Why Is My Wallpaper Peeling, and How Do I Fix It?
Look at the back of the paper first, because where the paste ended up tells you what went wrong, and each answer has a different fix
Look at the back of the peeling paper. If the paste is on the paper, the wall was the problem: dust, an unkeyed sheen paint, old adhesive residue or bare porous plaster. If the paste is on the wall, the paper let go, which points to heat, damp or a paste that was too thin.
That one observation narrows it down faster than anything else, so start there.
Dust
The most common cause of all. Sanding dust is invisible on a pale wall and paste will not stick through it.
Fix: take the length off, wipe the wall down thoroughly with a dry cloth then a barely damp one, let it dry, and re-hang.
An unkeyed sheen paint
Silk, soft sheen, eggshell and gloss are sealed surfaces. Paste sits on them.
Fix: sand the wall to a dull finish, wash off the dust, and re-hang.
Old adhesive left after stripping
Old paste dries glassy and new paste will not bond to it.
Fix: wash the wall properly with sugar soap until it feels the same everywhere.
Bare, porous plaster
Unsealed plaster drinks the water out of the paste before it can work.
Fix: seal with a mist coat and let it dry.
Heat during drying
A radiator turned on under a freshly papered wall, or a heat source too close, dries the surface before the bond has formed.
Fix: re-paste and re-hang, and leave the heating off for 24 to 48 hours this time.
Damp coming through the wall
Paper lifting repeatedly in one place, particularly on an external wall, near a window or behind a radiator, is a building problem rather than a decorating one.
Fix: find the cause and deal with it before you re-hang anything. Papering over damp hides it while it gets worse.
Paste mixed too thin, or too little of it
Fix: use a ready-mixed paste-the-wall adhesive at full strength, applied generously and wider than the length.
Where it peels tells you something
- Edges and seams only: the paste did not reach the edge of the length.
- Around a radiator: heat during drying, or dust on a wall nobody can reach to clean.
- In a bathroom or kitchen: steam getting behind an edge. Consider heavy-grade paper and better ventilation.
- On one external wall only: condensation or damp.
- Along the top by the ceiling: often a dry patch where the roller stopped short.
- Whole lengths, everywhere: the wall was not prepared.
How to re-hang a length that has come away
- Take it off completely rather than trying to patch it back, because a length that has lifted once will lift again.
- Deal with whatever the back of the paper told you.
- Let the wall dry fully.
- Paste and re-hang. If the paper creased or tore coming off, hang a fresh length.
When it is peel and stick
Removable paper lifting at the edges is a surface problem, not a bond problem: texture, chalky paint, uncured paint or steam. Press it back and warm it gently with a hairdryer on a low setting, but if it keeps lifting the wall is wrong for it.
Why is my wallpaper peeling off the wall?
Look at the back. Paste on the paper means the wall never bonded: dust, sheen paint, old glue or bare plaster. Paste on the wall means heat, damp or weak adhesive.
Why won't my wallpaper stick?
In most cases, dust on the wall or a silk paint that was not sanded first.
Why does it keep peeling behind the radiator?
Heat during drying, or dust on a wall that is hard to clean. If it recurs after careful preparation, check for condensation.
Can I just glue it back?
For an edge or a corner, yes. For a whole length, no. Take it off and deal with the wall.
Is peeling a fault in the wallpaper?
Very rarely. It is nearly always the wall's preparation or the room's conditions while drying.
My wallpaper is peeling in the bathroom: what now?
Check ventilation first. Our heavy-grade paper is the one we recommend for bathrooms, kept out of direct spray.
