There are several types of wallcovering adhesives, each formulated for specific performance characteristics.  Some adhesives are formulated for light-weight and delicate fabrics while others are designed to adhere heavy-weight vinyl and acoustical wallcoverings.

Adhesives vary in level of wet-tack, solids, open-time, strippability and ease of application. They are generally applied on the back of the wallcovering either by the roller or pasting machine.  The manufacturer’s installation instructions should always be consulted prior to an installation.

 

There are three main categories of commercial adhesives:

Clear Adhesives – are either corn or wheat based.  They are generally considered to have more open-time and are easier to clean-up than clay-based adhesives.

Clay Adhesives – like clear adhesives are starched based, but clay is added as a filler to increase the wet-tack and level of solids.  They are considered to have a higher level of wet-tack and are more difficult to clean up versus clear adhesives.

Vinyl-Over-Vinyl Adhesives– contain synthetic polymers and are specifically formulated to bond to vinyl.  In addition to the synthetic polymers, these adhesives may contain some starch and other ingredients to assist in their application. These adhesives require extra attention during application because once they are dried they are permanent.  Vinyl-over-vinyl adhesives are specifically designed to hang new wallcoverings to existing wallcoverings or border to wallcoverings.