Is it possible to glue wallpaper with old glue? Is it possible to glue new wallpaper over old ones?

The answer to the question whether it is possible to glue new wallpaper onto a different coating largely depends on what material the old wallpaper is made of. If they are made of paper and glued securely and evenly, the answer will be in the affirmative.

Here again we need to make a reservation that this is possible if there are no flaws, irregularities or tears in the old wallpaper. Be sure to check all the joints of the previous covering for any separation from the wall. If there is even the slightest chance that at the junction of the old wallpaper the new ones may lag behind the wall, it is necessary to treat these areas with joint glue.

Be careful when applying wallpaper paste. It should not be applied to large quantities for a new coating. Otherwise, the previous wallpaper and old glue will soften, and the new coating may come away from the wall along with the old one.

In addition, it is worth considering the possibility of the coloring property of the old paper covering. If you put thin wallpaper on it, the paint may bleed through it and thereby ruin all your work. Also as a result of gluing thin wallpaper(especially plain ones) on top of old structural and variegated ones, the fact that there is an old coating underneath may appear.

Vinyl wallpaper has the property of repelling water, and therefore wallpaper adhesives. Therefore, gluing a new coating onto vinyl is almost impossible. It is also worth considering that most vinyl wallpaper has a relief structure. If the new coating is thin and transparent, it will be quite noticeable.

As for non-woven wallpaper, it has a vinyl surface, and therefore gluing a new coating on it is also not recommended. However, non-woven wallpaper can be removed from the walls quite easily. More precisely, their vinyl surface is torn off, and non-woven material remains on the wall. In this case, the new coating can be glued to non-woven fabric.

What do you get when you put wallpaper on wallpaper?

To decide whether it is worth gluing wallpaper onto wallpaper, it is advisable to first weigh all the pros and cons of this decision.
What benefits will you get:
- save a lot of time and effort on stripping off the old coating;
- no need to level the walls.

What are the disadvantages of this method of wallpapering:
- the walls will not be level;
- the new coating may not adhere well;
- bubbles may appear on the new coating after pasting;
- the risk of developing various bacteria and molds harmful to human health increases;
- the service life of the new wallpaper will decrease, they will begin to peel off along with the old ones.

How to minimize the risk of negative consequences

To minimize risk negative consequences, old wallpaper must meet the following requirements:
- be smooth in texture and not have a three-dimensional pattern;
- completely paper in composition;
- securely attached to the surface;
- refer to thin wallpaper;
- a light pattern or design does not pretend to be visible through the new wallpaper.

In addition, you should be more careful when choosing the adhesive composition. To increase the strength of the new coating, it is desirable that the glue penetrates through the old wallpaper and is able to hold it on the wall surface.

Secrets of gluing new wallpaper over old ones

First you need to check the reliability of fastening the old coating to the wall surface. When gluing new wallpaper, you need to start with one strip, allowing it to dry until next day. If the first one is well fixed and does not pull off the old coating, continue gluing new strips one after another.

It is safer to clean the wall surface from the old coating, prime and degrease, and only then start gluing new ones. Preparing walls requires time and money, but the result will be more durable.

If after a while a few bubbles appear on the wallpaper, you can try to smooth them out with a hot iron. During work related to wallpapering walls, exclude active air movement. To do this, keep the windows closed, turn off the air conditioner or fan, move in the room with average speed.

You can ventilate the room only when the new wallpaper on the walls is completely dry, i.e. in about 3-5 days.

Number of repairs carried out on our own, for recent years increased significantly. This is due to the desire of people to save time and money. Very often the question of saving arises when gluing new wallpaper, since many apartment owners do not know whether such a saving option is possible, and how to properly glue wallpaper in this case.

We will try to give answers to these and other questions about this wallpapering in this article.

When is wallpapering acceptable?

Why do many people try to leave the old cladding? There are several situations in which people decide to glue wallpaper onto old ones:

  1. Some people try not to remove the old cladding, mistakenly believing that the wallpaper will hold up better.
  2. In some cases, it is very difficult to peel off old wallpaper, and then the apartment owner decides to simply paste the wallpaper onto the wallpaper.
  3. Another reason is ordinary human laziness. Not many people want to tinker with old finishes for a long time, especially when the repairs are done with their own hands.
  4. Trying to save money. For some reason, it is believed that a lot of financial resources are spent on dismantling the old cladding. When hanging new wallpaper, you are only wasting your time, warm water, putty and primer. But if you don’t want to incur even such minor costs, then you don’t have to remove the old wallpaper.

The advantages of such gluing include:

  • you do not need to level the walls;
  • saving time on stripping wallpaper.

