How Long After Plastering Can You Wallpaper (And Why)?


When you remodel your house, things get out of hand in a disastrous direction. When applying new wallpaper, a very well plastered and smooth surface wall is the best. To plaster rough walls and uneven surfaces, building materials like cement, gypsum, or limestone are mixed with base materials such as sand or marble powder. The surfaces are then ready for a coat of paint or wallpapers, which would contribute to the house’s aesthetic attractiveness. The residents’ selection of wallpapers or paint determines the inside look of their property. Owners of a residence will frequently choose a wallpaper that suits their style and fashion to enhance their property’s elegant charm.

On the other hand, suppose you just plastered your living room wall. It has been a week and is still white and bland, even though it is now scorched and well plastered. So what is holding you back from covering the unpleasant plastered wall with a stunning wallpaper? Let me guess, your doubt you could ruin your plastered wall if you wallpaper it too quickly. To clear all your scary doubts away, this article will describe in detail how long it takes for the plaster to dry and when it is safe to wallpaper it. Need more information on the topic other than that? Keep on reading to find out why this happens!

wallpaper in bathroom

How Long After Plastering Can You Wallpaper?

You can wallpaper after plastering for at least after seven days. However,  you should wait up to two weeks to avoid any problems because moisture may cause the wallpaper to peel off.

During winter, you can heat your walls and speed up the drying process.

Your wall will not be completed dry after plastering, even after two weeks. When you freshly cover a wall with plaster after rendering, the wall or any surface you coated and caused takes about 6 to 12 months to completely dry before it is suitably available to be painted on or covered with wallpaper. Whereas if you plastered a wall after re-skimming, it would take 1 to 2 weeks to dry.

Whenever you repaint or wallpaper your newly plastered surfaces, there are a couple of other things to remember and take explicit notice of. The period it takes to wallpaper various elements determines a freshly plastered surface or wall. Architects and designers recommend advising residents or owners of the property not to paste wallpapers to a freshly plastered surface or wall right afterward when the plastering procedure is finished.

This scenario may not involve recently restored surfaces scraped or coated with paint. You must ensure that wallpapering should be completed within a week or two just after the plaster has dried on freshly re-skimmed surfaces and walls. This is considered a sufficient drying period for the surfaces and walls. This could only be completed after the plastered walls and surfaces have received several layers of paint, ensuring the appearance of the overall coated surface. The measuring method protects the wallpaper’s level and smoothness by sealing the plaster. However, when wallpapering is postponed for six months, this sizing solution must also be put to the wall. The outcome of painting or papering walls and ceilings with poorly dry plaster coverings can be hazardous.

wallpaper in kids room

Furthermore, users could make the plastered walls dry quickly by placing various heaters or machinery that dries the plastered wall very quickly, which would help speed up the operation. The heaters’ substantial temperature will speed up this process, immediately leaving the walls and surfaces prepared for wallpapering. So overall, you should be aware that if you plastered a wall after re-skimming, wallpaper could be added after 1 to 2 weeks. On the other hand, if you plastered a wall after rendering, then, as mentioned, it would take 6 to 12 months to dry before you put up wallpaper.

Why Does It Take So Long To Wallpaper After Plastering?

As you know by now, plasters are composed of lime and cement. These substances are waterproof and by no means can be dried off in a short period. To penetrate through the applied wall or surface relatively efficiently, the plaster takes weeks or even months to dry completely before becoming perfectly capable for coverage of wallpaper.

After reading the previously mentioned, you must be exhausted in wondering, why do these walls even take so much time to dry before getting covered by wallpaper? The answer to this question is quite simple. Even though it does consume your time, the planned disturbance in painting or putting a new layer of wallpaper on either the surfaces or walls is due almost entirely to the actuation of plastering. Plastering includes applying lime and cement to the walls and surfaces.

Each substance requires some moment to dry entirely before wallpaper is applied over it. It’s practically impossible to speed up the drying rate of a freshly plastered surface or wall because it is permeable by nature, meaning it is prone to water uptake. When you apply a fresh wallpaper covering to a plastered wall or surface, the wallpaper covering will absorb the plaster’s dampness. This would impact the aesthetic appeal of your new background and even the plastered surface or wall.

That’s always a good idea to preserve the plaster when layering it all or covering it along with the wallpaper. Before the wallpaper can be applied on the freshly plastered walls, the measuring method or fasten needed to secure the plaster is used. When applied to a newly restored and smoothed surface or wall, the plaster needs time to dry. That is because it needs some period to enter the wall or surface effectively. Therefore, 6 to 12 months is the perfect timeframe you should wait before actually applying a sheet of wallpaper to that kind of surface or wall. Throughout the situation of a re-skimmed wall or surface, nonetheless, the plaster may never have to travel into the structure. It needs to dry thoroughly sufficiently so as not to damage the wallpaper. In these kinds of cases, wallpapering can proceed considerably more quickly. It thus typically occurs in less than a week.

In conclusion of the article, you must now be aware of all the drastic occurrences that could happen if you apply wallpaper to a still wet plastered wall. Plasters are made of water-resistant components, lime, and cement, so they would consume a more extended period to dry correctly and thoroughly. To prevent any damage to your room’s beauty, always be patient and never hasten the process of plaster’s drying procedure. Good things come to those who wait. So be patient and let the nature of the elements do their job.

Mark Brown

Mark Brown

Mark Brown is a construction engineer from California who has been working as an independent contractor and writer for the past 15 years. From 2022 onwards, Mark has also been contributing author of home repair articles at nimblefreelancer.com. Read more on Mark Brown's biography page. Contact Mark: mark@nimblefreelancer.com

Inflation Is Eating IRA/401(k) Savings! How to Protect Your IRA/401(k) in Bad Times?

VISIT GOLD IRA

Recent Posts