With astounding regularity people wince when you say the words wallpaper or wallcovering.  I’m not sure if it is due to this disgust that most word processors  don’t even recognize the word wallcovering.  Go ahead and try it out, you’ll get the red squiggly underline that says this isn’t a real word!  I think I can tell you why most people feel this way – how many great wallcovering jobs have you seen.  Probably a lot of them, but they are unremarkable when compared to the bad ones with gaping seem, torn vinyl faces, bad cuts, and even stained or dirty areas.  But I want to assure you that the benefits of using commercial vinyl in your business far outweighs the problems!

The Problems

Mold

It is almost universal that you find some evidence of mold when you peel wallcovering off of exterior walls.  It is not often this is the dangerous black mold (I believe that it never is), but it still makes your hair stand on end when you see it!  Most of what you are seeing is not active mold, but long dead.  Let me explain what happens and how to avoid this.  First, you need to prep the wall correctly.  Some installers are hooked on oil based primer.  We NEVER use it because it creates a vapor barrier between itself and the vinyl.  This creates a very slow drying situation where the paste stays wet for over a week or even two and – presto – you get mold.  Now this will eventually dry and mold can live without two things – a food source and a water source.  Not living plant can and mold is just a plant.  We use a water-based sizer like Gardz or Romans 935 to seal the wall without creating a moisture barrier.  Your wall needs to breathe!  Second, we only use name brand pastes that have a mildewcide in them.  This will prevent any growth in that one week “wet” period.  If we are especially concerned we can add M1 mildewcide and apply a perorated wallcovering to ensure more breathability.  I would never say this isn’t a concern, but if you have a building built to modern standards, I wouldn’t think this would be a problem.

Peeling

This is the most common pet peeve with wallcovering.  The most common cause of peeling is incorrect installation.  When installing wallcovering you need to use a good, heavy duty paste that will have great adhesion when it dries.  Another cause is when an installer pastes the back of the wallcovering by have, they often go too light at the edges.  We try to use a pasting machine as much as possible.  This ensures even coverage of the paste even out to the edges.  Finally, some novice helpers get water in the seems when they are cleaning the paste of the wallcovering from the newly installed vinyl.  This dilutes the paste and causes weakened seam glue at the edges.  Don’t worry, as long as the vinyl is still in good shape, it can be re-glued and salvaged.  If it has torn or become stretched, you will have a hard time making this repair.

Worn or Dirty

A lot of owners don’t like how they can’t just cost effectively repaint the wall where the vinyl has become worn or dirty.  If you put a hole in it, you cannot easily patch it.  This is understandable.  If you have attic stock, it can be easily repaired in most cases.  Wallcovering is like any product in that it will fade when exposed to UV rays (sun and florescent lights are the biggest UV producers in a commercial setting).  If this is the case, it will stand out – the new and the faded will look a bit different. 

The Bottom Line

All of these issues, some avoidable, are not big enough to keep us away from wallcovering.  The texture and richness that wallcovering adds to your commercial space is well worth the risk.  When installed by a professional, your wallcovering job should last for years to come, be highly cleanable, and very durable.  The average cost is multiples of a standard paint job, but, if you want to achieve a unique and interesting space in your business, there is not more cost effective way to achieve this than with a high quality material and a professional install!