Installing wall paper on old plaster without sealing wall.

[gloglo]

HELLO. I HAVE A 1920'S PLASTER WALL HOUSE WITH ORIGINAL WALLPAPER. HAVE REMOVED OLD & WASHED & REPAIRED PLASTER. THE PLASTER IS IN GOOD SHAPE. I DO NOT WANT TO SEAL THE WALLS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BREATH WITH THE HOUSE SO THE PLASTER DOES NOT ROT. I HAVE PURCHASED VINTAGE CLOTHBACKED GRASS PAPER NOT PRE-PASTED. CAN I USE A HOME MADE STARCH PASTE TO ADHERE PAPER TO WALL? OR CAN I USE A WHEAT PASTE MIX? IF STARCH PASTE WORKS DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECIPE? I WISH TO COVER WALLS IN ONE ROOM WITH CLOTH - WHAT PASTE CAN I USE KEEPING IN MIND MY PLASTER IS LIME BASED & NEEDS TO BREATH? CAN ANYONE HELP? THANK YOU VERY MUCH GLO

[Boston Hangman]

HELLO. I HAVE A 1920'S PLASTER WALL HOUSE WITH ORIGINAL WALLPAPER. HAVE REMOVED OLD & WASHED & REPAIRED PLASTER. THE PLASTER IS IN GOOD SHAPE. I DO NOT WANT TO SEAL THE WALLS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BREATH WITH THE HOUSE SO THE PLASTER DOES NOT ROT. I HAVE PURCHASED VINTAGE CLOTHBACKED GRASS PAPER NOT PRE-PASTED. CAN I USE A HOME MADE STARCH PASTE TO ADHERE PAPER TO WALL? OR CAN I USE A WHEAT PASTE MIX? IF STARCH PASTE WORKS DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECIPE? I WISH TO COVER WALLS IN ONE ROOM WITH CLOTH - WHAT PASTE CAN I USE KEEPING IN MIND MY PLASTER IS LIME BASED & NEEDS TO BREATH? CAN ANYONE HELP? THANK YOU VERY MUCH GLO

I have not a clue:o
please define: clothback - Is it breathable ? Is it fabric backed?

homemade starch paste: you can probaly use a starch based pre mix adhesive.
I don't know anyone who makes their own anymore.
There are few stores who sell wheat paste , but you can still buy some at Bob Kelly's website: paperhangings.com

When you say you want to cover the walls in one room with cloth what do you mean? Fabric if so what is it backed with?

There are many unknowns here ,please be more specific and use terms and specs from manufacturer.

I am not sure are you a paperhanger or a DIYer?
The plaster needs to be sized if you are hanging a breathable wallcovering.
Most stores do not carry a true size there are some powdered sizes available
that would PROBALY work for what you describe. I want to be clear without seeing and examing the wlalsls this is all best guesses and such. If you are unsure call in somebody locally who knows. Perhaps hire a paperhanger, if you are not one. Please go to our front page and select Find A Paperhanger and follow the cues.

If the wallcovering is not breathable DO NOT USE SIZE!!
This will invite mold , mildew and this is not good!

please respond,
Good Luck,
Mark

[Chris Murphy]

First, sealed plaster will not 'rot.' As proof, oil-based paints have been used on them for a couple hundred years, easy, and they survive, fine. What damages plaster is what damages everything in a house: moisture. No seeping water or condensation? No problems. And even that doesn't hurt the plaster itself: it expands the wood lath, which busts the plaster keys and ruins the plaster's support. The moisture can make nasty things leach through the plaster, and then it must be sealed by a coating, like shellac.

Lime plaster may have 'hot spots,' areas where the lime has not been completely slaked. These can be neutralized using zinc sulphate or- vinegar. As long as the plaster is 90 days old, it should be fine, but if your worried, spray 'em with white vinegar.

Use an acrylic wallpaper prep; the walls will be only slightly more sealed than with regular paint. The prep keeps the paste from migrating, but not all the moisture, and that is OK.

Fabric-backed grass? Never heard of it, most comes on a rice- or wood-pulp paper. Some exotics like madagascar come on a lousy fabric-backed vinyl. Acrylic prep for them, too.

Dave Di Bacco (NGPP Pres.) and I have talked about how the 'nicer' old homes we've been in often have muslin or canvas as an underlayment on the plaster. Rosebrand.com carries many widths, so that the walls can be 'railroaded' with no seams. Nice look under paint, too.

Make your own starch-based paste? Sure, there are recipes with hard winter wheat, corn starch, rice flour, etc, all can be "Googled." Paper-hangings.com has the best wheat, a pre-cooked powder.