The disadvantages of this idea are that:

  • the walls will not be level;
  • bubbles may appear;
  • the service life of glued wallpaper is reduced;
  • new wallpaper may simply not stick;
  • new wallpaper may come off along with the old ones.

Features of the work

If you still decide to glue wallpaper onto wallpaper, then keep in mind that although this process is not considered too complicated, there are some nuances that must be taken into account. special attention.

There are a couple of very important points to consider:

  1. The wall must be strong and very smooth, without any defects. If such defects are discovered, then there is no need to take risks; it is better to get rid of the old wallpaper. Therefore, you will have to carefully examine the walls before gluing in order to detect hidden and obvious defects:

    • obvious defects - changes in plane, tears and peeling of part of the wallpaper, as well as abrasions;
    • hidden defects - cracks and voids in the walls, which are easily detected by tapping the walls with a hammer.
  2. Before gluing wallpaper onto old wallpaper, certain manipulations should be done, such as gluing up loose seams and sealing cracks and cracks using putty and primer.

Advice. You can wash the wall with an ammonia solution and then let it dry thoroughly.

If major defects have not been identified, and minor ones have been eliminated, then you can safely begin gluing new wallpaper onto the old ones. However, for this you need to first. New wallpaper will have to be installed in compliance with all technological rules, based on the requirements and standards of the repair process.

Tools and materials

Before gluing the wallpaper onto the wallpaper, we will carry out preparatory work so as not to be distracted by them later.

You will need the following tools:

  • A tray and a roller with which we will apply glue to the back of new wallpaper or to walls with old wallpaper;
  • Wallpaper or ordinary household scissors;
  • A sharp knife for cutting corner joints;
  • Rubber spatula for leveling wallpaper;
  • Clean cloths for wiping off glue;
  • Wallpaper table with horizontal flat surface. If such a table is not available, the floor can perform its function.

Important: Pasting wallpaper onto wallpaper is allowed only in the case of paper wallpaper.

Stages of gluing

  1. In order to paste wallpaper onto wallpaper correctly, first prime the surface of the walls. For the primer, you can use the same glue that is intended for the gluing process itself. We prepare the glue in a slightly thinner version than for gluing, and then apply it with a paint roller in one layer.
  2. Once this primer has completely dried, you can prepare new wallpaper:

    • if you have a standard roll, then you can simply cut it into 3 sheets;
    • if your new wallpaper has a pattern, then you will have to trim the canvases so that the pattern on 2 adjacent canvases matches.
    • when laying vinyl wallpaper, glue is applied to the wall;
    • When laying paper wallpaper, the glue is evenly distributed over back side canvases
  3. The further process is completely similar to the process of conventional wallpapering:

    • Finishing can begin from any corner of the room;
    • Installation of canvases starts from the ceiling;
    • The wallpaper must be applied to the wall and then smoothed with a rubber spatula.
    • We lay the second canvas according to the same pattern.
  4. Laying different types wallpaper differs significantly:

How to glue wallpaper in corners

Most difficult moment the whole process - pasting the corners of the room. Here's how to do it right:

  1. One of the canvases is trimmed with an allowance of approximately 5-6 cm.
  2. The allowance is not processed with glue.
  3. The second canvas on the other wall is laid with the same allowance.
  4. Using a sharp knife in the corner, a vertical cut is made between these two canvases from ceiling to floor.
  5. The allowances are removed from them, and the joints are treated with glue with inside and smoothed with a spatula.
  6. Advice: When gluing wallpaper onto wallpaper, the spatula is always carried out from the center to the joints.

The most popular way to decorate walls is at the moment is wallpapering. This is due to their practicality, hundreds of types and variations, the most attractive variety of colors, patterns, designs, etc. The price category of the material fluctuates over a wide range, ranging from cheap, affordable for everyone, to incredibly expensive.

As with any other repair work, when wallpapering walls, many questions arise, one of which will be answered today: “Is it possible to glue wallpaper onto wallpaper?”

Naturally, everyone who has done repairs on their own, re-pasted wallpaper at home, is clearly tired of removing the old ones and, of course, would like to avoid such events.

Features of gluing

There are a number of factors that should be taken into account if you decide not to remove the old coating, but to glue a new one on top of it.

Standard paper wallpaper

The first factor is surface quality. It is very important that the old coating does not have any defects, such as unevenness, tears, etc. If this is the case, then gluing wallpaper over old ones is not recommended, since such a coating will not last long.

Be sure to check the joining of the seams; when peeling off, they should be glued with a special adhesive solution.

The second factor is the quality of the previous layer; attention is paid to it so that the old coating does not transfer the color to the new one. Therefore, if this layer is bright enough color range, and the base is paper wallpaper, then it’s clearly worth checking.

