You’ve spent months choosing the perfect wallpaper, and now it’s time to adhere it to your walls. You’ve bought some wallpaper paste glue for the job. Before you start sticking the glue on the wallpaper, you have one question. Will wallpaper paste glue dry clear? We did the research to find the answer to this question!
Wallpaper paste glue usually dries clear, but if you have large globs of it on the wall, then it might be noticeable. A careful application can prevent stains and other unflattering blemishes.
In this article, we’ll talk further about whether wallpaper paste glue dries clear as well as how long it takes to dry. You’ll also learn how to use wallpaper paste glue. You’re not going to want to miss it!
Does Wallpaper Paste Glue Dry Clear?
Wallpaper paste glue is a wall adhesive that includes base ingredients such as clay, methylcellulose, modified starch, or starch derivative. When wet, the paste glue is very tacky and has a thin viscosity or thickness.
Once you apply wallpaper paste glue, will it be transparent when it’s dry?
That’s what you should be able to expect, as most wallpaper paste glue products will dry clear. However, you have to use the glue properly for the best results. As we touched on in the intro, if you glob on too much wallpaper paste glue and it seeps out from either side of the wallpaper, the finished product will be none too appealing when it's dry.
The glue will still be clear, but you’ll be able to see the glue glob if you’re close enough to the wallpaper.
How Long Does Wallpaper Paste Take to Dry?
You’re ready to open the tube or container of wallpaper paste and get gluing. For project management purposes, you need to know how long it will take for the paste to finish drying. Are we talking hours or days here?
That depends on the product. Some wallpaper adhesives claim to dry in as little as an hour, but you’ll generally have to wait at least 24 hours and sometimes up to 36 hours for the wallpaper paste to dry.
That’s because the glue has to activate, which is a term called booking. When the wallpaper paste is booking, it’s penetrating the wallpaper but not drying out. The booking process only occurs when the glue has been allowed to rest, so you’ll have to be patient!
If you’re unsure exactly how long your wallpaper paste will take to dry, we recommend checking out the product instructions. If it’s not clear from there, then visit the manufacturer’s website or contact them.
Does Wallpaper Paste Stain?
Another reason to be careful when using wallpaper paste besides avoiding a globby mess is that the paste can stain. Yes, even though it dries clear, it could leave unsightly marks if wallpaper paste streaks on the wallpaper.
This is not something you want! The average price for a roll of basic wallpaper is between $25 and $50. High-end, vintage, or custom wallpaper can cost as much as $5,000 just for one roll.
Since you’re only covering roughly 30 square feet with a roll of wallpaper, you have to expect that you’ll need more than one roll. That means doubling the above costs.
After dropping all that money, it would not be ideal to go out and spend more money on wallpaper. If yours is a vintage roll, you might not even be able to get more.
That’s why you must be ultra-careful when using wallpaper paste. If you do happen to stain the wallpaper, try not to panic. If you spot the affected area right away, dampen a soft cloth and rub away at the glue until it’s gone. The wallpaper should be okay.
However, if you miss the stain until after the wallpaper glue has dried, trying to remove the paste will often cause the wallpaper to come off with it.
What Is the Difference Between Wallpaper Paste and Wallpaper Adhesive?
You’ve decided to buy new wallpaper paste so that it doesn’t stain. As you’re shopping around at your favorite home improvement store or online, you’ve come across wallpaper adhesive as well. Is this the same as wallpaper paste or glue?
Not exactly. Wallpaper adhesive doesn’t come ready to use. What you’re buying are adhesive flakes that require water. When you mix the ingredients, then you get a paste that you can apply to your wallpaper.
Wallpaper paste or glue is pre-mixed, which saves you time. You only have to open the lid, and you can begin using the stuff right away!
Click to read more: Does Wallpaper Make a Room Look Bigger or Smaller?
Is It Better to Paste the Wall or the Paper?
The time has come to start gluing. When you apply wallpaper paste, does it go directly on the wall or the wallpaper instead? The answer is the latter.
Let’s go through the steps of putting up wallpaper, including using wallpaper paste, so you can see how it’s done.
Step 1: Prime the Room
Even though you’re not painting your living room or sitting room, applying a coat of primer is still required ahead of gluing on wallpaper. The primer will ensure the walls are smooth. Avoid oil-based primers, as these can cause sticking issues with the wallpaper paste.
Step 2: Roll Out and Cut Your Wallpaper
Next, unfurl your wallpaper on the floor or another nearby flat surface. By pressing the end of the wallpaper against a flat edge, the curl of the paper will disappear.
With the wallpaper fully open in front of you, take a moment to assess its condition. If you’re pleased with it, cut the wallpaper with a wallpapering knife. You want the length of the wallpaper to be four inches longer than the wall height, so you have extra to work with.
If your wallpaper is patterned, make sure you’re cutting the pattern so that it will align when two pieces of wallpaper are connected.
Step 3: Glue the Wallpaper
Take one sheet of wallpaper at a time and flip it over, so it’s face-side down. Put the wallpaper on a flat, level surface. Squirt your wallpaper paste onto a paint roller. You only need a thin layer here, so refrain from using too much.
To attach two pieces of wallpaper together, slide them into place and then hold them, so the edges and ends stick.
Step 4: Let the Wallpaper Book
Now comes the booking process, which we touched on earlier. Take the pasted wallpaper sheet and fold it over itself, so its bottom and top ends are nearer the center. Then smooth down the wallpaper, leaving the folds uncreased.
Allow the wallpaper to book for as long as required, according to your wallpaper glue manufacturer.
Step 5: Put the Wallpaper on the Wall
Take one piece of your glued wallpaper and walk over to a corner of the room. The corner should be close to a door if you can use the door as a reference point.
Unfurl the booked paper by its top side and then stick the wallpaper onto the wall. When adding a second piece, an overlap of 1/8 inches by the corner and two inches by the ceiling is appropriate.
Apply light pressure when pushing on the wallpaper. It should stick on its own from there.
As you continue stacking pieces of wallpaper, some might overlap the ceiling. That’s to be expected since you cut the wallpaper longer than you needed. You can use a taping knife to make quick work of the excess wallpaper.
Click to read more: Should You Wallpaper a Whole Room or Just an Accent Wall?
Can You Put Too Much Paste on Wallpaper?
As we’ve discussed throughout this entire article, yes, it’s very much possible to put too much paste on wallpaper. Start with a small amount. You can always add more later if necessary (which it shouldn’t be), but it’s harder to remove the glue once it’s out of the tube.
Using wallpaper paste sparingly will make your tube last longer, so you don’t have to buy another one for quite a while.
In Closing
Wallpaper paste glue usually dries clear, although that depends on how you use it. By applying only small amounts of the glue at a time, you can avoid squirting out too much, so it doesn’t glob up, stain the wallpaper, and otherwise make a mess!