Wallpaper

[MiniMadWoman]

Tiny bubbles, in the wine . . . actually they're in my kitchen wallpaper! It was fine and now all of a sudden there are all these bubbles and such. Is it because of the high humidity? Will it go away? Help! :lol:

[Minis On The Edge]

This is a Question for SUPER Linda!!! She'll know the answer. :lol:

[LPCullen]

Are you wallpapering outside? What kind of wallpaper is it? Plain paper or vinyl? Is it very wet?

[MiniMadWoman]

I'm wallpapering in the house, but I've had the windows open and it's been raining, so it's rather humid. I'm using the wallpaper from Minigraphics and am using the Minigraphics wallpaper mucilage.

[Bee]

Teresa, after you attached your wallpaper with the mucilage, did you take a credit card and scrape across the paper with a little pressure to force the excess mucilage to the edges? That flatens out air bubbles as well.

Bee

[MiniMadWoman]

Hi Bee, no I didn't use a credit card, I used a crumpled paper towel as it stated on the directions, but maybe I should have used a credit card. Is it okay to run over it now or will I ruin it? :lol:

[Bee]

Ohmygoodness! I've been away and I hope your wallpaper problem has resolved itself. If not...

If the glue has not dried the best procedure is to smooth out glue or air bubbles with a credit card. If the glue IS dried then, for air bubbles, the best procedure generally is to carefully slit the wallpaper over the bubble (with a razor or Xacto blade), press out the air and reglue.

But you said "tiny" bubbles. Air and glue bubbles are generally like blisters. If these are more like tiny bubbles, I wonder if there is something under the wallpaper that is creating this bumpy surface. Perhaps the dollhouse wall itself has old dried glue bumps on it. Or-- as has happened with me-- the sponge brush you applied the wallpaper mucilage to the back of the wallpaper has "crumbed" and left bits of sponge residue.

All I can say, Teresa, is that if you do have to repaper, you won't be the first--not by a longshot!! Good luck.

Bee

[MiniMadWoman]

Hi, Bee! Yes, they're more like blisters, but for the most part, the problem seems to have rectified itself. There are a few areas I'll probably need to address, but overall it looks good! I think it was the high humidity we've had here for the last little while! It may be good for the skin, but it's bad for wallpapering!

[William]

Hi:

Take a pin and prick the bubbles, after you have pricked the bubbles squeeze the air out with your finger tips, maybe some extra glue will come out also.

[MiniMadWoman]

Okay, I've about had it with wallpaper! It's "blistering" again!! (High humidity here). Is it perhaps the mucilage . . . it's been over a week you'd think it'd be dry by now!

What do other people use to apply wallpaper because I don't think mucilage is going to work for me! Help!!!!

[Peggi]

I used YES glue, spread on with a small paint brush and so far have had no problems. I'm in GA and the humidity here has cause the air to be so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Peggi

[Bee]

Teresa, my guess is that you might not have applied the mucilage over all the paper, that you missed spots and that these air bubbles reappear with the humidity. I don't know any other kind of glue to recommend. I've always used mucilage/gel (Millie August, Plaid, Builder's Choice, Minigraphics, etc.) applied evenly with a sponge brush, then smoothed with a credit card, and I've been very happy. I like the way you can reposition the wallpaper easily with mucilage. I hope you find somthing that works for you.

BTW, I live in North Carolina, where the humidity is almost always high.

Bee

[LPCullen]

Okay, I've about had it with wallpaper!    It's "blistering" again!!  (High humidity here).  Is it perhaps the mucilage . . . it's been over a week you'd think it'd be dry by now!

What do other people use to apply wallpaper because I don't think mucilage is going to work for me!  Help!!!! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The wallpaper that you did several days ago is not dry? Hmmm. Weird. Must be something mixing with the glue/adhesive that you are using, and you may be using too much. Without pictures, it is hard for me to tell. I know that certain adhesives are simply not a good idea for certain areas--like hot glue is a huge no no in the south because of the heat and high humidity.

I use Prepz One Step Border Prep & Adhesive. Comes in a green can which you can get either in the gallon size or the quart size (which is what you would use on real house wallpaper or border). If I am using plain paper (like minigraphics--not prepasted or vinyl) wallpaper I do the following:

First I lay the wallpaper onto the wall and crease it to get an approximate size and go ahead and cut it at that point, but I cut it large so that it is overlapping--usually on the floor, and I usually use the paper's originally cut top edge to the ceiling.

