How to glue wallpaper myself

1. Preparing the base

The base must be sound, dry, smooth and free of dust, grease, etc.

• Remove old, poorly adhered wallpapers and traces of old glue using "Tap-Ex Wallpaper Remover".
• Fill cracks, holes and unevenness with "Filling and Finishing Putty".
• Prime plasterboard, gypsum or limestone plasters, as well as highly absorbent walls with "Wallpaper primer - deep penetrating".
• For light fleece wallpapers, you can prime with "White Primer for Fleece Wallpapers".
• For coarse-grained plasters, lay down waste paper or repair fleece beforehand.

Browse our entire range of Adhesives and Primers ; Installation Tools and Cleaning Products .

2. Preparation of adhesive solution

Wondering what glue you need? See Wallpaper glues - purpose and main characteristics.

Dissolve the contents of the package in clean, cold water, stirring constantly. Let the solution stand:

• Euro 3000 adhesives: 5 min.
• glue MC Raufaser: 10-15 min.
• glues Extra and Glutolin: 30 min.

After the appropriate time, stir vigorously once more.

3. Preparing the wallpaper and the room:

When purchasing wallpaper, keep an eye on the batch numbers on the rolls, if you missed it, check before starting to glue. All rolls of the same pattern must have a matching batch number. Otherwise, there may be a discrepancy in the color shade.

Avoid drafts in the room, as well as high temperatures above 30 °C during wallpaper application and drying (about 2 days after installation).

Check whether the purchased wallpaper has a fit and if so, by how many centimeters.

Cut out all the wallpaper strips, allowing an additional 5cm for the ceiling and 5cm for the floor.

When sticking uncoated wallpaper (paper duplex wallpaper), be careful not to wet the wallpaper after installation.

If this type of wallpaper has a relief (corrugation), do not press it with a hard roller.

IMPORTANT: Before you start gluing, draw a vertical line on the wall, which will serve as a guide for gluing the first strip.

4. Wallpapering:

Fleece wallpapers

• Apply the dissolved adhesive with a roller or brush directly onto the wall to a width of 1-2 wallpaper strips. Place the wallpaper strip on the adhesive applied to the wall.
• Smooth the wallpaper with a soft brush or roller from top to bottom through the middle, then from the center to the edges to remove bubbles and for a more durable bond.
• Cut off the excess wallpaper with a utility knife and a hard ruler.
• Remove any glue residue on the wallpaper immediately with a clean damp cloth or sponge.
• Wash used tools after work.

Paper wallpapers

• Spread the cut strips evenly with the prepared glue, fold them, pressing the edges together so that the glue does not dry out.
• Allow to "soften", allowing the adhesive to soak in. The softening time depends on the weight of the wallpaper, as follows as a guide (please follow the wallpaper manufacturer's instructions if available):
  - single-layer: stick immediately
  - duplex : 5-7 min.
  - with embossed structure (old name PVC): about 10 minutes.
  - with hard vinyl coating: about 12 min.
  For beginners, we recommend that they apply the glue to one strip, let it "soften", place it on the wall and repeat for each strip.
• Then place the wallpaper on the wall without overlapping.
• Cut off the excess wallpaper with a utility knife and a hard ruler. Remove any remaining glue immediately.
• Wash used tools after work.