Asked on Sep 01, 2015

How do I repair wallpaper seams?

DG
by DG
Less than a year ago I wallpapered over painted wallboard. The seams are lifting off the wall and I have been unable to stick them back down. I have tried border adhesive and seam repair adhesive on both wet and dry paper, to no avail. Is there a way to fix this without re-papering the wall?
lifted wallpaper seam
  6 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Sep 01, 2015
    Its been quite some time that i have had wall paper.So my advice is to check the website Houzz.
    • DG DG on Sep 02, 2015
      @Janet Pizaro Thanks Janet, but I searched Houzz and did not find anything relevant.
  • Z Z on Sep 01, 2015
    DG, here's a step by step tutorial on how to fix this issue. The key is use as little adhesive as possible. This allows it to dry faster so it won't come lose again.
    • See 1 previous
    • Z Z on Sep 02, 2015
      @DG Yay! I'm glad, in a roundabout way, that I helped. I should have thought about a hair drier to help reshape the curled wallpaper. My guess is that was the main problem and the heat along with the constant rolling reshaped it.
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Sep 01, 2015
    fyi nothing works once moisture sets in the room. been there done that
  • Diane Taylor Diane Taylor on Sep 02, 2015
    I've used Elmer's glue to fix wallpaper like that. It's fidgety to do, but it worked for me. Use very little glue. I applied with my finger, then pressed 'til it held. Since you've got a longer area of seam than I did I'd use something flat and long like a ruler or yardstick to hold the seam till the glue starts to hold. Soon as it holds use a damp sponge to wipe the seam clean and replace the holder (whatever it is) against the seam 'til dry. Make sure to clean the back of the holder too in case it got any glue on it. You may want to push a piece of furniture up against it to hold for several hours. Did you rough up the paint at all before you applied wallpaper? That may be why it's lifting, but I've hung lots of wallpaper and the seams sometimes lift even though you think they were thoroughly coated with paste and rolled the seam. Just another thought....is there any way moisture could be getting to the wall behind? Leaking pipe or roof?? You can tell I've lived in old houses and had to do some detective work on some projects! ;-)
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Sep 02, 2015
    They have a customer service site where you can ask questions. If you want to try that.
  • In my opinion, Use a small artist’s brush to spread the glue on the back of the wallpaper, then wait for the adhesive to soften and reactivate the old wallpaper paste. When the area is nasty to the touch, gently push the seams back down using a damp cloth. Don’t use a steamroller, since it will just force the glue back out. Good luck with your work.