Everyone wants to get a stylish and durable wall treatment, but it requires effective maintenance and care. If you strongly care for the wallpaper, it can last for decades. However, a high-quality wallpaper can last up to 10-15 years depending upon its craftsmanship and care. But the interesting thing is that you can increase its lifespan.
Here’s how!
Opt for various durability and maintenance tips including applying liners, sealing the edges, using protective coatings and finishes, and much more. In this article, Decor Land shares the best tips for boosting the durability of your wallpapers.
Expert Tips To Boost Your Wallpaper Durability
Primarily, the durability of wallpaper depends upon a list of factors. They include quality and type of material, thickness, application area, and wallpaper finish. For our readers, here are the most experienced tips to follow for enhancing the long-lasting performance of wallpapers. Consider these before and after getting high-quality wallpapers in Dubai.
- Get High-Quality Adhesives
- Prioritizing Washable Wallpapers
- Protective Coating Application
- Using Damp-Proof Primer
- Applying Wallpaper Liner
- Inspect Wallpaper Regularly
- Proper Wallpaper Sealing
- Avoid Wallpaper Overlapping
- Right Accessories For Wallpaper Cleaning
- Use Corner & Edge Guards
- Keep Furniture Away From Walls
- Get Wallpapers Installed By Professionals
1. Get High-Quality Adhesives
Whether you’re installing a plain or textured wallpaper – appropriate adhesive is necessary for its perfect attachment to the wall. It is responsible for the permanent bond between wall and wallpaper. However, getting the right one isn’t tough only; you need to keep the wallpaper type and the surface of the wall in mind.
Talking about some popular adhesives they include PVA glue, cellulosic, starch, and clear. You can use these for all types of foil, fabric, embossed, and Brick Wallpapers.
2. Prioritizing Washable Wallpapers
You are completely allowed to get wallpaper in any material, color, texture, and print. But you must consider the cleaning factors as a priority. For example, simple wallpapers require extensive practice for cleaning.
On the other hand, washable wallpapers can be easily cleaned with their capabilities to resist wear and tear. You can consider them for high-traffic areas and kids’ room wallpaper.
3. Protective Coating Application
The specialized coating application on your wallpapers protects them from any outside harm, such as dents or UV-rays attacks for discoloration. They prevent bacterial penetration and gradual degradation over time. If we mention some of the most popular coatings for wallpapers, they might include certain varnishes, synthetic resins, and foils.
4. Using Damp-Proof Primer
There’s no better way to restrict the shrinkage and warping of wallpaper than using damp-proof primers. They not only make walls smoother for longer adhesion but also hide imperfections to promote evenness.
Applying primers to bathroom and kitchen walls is necessary before installing wallpapers. These areas are prone to heavy moisture, while primers equip biocides to prevent antibacterial growth (mold and mildew). However, using it for drawing rooms, guestrooms, living rooms, offices, and bedroom wallpapers is also good for longevity.
5. Applying Wallpaper Liner
Wallpaper liner not only hides the wall imperfections but also smoothens the wall and prevents unevenness, so wallpaper can easily be installed. Using the right liner also supports better adhesion and reduces any cracks or bubbles for optimized longevity.
As per experts, applying wallpaper liner also reduces the high chances of shrinkage, edge splitting, and more. Talking about some popular wallpaper liners include wall-rock fiber liner plus, wall-rock thermal liner, and Albany reinforced lining paper.
6. Inspect Wallpaper Regularly
Your regular wallpaper checkup can prevent its integrity for regular. We recommend you inspect for any signs of damage,e such as bubbling, peeling, tearing, stains, or discoloration. Pay close attention to mold growth, loose seams, and more.
If you observe any such signs, go for repair. Otherwise, it will affect the wallpaper’s integrity. Most commonly, kitchen and bathroom wallpapers require frequent checkups because they’re highly exposed to moisture and humidity.
7. Proper Wallpaper Sealing
Wallpaper sealing prepares the wall to accept adhesion paste and prevent it from being absorbed by the wall very quickly. It helps wallpaper develop a better relationship with the wall and prevent peeling or bubbling. That’s what ultimately enhances the longer durability.
Talking about some of the best sealants include acrylic, silicon, polysulfide, and polyurethane. All of these are popular for their ability to withstand wear and tear.
8. Avoid Wallpaper Overlapping
Wallpaper overlapping causes uneven surfaces and bubbles, which reduces the overall durability of a wallpaper. You might observe visible seams with it that make your wallpaper look poorly maintained. So, if you’re planning to install wallpaper over others or already have overlapping wall coverings, repair them.
9. Right Accessories For Wallpaper Cleaning
Getting the right accessories, including a feather duster, soft sponges and bristle brush, microfibre cloth, and a vacuum cleaner, might be good. However, going with the inappropriate accessories might damage your wallpaper by leaving scratches and gradual degradation.
You should avoid hard brushes, chemical detergents, or more. This is because the accessories might damage the surface of your wallpaper.
10. Use Corner & Edge Guards
The primary benefit of using wallpaper edge guards or corners is that they prevent curling or lifting. They protect wallpaper edges or corners from peeling or tearing down and reduce any friction. It makes your wallpaper easy to clean, preserves its aesthetics, and boosts longevity.
11. Keep Furniture Away From Walls
Keeping the furniture items away from walls protects the wallpaper from scratches and dents by furniture edges. Along with constant rubbing prevention, it also improves air circulation, avoids moisture buildup and peeling, and offers ease of cleaning.
12. Get Wallpapers Installed By Professionals
Last but not least, getting wallpaper installation services by experts also enhances the durability chances of your wall coverings. That’s because they opt for the right techniques, use modern tools and appropriate adhesives, prepare walls properly, and do not over-stretch the wallpapers.
They strongly take care of bubble and wrinkle prevention, seamless finishing, and more. From scratch to the end, they adopt innovative methods and give long-term maintenance tips.
Wrapping Up!
To sum up, a wallpaper can indeed last for 10-15 years. But we shared the 12+ expert tips you can follow to 2x its durability. First, don’t compromise on wallpaper and adhesive quality because it has a major role in longevity. You must apply liners, protective coatings, and damp-proof primer and go for proper wallpaper sealing.
In our opinion, inspecting wallpaper regularly for any scratches, dents, or abrasion marks is key to boosting durability. However, prioritizing washable wallpapers and using the right cleaning accessories might be a good idea. Lastly, avoiding overlapping wallpapers, keeping furniture away from it, using edge guards, and getting professional services for installation are also included in our tips.
