Wallpaper Paste

What is paste ? Chemically speaking, wallpaper paste is an aqueous swelling product made from starch and organic cellulose fibers. Mix paste consists of about 80-98% water. From an ecological and health perspective, there is no better adhesive than paste - but its applicability is limited to certain areas of application:

Wherever paper, cardboard and light materials are to be glued to one another - and there is no risk of moisture - glue is the glue of choice: DIY enthusiasts know cellulose glue as wallpaper glue, children make paper mache with homemade flour glue and book binders also use glue for their craft.

Like other adhesives, wallpaper glue develops its adhesive power through the evaporation of the mixing water (paste binds physically). So that the water from the paste can evaporate, only water-vapor-permeable wallpaper can be glued to it (paper wallpaper, woodchip, non-woven wallpaper, …). Water vapor-impermeable wallpapers with metal foils or vinyl-coated wallpapers need a different wallpaper adhesive that develops its adhesive force without evaporation.

Wallpaper paste is not just paste

The range of wallpaper pastes is as diverse as the range of wallpapers. The vast majority still contain methyl cellulose and starch. Resins and other substances are often added to make it easier to use and make the wallpaper paste stronger or more durable. Cheap wallpaper paste often contains only a very low proportion of methyl cellulose, which reduces the adhesive strength and initial adhesion.

• Normal paste

  The classic rolling paste glue is used by the wallpaper. The required soaking time is typical - the pasted wallpaper has to soak up the paste for a few minutes before it can be glued to the wall.

• Special

  paste: For heavier wallpapers (vinyl, embossed or woodchip wallpaper) synthetic resins are additionally mixed with the wallpaper paste, since the adhesive strength of a pure cellulose paste is not sufficient here.

• Non-woven

  wallpaper paste: Wallpaper paste for non- woven wallpapers is a little thicker and does not splash. As a direct paste, it is applied directly to the wall to be wallpapered, the non-woven wallpaper is pressed into the paste bed without softening. On the one hand, the initial adhesion must be high (so that the wallpaper stays on the wall), on the other hand, the open time must be large enough for corrections.

  Wallpaper

  

  non-woven wallpaper paste

  For non-woven wallpaper, special paste is required - these are the things to be aware of when buying

  Practical tip: Non-woven wallpaper paste is also suitable for attaching renovation non-woven or glass fiber-reinforced wallpaper.

• Wallpapering machine paste: Today, wallpapering machines are rarely used. Non-woven wallpapers that are glued directly to the wall make the use of the machine superfluous. Special paste has also largely disappeared from the market. Normal wallpaper paste (possibly set a little thinner) is also suitable for use in the paste machine.

Apply wallpaper paste

Wallpaper paste is mainly offered as powder - comparatively new are liquid paste concentrates, which guarantee a lump-free wallpaper paste. The following instructions explain how to apply a paste correctly:

Mix the wallpaper

paste

Paste glues wallpaper to walls and ceilings: Read how to mix paste free of lumps

Already mixed paste can be stored under certain conditions: covered (protected from drying out and bacteria), wallpaper paste can be stored for up to 14 days. Mold-suppressing additives are not recommended - after the wallpapering, they steam out unpredictably long into the living room!

Practical tip: Wallpaper paste dries out slightly shiny - but is difficult or impossible to remove. If paste gets on the front of the wallpaper (or on other surfaces) when wallpapering, you should dab the still fresh paste with a damp cloth and clear water.

When renovating, the old wallpaper must also come off the wall again: special wallpaper removers make this tedious work easier. Removing non-woven wallpapers is easier - you can simply pull them off the wall as a whole!

Wallpapering

remove wallpaper

Removing wallpaper in rental apartments can be a tedious task

How long has there been wallpaper paste?

Bone glue - from boiled animal bones - was for centuries the only adhesive available for wallpapering (at that time only nobles knew the decorative wall hanging). Only when he discovered that boiled plant starch resulted in a sticky and durable wallpaper paste did the painter Ferdinand Sichel make the paste affordable for the general public in 1888. Dr "Sickle wallpaper paste SM" still had to be stirred with hot water. In the 1920s, cold-soluble dry starch (swelling starch) made the product even more user-friendly. The next leap in innovation took place in 1953: Here, Henkel launched a new wallpaper paste under the Metylan brand, which consisted of pure methyl cellulose. Lump-free wallpaper paste was now available for every handyman!