Painting wallpaper: the best products!
Wallpaper that can be painted, offers you more than just free choice of color. Through structural designs and 3D patterns there are no design limits, so you have walls and rooms to design in a unique way.
And best of all, if you no longer like the original color, you can simply paint over the wallpaper.
The most important thing about paintable wallpaper:
Properties:
Paper & woodchip:
Recycled material | natural raw materials | traditional design
Fleece & Vinyl:
dimensionally stable | scratch-resistant | decorative | durable | can be painted over several times | easy to wallpaper
Fiber optics:
robust & resilient | crack-bridging | stable fabric | hygienic
The advantages of paintable wallpaper:
There is not only a wide range of textures and patterns, but also different types of wallpaper, which are recommended for very specific rooms and walls. Depending on the wallpapering project, you can choose between non-woven wallpaper, paper wallpaper or fiberglass wallpaper.
The popular Meistervlies wallpapers, as the name suggests made of non-woven and vinyl, are the choice for quick and clean wallpapering. They are wallpapered with the wall gluing technique, do without soaking times, are crack-bridging, dimensionally stable and can also be painted over several times. Wallpaper once and always bring fresh color to the wall, so the long life of paintable wallpaper pays off.
And if you ever want to change the wallpaper, the wallpaper can be completely removed from the wall.
Why paintable wallpaper?
If you often change the color on the wall, you don't always want to redecorate and for this reason you choose a wallpaper that you can easily paint over with a color of your choice. Depending on the wallpaper, this is even possible several times and makes the redesign of a room a breeze.
With a simple coat of paint, the wallpaper and the room suddenly look completely new. So paintable wallpaper makes the living room design simple and flexible. An old study can be personalized and transformed into a colorful children's room by painting the walls. When the little ones grow up, a change of color of the wall is enough to turn the children's room into a teenager's pad. Instead of immediately buying all new furniture in the living room, a new wall paint in trendy colors can make the living room feel new and the furniture shine in a new light. This kind of home design update doesn't just work once, but provides fresh color and modern atmosphere in your four walls over and over again.
The design possibilities are therefore huge, and not only because of the coating, because the different paintable wallpapers are also available in a variety of designs. Fabric structures for a linen look, embossed and foam textures for a roughcast look or the classic woodchip look, 3D designs and many other surface effects provide a unique look on the wall.
Paintable wallpapers are always the right wallpaper choice if you want to be flexible in your choice of colors, if you want to bring a special textured effect to the wall, or if you want to benefit from the other properties of a particular type of wallpaper.
Types of wallpaper to paint over
Basically, the paintable wallpapers are divided into two subgroups: The wallpapers that need to be painted to seal and those wallpapers that allow painting to customize or redesign the wall color.
The first group includes woodchip wallpaper and fiberglass wallpaper. These very different types of wallpaper are very popular due to their material properties, but they need additional painting after wallpapering for a beautiful decor and for safe protection.
Paper and woodchip wallpaper provides a permeable and textured wall surface, but is only available in bleached or tinted white. A coat of paint or protective coating in neutral white is necessary to prevent the wallpaper from darkening and yellowing.
Fiberglass wallpapers or glass fabric wallpapers are particularly durable and robust, so they are often wallpapered in busy rooms. They should always be sealed with a suitable paint coat to ensure their full functionality. Their design is determined by the weave of the fibers.
You can find more on the subject on our advice page.
The second group of paintable wallpapers includes all vinyl wallpapers and non-woven wallpapers with PVC coating, which are manufactured or suitable for painting. These wallpapers are marked by the manufacturer as paintable, a corresponding symbol can be found on the roll insert. In our online store you can find this reference in the product name and in the details of the product.
Among the wallpapers specifically suitable for painting over are the "Meistervlies" wallpaper of A.S. Création and the painter's fleeces. Painter fleeces are also called maculature fleece or smooth fleece, their primary task is to make the wall in a smooth and even, bridge cracks and create a neutral base. So when painting the painter's fleece, the paint is the unrestricted star of the wall.
Meistervlies are non-woven wallpapers with textured surface, they have subtle to fancy dimensional designs that visually stand out through the painting. The non-woven wallpapers with vinyl content are dimensionally stable and at the same time absorbent, so that the textured surface of the wallpaper when painted absorbs the wet paint without listing and losing shape.
The result is more than just color on the wall. Fine fabric structures provide a textile style, and grainy designs add depth to the color when light hits it. Eye-catching foam structures and 3D patterns provide different color effects with just one coat of paint. The selection of designs ranges from the classic roughcast structure to unusual graphic or natural patterns in modern or retro style.
