How to Tell If Wallpaper Is Pre-pasted

Wallpaper can add interest and style to your room.

Wallpaper can enhance the look of your room by giving style and personality to a wall. Whether you are using a wallpaper border or covering the entire wall, it is important to know if your wall covering is pre-pasted or unpasted. Pre-pasted wallpaper is easiest to use when wallpapering a room because you only need to soak the strips of wallpaper for a couple of minutes before applying them to the walls. You can also purchase a wallpaper activator that skips the soaking step and makes papering your walls a quick and simple task.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl of water

Instructions

1. Examine the label or the backside of the wallpaper for an international symbol that signifies pre-pasted wallpaper. According to the Wallpaper Installer website, the international symbol for ready pasted or pre-pasted wallpaper is an angular looking bowl shape that appears half full of liquid with a piece of rolled wallpaper extending upward out of the bowl.

2. Feel the texture on the backside of the wallpaper. Pre-pasted wallpaper has a bumpy or slick dried paste already on the back that is activated by soaking in water or by spraying with a wallpaper activator solution.

3. Soak a small section of the wallpaper in water for a few minutes. If it comes out with a gluey, slimy texture on the backside, it is pre-pasted.

References

• Wallpaper Installer: Wallpaper Symbols