Vinyl and photo wallpapers

Such types as vinyl and photo wallpapers have the ability to repel liquids well, and, accordingly, most adhesive mixtures. This feature forces you to select a special glue in order to glue them. It is also worth considering that you should not glue regular, thin paper wallpaper on them, since the texture of the previous layer will appear through the new ones.

A good tip would be to remove the photo wallpaper, as it can be removed quite easily and it won't be a problem.

We glue photo wallpapers

So, often the interior is complemented as best as possible by photo wallpaper. They have an attractive texture and, undoubtedly, good quality. First you need to figure out what you need to know about gluing them. Let's look at the general stages of such repair work:

  • selection of glue;
  • surface marking;
  • wallpapering.

Selection of glue

The first step is the selection of glue for photo wallpaper.

This requires special attention and is due to the special structure of the material, which cannot be glued to standard glue used for paper wallpaper.

How to properly glue photo wallpaper is shown in the following photo:

You need to know that photo wallpaper can be either a new type, non-woven or vinyl, or an old one using plain paper.

Important! Pay attention to the wallpaper packaging; it usually states the type of adhesive that is required. But when you buy ultra-high-strength wallpaper, the kit includes glue designed specifically for this type.

In this case, there is a division into two types of glue:


Now a little about the mixture itself. It is imperative to dilute the mixture, observing the proportions specified in the instructions. If you neglect this factor, the wallpaper may either not stick at all, or simply peel off over time.

Surface marking

One of the important points is marking the wall surface for pasting. First of all, the pattern on the new wallpaper is analyzed in order to understand which area of ​​the surface needs to be treated more strongly in order to avoid the old wallpaper from showing through upon completion of the work.

Cloth kits usually contain full information and instructions for use, for now we will need information about the area. We take a tape measure and measure a distance on the surface equal to the size of the pattern on the new coating, mark the necessary points. After which we carry out the same procedure with the width of our drawing. These actions are carried out to place the design on the future coating and place it so that it is fully visible.

After setting the guidelines, the dots are connected, which will help when placing the drawing.

First of all, attention should be paid to density. To glue onto an existing layer of wallpaper, you need to choose a material of medium, high or even ultra-high density. Wallpaper with a low density is clearly not suitable, since it will reveal the presence of an old layer of finishing underneath.

Typically, the density of such a fabric varies from 200 to 400 g/m2. You can see that each variety has its own density, thus:

  • average density - 150-250 g/m2;
  • high - 250-350 g/m2;
  • ultra-high - over 350 g/m2.

Also note that the adhesive mixture should be selected according to the type of material and its density.

Advice! You can slightly increase the level of adhesion of the canvas. To do this, after preparing the solution - it is important to do everything strictly according to the instructions - add 10-15% PVA glue to it. This introduction will not only help strengthen the connection and make gluing easier.


The main thing to remember is that before you start gluing wallpaper onto old ones, you should glue all their joints and ensure their integrity. Also, pay attention to whether it highlights old surface coloring elements in contact with moisture? If yes, then under no circumstances should you put new wallpaper on it. IN in this case It’s better not to risk it and get rid of the old coating.

The question “Is it possible to glue wallpaper onto wallpaper” is asked quite often and this is understandable - people want to save their time and effort. In order to rip off old wallpaper, you need to put in as much effort as it takes to stick it on. Sometimes you can spend a whole day or more tearing off old wallpaper, but you really don’t want to do it. Let's see what the desire to save in this way will lead to.

Professionals clearly state that the most important thing is to initially properly prepare the walls for wallpapering - this is not even half, but a large part of the success. But you really want to do everything faster. It is absolutely unknown who came up with the idea of ​​not removing the old wallpaper and immediately pasting a new layer on top of it, but it is obvious that he was a very lazy person.

Those who carried out repairs in old apartment, it was not uncommon to see a whole sandwich up to a centimeter thick covering all the walls. Dealing with such disgrace is very difficult; it usually turns out that the walls are not prepared at all and you have to start all over again. At this moment, I want to swear at entire generations of home craftsmen who left behind such a legacy. Although, maybe they had no other choice and they are not to blame for anything.

It is human laziness that makes people ask the question again and again: “Is it possible to paste wallpaper directly on top?”

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. Let's figure out what are the pros and cons of putting wallpaper on wallpaper.