What wallpaper is difficult or impossible to paint over?
Not suitable for painting over are simple paper wallpapers, these would soften and deform due to the moisture of the paint. If you have a paper wallpaper glued, but want a change of color, you will hardly get around a change of wallpaper. Even when using special paints, sealing coats and the best technique, deformation or uneven paint absorption can occur. Therefore, we recommend rather to re-wallpaper or let the professional do it.
Not all non-woven and vinyl wallpapers are suitable for painting over, so it is important to pay attention not only to the material, but also to the wallpaper symbol for painting over. You can find this indication in the product description of the wallpaper or on the insert of the roll. Just look for this symbol:
By the way, with some non-woven wallpapers you also have the option to paint, although the manufacturer does not recommend it. The stable material can withstand painting with a brush and roller, as well as the moisture of the paint, but a test is always advisable. To check how paint and wallpaper react with each other, you can first wallpaper and paint a sample.
If you are unsure, then contact our consulting team we will give you tips and advise you on specific questions.
Painting over wallpaper - what to look for?
Painting a wallpaper is easy, you only need to consider two factors: The type of wallpaper and the selection of a suitable color. Because not every wallpaper can be painted and not every color makes the wall shine.
So you always need the right color to paint and you need to know what material the wallpaper is made of. In the table you will find a quick overview of the topic and also learn which tools you should use for an even result.
Wallpaper paintable wallpaper
It's just as easy as wallpapering and painting, so anyone can do it! In four simple steps, the walls and the room shine in a new look.
1) Paste wall
Non-woven and vinyl wallpapers can be processed with the simple wall pasting technique, glass fiber wallpapers as well, the important thing is the selection of the appropriate paste or adhesive. Papiertapeten und Raufasertapeten werden Bahn für Bahn eingekleistert, weichen gelassen und anschließend an die Wand geheftet. You can find detailed instructions for both wallpapering techniques as well as a video on our advice pages.
2) Apply wallpaper
The wallpaper strips are glued to the wall one by one. For wallpaper without patterns, such as woodchip wallpaper or a smooth painter's fleece, you only need to pay attention to a closed seam pattern. The wallpaper can therefore be glued together edge to edge.
Wallpaper with a textured design or pattern must also always be wallpapered in the same direction and in compliance with the pattern offset. Detailed information on this can be found on our advice pages and in our blog.
3) Cut off overhanging
The edge of the wallpaper strip that protrudes from the ceiling or floor is first pressed firmly into the corner of the room and then neatly cut off. A cutter knife and a press-on spatula are helpful here. A fiberglass wallpaper is cut to fit exactly.
4) Paint with desired color
Once the wallpaper has dried, it can be painted with the right paint and a suitable brush or roller. Make sure the paint is applied evenly and protect the surrounding area from paint splashes by covering it. Make sure that the paint is well mixed.
Paintable wallpaper is first applied to the wall with paste, like any other wallpaper. It is necessary to consider the correct technique for each type of wallpaper. We show on our advice page on the subject step by step how easy wallpapering is and what you have to pay attention to. Our wallpapering video shows you how easy it is.
With paintable wallpaper, however, painting in the desired color is added after wallpapering. Therefore, we show you here also the best tips for quick painting for a beautiful result:
- Do not paint until the wallpaper is dry and adheres securely to the wall. Wait with the painting of the wallpaper at least 8 hours after wallpapering, so you ensure that the wallpaper also has the necessary hold and can be painted evenly well.
- Use an absorbent, long bristled brush or a handy paint roller with fur or foam. This prevents damage to the wallpaper surface and allows you to apply the paint quickly.
- Wipe off excess paint from the brush or roller; the best way to do this is with a wiper grid. This not only prevents paint splashes, but also distributes the paint sparingly and evenly on the wallpaper.
- For wallpaper with a textured or structured surface, make sure that the paint can also enter the recesses. In the case of a particularly deep profile, it helps to dab the paint on with a sponge, thus creating a clean, even color image.
- For a uniform color appearance and depending on the opacity of the paint, several coats are necessary. However, always allow the paint to dry completely between coats.
- Masking the edges and covering the substrate with film or fleece means more work, but is the safest protection against splashes and ensures clean edges and transitions.
Before brushing the wall, you should also always take a look at the paint bucket, manufacturers always inform about the processing, drying times and mixing ratios of the contained paint. If you paint in stages, you should cover the paint securely and always keep the brush or roller damp or wipe it out so that no lumps form.
