not only need a special primer but the walls may have to have a liner paper installed so the wallpaper can be installed correctly. (a quick reason- plaster is very dense, the adhesive is very wet, as the adhesive dries it creates gas- this gas has to go somewhere. If it cannot be absorbed into the wall- then it will create a bubble in the wallpaper)

Types of primer for wallpaper

For this article we are dealing with wallpaper that needs primer. (some prepasted has its own special needs)

The 2 primers we use the most are Guards and Roman 977.

Why Roman 977 primer?

The one thing that is great about this primer is that it is white and it can be tinted! Now your not gonna get black or red, but it gives the abilty add some of the basic undertones of the wallpaper such as grey, greens beige etc. It dries pretty fast, easy to use easy to clean up, acts alot like paint.

Guardz Primer/sealer

The word sealer is used here for a reason. This stuff is amazing in that in penetrates wall surfaces! It bonds to paint and drywall, creating a smooth surface, and a solid substrate to work with. When you look at the walls with primed with Gurardz, it is a consistent sheen and also shiney. This can be good and bad. If you have made wall repairs- then this items is perfect- it locks down the areas being repaired. It is claimed that this can penetrate into a wall surface up to 1/16 of an inch!! think about that!! Crazy.

BUT! Guardz can also over seal a surface. This means it can lead to more bubbles.

We use Guardz in new homes, or if there have been repairs to walls, etc, cause it will give us a uniform surface to work with. Word of caution with Guardz- it is very thin or runny- which means is more likely to spatter if you going too fast, and cause runs if your using too much materials (we like microfibre sleeves)

How long does it take for wallpaper primer to dry?

In either type of primer- it is agood rule of thumb to allow the primer to dry overnight. It can dry faster. weather, air movement, surface dryness (older or new homes will soak it up like a sponge)

We will, use a fan to get primer to dry faster, so there are installs where one day install is possible.

How should I apply wallpaper primer?

Kind of like painting a wall- mask areas you don’t want primer on, cut the wall in with a brush, then roll the primer out. KEEP IN MIND.. you need to work faster, as this dries fast and hard, so you need to clean your tools as soon as your done with them. (done cutting0 go wash the brush!)

When to not use wallpaper primer.

We will have a different article on this one, but just be prepared, that some wallpaper will say do not prime. So dont!

Other Questions on Wallpaper?

You can check out of FAQ on wallpaper

You can check out our you tube channel with wallpaper videos

as always you can give us a call 847.553.1726, send an email to us david@dfrancopainting.com or just schedule a estimate