Wallcovering Maintenance
Preserving the interior design of your building requires wallcovering performance that exceeds expectations.
Wallscape will evaluate the egress characteristics of corridor traffic, and identify a maintenance plan for corridor wallcovering. Areas such as elevator lobbies, entrances, meeting rooms, hotel rooms, escalator walls, etc may receive a 75% higher impact than the connecting walls. Having the same pattern wallcovering available in storage is important for good building operations.
Wallscape will store your wallcovering for no additional charge
We are part of your solution, and flexible to your logistics. Wallscape will provide multiple deliveries in space challenged locations, and enable customer direct pick-up. Storage of wallcovering for new project coordination, and storage of wallcovering for future maintenance, is at no additional cost with every order. Please see our wallcovering storage page for more information.
Changing wallcovering from breakpoint to breakpoint, is a good practice we recommend
Changing a new sheet in the middle of the wall may show color variations depending on how long ago the existing wallcovering was installed. Please see the following installation instructions, and see our wallcovering installation page for more information.
Preparation of Wallcovering Goods:
Examine all wallcovering to assure that pattern, color, and quantity is as ordered. Separate wallcovering by shade lot number and organize in roll number sequence, starting with highest number down or lowest number up.
Preparation of Surface Prior to Installation of Commercial Vinyl Wallcoverings:
Surfaces to receive wallcoverings, must be clean, smooth, dry and structurally sound. Loose paint or other wall coverings must be removed. To ensure maximum smoothness of a quality wallcovering installation, nail heads, nicks, gouges, and other surface imperfections should be spackled, sanded smooth, and sealed with primer. On new walls, drywall joints you must tape, bed, and sand smooth prior to any wallcovering installation.
Wallscape brand wallcoverings, can be installed on almost any surface which has been properly prepared. Do not install commercial wallcoverings over ballpoint pen writing, wax crayon, ink marker, oil-based stains or any foreign matter that may bleed through the wallcovering. We suggest that you use a lead pencil to mark any wallcovering as pencil marks will not bleed through.
Sand Glossy surfaces to dull the surface and then apply a professional grade primer prior to any installation of any commercial wallcoverings.
Wallscapeinc recommends Benjamin Moore primer products, and Roman 880 Clear Heavy Duty Adhesive and R-35 Clear Wall Sizingfor commercial wallcoverings.
Application of Wall Covering
Before installing any vinyl wallcovering, examine the pattern for color uniformity, and repeat in design. Patterns should be booked, or reversed, depending on the texture, color, or customer preference for uniformity. Only full widths of wallcovering material should be used for a satisfactory installation.
Install wallcovering in roll number sequence within a shade lot starting with the highest number first, and then in decreasing order, with each wallcovering strip in sequence as cut from the roll.
For reversible patterns, every other strip of the wall covering should be reversed (hang top to bottom and on the next strip reverse bottom to top) to insure color uniformity. Headers can cause unsatisfactory shading if installed out of sequence.
Wallcovering seam concealment
Double-cutting and pre-trimming both have advantages in making acceptable seams. Do not “score” the wall beneath when double cutting to create the wallcovering seam.
Characteristics of Commercial Wallcoverings
Certain deeply embossed textured wallcoverings, or print patterns will provide a more satisfactory seam if a two to three inch selvage cut is taken from each side of the wallcovering sheet.
Install the first several sheets of wallcovering and approve before continuing
Apply an even coat of adhesive to the fabric backed side of the wallcovering material using a ½ nap paint roller. The wall covering should be applied to the wall as soon as the adhesive has become tacky. Smooth the wallcovering surface, working out the air bubbles as you go. As each strip is installed, immediately remove excess adhesive from the wall covering surface and seams using a natural sponge and a soft bristle brush frequently rinsed in clean warm water. Dry with clean cloth.
Wallcovering seams should not occur less than 6″ from outside and inside corners.
A temperature of 55°F in both areas of installation and storage of wallcovering is required. Permanent building lighting should be in place. Installing wallcovering in temporary lighting may alter the visual effects.
Installing commercial wall covering over existing wallcovering is prohibited
Wallscapedoes notrecommend this practice. We suggest that the existing wall covering be removed first before installing new. If a customer chooses to install Wallscape vinyl wallcovering over any existing wall covering, our 5 year warrantee will be invalid.
Wallscape does not recommend painting over any commercial wallcovering.
See our Wallcovering Care page for cleaning instructions
Wallscape vinyl wall covering is treated with a clear water base coating. This coating aids in the stain resistance and easy cleaning of wall covering in an environmentally safe manner.
Any dirt smudges or stains should be removed as quickly as possible to eliminate a reaction between the contaminant and the wall covering. Reaction time is especially important for removing stains such as ink, paint, lipstick, oils, etc., as these materials will dry and be difficult to remove.
How to install wallcovering, techniques from professionals
Contact us for material specifications of each wall covering type.