The advantages include:

  • Significant savings in time and effort. Sometimes it is possible to reduce the duration of work by 2 times. True, if you make a mistake, not only the repair time will double, but also its cost - this option is quite likely.
  • No surface preparation costs. The bottom layer of wallpaper levels the wall and does not need to be primed. It is not for nothing that in the old days newspapers were first glued to the walls. But keep in mind that newspapers are newspapers, and wallpaper is a completely different matter. And in those days there were no means that made it possible to level the walls quickly and efficiently. Let us remind you again that in case of failure, the cost of repairs, on the contrary, will increase significantly.
  • If the bottom wallpaper is smooth and papery, then top layer sticks very well and for a long time. If this is your option, you can try, just remember that stains of grease or paint can ruin all your plans, be sure to check this before you start.
  • It would be ideal if separating wallpaper was pasted before.. Their top layer is easily separated from the bottom, which remains on the wall and serves as an ideal basis for a new one, but very few people can be so lucky and it’s better not to count on this option.

This is where the pros end and the cons begin:

  • You won’t be able to stick anything to vinyl or embossed wallpaper.. Vinyl does not absorb glue and the relief reduces the joint area and, accordingly, the adhesive strength. If your wallpaper is vinyl, stop thinking about sticking it on top, the same can be said about embossed wallpaper - rip it off without pity and don’t experiment, wasting your time and money on it.
  • If the first layer of wallpaper is not firmly attached to the wall, you will get (at best) ugly bubbles and at worst everything will simply fall off the walls. It is quite difficult to check - some surprise can always arise and everything will go wrong. If you are not sure, play it safe - this way you will be calm about the future result.
  • You shouldn’t stick light ones on top of dark and contrasting old wallpapers.– the drawing will show through and you will have to re-glue everything. In this case, there are only two options to get out of the situation - strip off the old stuff and do it all over again (as we recommend) or buy thick wallpaper with a bright color, preferably not geometric.
  • The joints between the panels are usually uneven and will protrude through the new layer. If your predecessors glued wallpaper overlapping, do not try to glue it from the top - nothing good will come of it.
  • If the new wallpaper is vinyl, under the second layer the first one will get wet and fall off. Vinyl film does not allow the glue to dry out and the entire sandwich will get wet up to the wall, and then it can easily fall off.
  • Old wallpaper has absorbed all the odors over the years and after a fairly short time your apartment will again be musty bad smell. If you don’t believe me, try it, but keep in mind that this warning was not pulled out of thin air, but is based on numerous observations. Odors penetrate through any, even the thickest paper, non-woven wallpaper. It is not clear how this happens, but the fact is obvious.

Let's move from theory to practice.

When can you glue new wallpaper over old ones:

  1. You glued the first layer yourself and are sure that you did everything efficiently. In this case, the likelihood of troubles is much less - there will be no unexpected surprises from predecessors.
  2. The old wallpaper was paper or non-woven without vinyl coating or paint. Both paper and non-woven fabric are excellent bases, the main thing is that they are initially laid out with high quality.
  3. The first layer is not embossed. Everything is clear here, it is impossible to paste over a bumpy surface - it will fall off anyway, or the unevenness will be visible the further you go, the more
  4. The new wallpaper is quite thick and darker or brighter than the first e. Everything is clear here too, for example, linkrusta will cover any unevenness. Only if you have money for expensive linkrusta, is it worth saving on proper preparation surfaces.
  5. The old wallpaper is completely intact and there are no torn places. Any damage will be magnified or visible. Don't experiment with this.
  6. In the first layer, all wallpaper joints are firmly glued s. This is one of the most important conditions - the joints are the most weak point and the ingress of moisture peels them off instantly, and if they already come off, expect trouble.

When you shouldn't glue new wallpaper over old ones.

  • The first layer is not glued firmly. Run your hand along the wall, if there is emptiness under your hand periodically, you will hear a characteristic rustling sound.
  • First layer with vinyl coating or relief
  • The wallpaper is very old and smells bad
  • Some of the wallpaper is peeling or the joints are peeling off.

How to actually glue it.

If you decide to do such an experiment, start with: wipe the entire surface of the wall with a slightly damp cloth. This is actually important. This way you will remove a layer of dust, soot, etc. You might be surprised how much of this stuff is out there. In addition to adhesion strength, this will also affect appearance. There is less chance of getting streaks around the seams (dust can mix with wallpaper glue and give such an effect).

The next step (especially if the first layer has an unstable pattern) you need to coat the wallpaper with glue solution. This is done in order to fix the paint a little so that it does not wear off and does not smear a new layer at the joints. After the glue has dried, you can begin gluing. Further action must be done in accordance with the instructions for gluing the appropriate type of wallpaper. We recommend using non-woven wallpaper for this, they will stick better.

We really hope that this information will help you avoid mistakes and save money and time. Whichever option you choose, remember that best way– tear off the old wallpaper and do it all over again.