I then put the adhesive on the WALL only, which I have already prepared with 2 coats semi-gloss white paint--I do not apply wallpaper to bare wood. Ever. I use a sponge paint brush (1 inch) to apply the adhesive to the walls, and I am just putting a thin layer on, just basically rubbing the brush on the walls to spead the adhesive on it uniformly and get it a little wet. I do not put the adhesive on the plain paper wallpaper.

I then lay the wallpaper onto the wall, and truthfully, I usually turn the house on it's side (or its face) so that I am basically laying the paper down. I then take a DRY washcloth and rub the paper down--gently, to make sure that it has adhered to the wall (if there is a section that appears to not have adhered, then I will peal it back and apply a very thin layer of adhesive to that section of the paper itself). For plain paper wallpaper, I let it dry before I cut out the bottom of it where it meets with the floor (and is usually overlapped about a quarter inch on the floor).

I then leave the wallpaper alone until it dries, and I wait until it is completely dry to cut out windows, etc. (I also only wallpaper one wall at a time.) Where I work at our primary house, there is a ceiling fan above me. Once I have laid the wallpaper in and rubbed it down, I turn the fan on to dry it, and I don't do any more wallpaper until that wall is dry. At the other house, where I don't have that ceiling fan, I take a small fan and aim it on the house and turn it on (usually on medium) so that the wallpaper dries fairly quickly. This is very important with plain paper wallpaper, and lots of time I will let it dry overnight, or at least six hours before touching it.

Here's a little hint about plain paper wallpaper--it ALWAYS bubbles, but only when it is wet. However, the more that you mess with it while it is wet, the worse the bubbling (and creasing) gets. Usually, if I lay it in, rub it down and leave it be--even though it will initially bubble a little, the bubbles will lay back down once the paper is dry. If there is a portion where there is a bubble like at the top or the bottom, I take a small (artists) paint brush, dip it in the adhesive, and then I can wiggle the paintbrush behind the wallpaper in between the wallpaper and the wall and get some adhesive in there, take my dry washcloth and rub it down. Leave it alone until it dries.

For vinyl wallpaper, prepasted or not, I do the same, EXCEPT that I also apply a thin coat of adhesive directly to the wallpaper.

If you can get into the blogs, if you look at the Arthur's built and follow LPCullen's Arthur, I sort of give a tutorial of wallpapering there. However, my method is not everyone's method, and you will have to experiment with what is best for you, including what type of adhesive works best for you. Usually, if you can get it at your local hardware store (which is where I get the adhesive that I use), it should be compatible with your weather in your area.

I hope this helps!

[shutterbugkc]

I'm sorry to here of your wallpaper woes. I have a small bit of advice that might help next time, but is of no immediate use for the current situation. I don't know if you are using regular wallpaper or computer printed sheets or scrapbook paper, but one thing I learned while using the scrapbook paper is that if you put the glue on the wall first and then apply the paper, the paper will start to soak up the glue and expand and cause bubbles and wrinkles. What I've learned to do is spread the glue all over the back of the paper first with my fingers (yes, I am a messy one ) making sure not to miss any spots and then let it sit for just moment or two to let it do all the expanding it needs and then apply it to the wall. I then use a wadded up paper towel to smooth it all out (a credit card on this thin wet paper could do damage.) I hadn't thought about it before, but it really could make a big difference to make sure the wall is sealed or primed before applying the wallpaper, just so the wood doesn't soak up all the glue too fast. BTW I usually just use white school glue for wallpaper.

[havanaholly]

Teresa, I use premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store, out of the tub, with a regular 1" natural bristle brush (for non-prepasted papers) and after I get it into position I go over it with a damp cloth or paper towel, let it set up a bit and go over it again with a brayer (a roller like you get for wallpaper borders) which smooths the paper and works out any bubbles. I did have a paper that bubbled in a couple of places nearly a week later, I took a new craftknife blade and scored the bubble, dampened the paper and flattened it with my fingers & it looks fine now.

[MiniMadWoman]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm thinking maybe I put too much mucilage on the paper and that is why it's taking so long to dry. It's so weird though because if I have the air conditioning on it lays flat and is fine, but as soon as I open the windows and that humidity gets in . . . look out!

Other than that, I've pretty much followed the same directions as everyone seems to be using, so I guess I'll try using a little less mucilage and see if that doesn't solve the problem.

Thanks so much!!