Wallpaper.....

[politicat]

So we papered the bathroom, that being the better solution than dozen-odd layers of primer and paint it took in the hall to cover the marks left by a raging 5 year old with a bottle of ink-jet refill ink. (I'll post before and after pics here soon...) (Oh, man that stuff stains, and being water and oil soluable, nothing covers it... I thought we were going to have purple walls forever....)

It went up fine on three of the four walls... but there's always that fourth wall, isn't there?

The paper will not stick. It's come loose twice now, and we've re-glued it with the wallpaper paste recommended. The paper was pre-pasted, and the paste worked fine on the first three walls. The only difference I can think of is that the wall where the paper is not sticking is above the light fixture, and so heat from the bulbs may be causing the paper to behave strangely.

Should I pull off the paper and start over on that section??

[I_Make_Mistakes]

1. Did you prime it? It provides a more tacky surface.

[politicat]

2. Yep.

Filled (the walls are textured) with pink spackle, then primed and even used thinned white glue on a second try when the first try didn't work.

I sanded the walls today hoping to try again on tuesday.

Frustrating... because it's only happening on 1 wall, in one section. The rest of the paper went on like a dream.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

3. That really stinks, lots of people skip the priming step.

Have you searched the Lowes,Home Depot, DIY sites for how to's? I am gonna guess yes. Okay, try primming it after you sanded it. Maybe, it will at least fill the gaps.

Other than that, call an Exorcist (just kidding).

[LiberalUprising]

4. Have you tried

sizing?

Sizing A liquid mixture that is applied to the wall prior to wallpaper installation. Sizing creates a uniform porosity on the surface of your wall and increases the tack of the wallpaper during installation. Sizing should not be mistaken for a primer/sealer (see "primer/sealer" above).

Primer/Sealer An alkyd or acrylic-based liquid applied to the wall prior to wallpaper installation. Primer/sealers soak into a porous wall surface much like sizing (see "sizing" below). However, Acrylic-based primer/sealers also soak into latex paint and re-bond the paint to the wall. This is important because most wallpapers expand when wet, as they dry they tighten to the wall. Poor latex paint will pull away from the wall during this drying stage.

http://www.wallpaperstore.com/WallpaperTerms.htm

Zinnser makes several products that should help, you should be able to find it at a home center or paint store.

Just a couple of their products:

Z-54™ Heavy-Duty Wallcovering Primer with tack is a fast-drying water-based primer that dries to a clear, tacky film. It adheres to all difficult-to-hang surfaces such as gloss paint or existing vinyl's or foils without sanding. It can be used under any type wallcovering.

SHIELDZ CLEAR adheres to all sound surfaces including hard-to-stick surfaces such as glossy paint, ceramic tile, glass, Formica®, and vinyl wallcovering. No sanding is required.

http://www.zinsser.com/subcat.asp?CategoryID=2

And as I_Make_Mistakes stated, prime or size after sanding

Good Luck

[I_Make_Mistakes]

5. I forgot about sizing, good catch. I made the mistake of

wallpapering and then bordering on top with out using the special border paste. The bathroom was beautiful before the border starting falling down. I could not find the same border(to properly adhere) so I had to take the old off the paper and repaper, within a years time.