How to treat the walls from mold and fungus before wallpapering?

The appearance of mold on the walls of the room, unfortunately, is a very common problem in our apartments. The situation became especially aggravated after the appearance of nowadays plastic windows, since they protect well from the cold, but also do not let air through at all. In this article, we will share with you the most affordable and effective tips on how to treat the walls from mold and fungus before wallpapering.

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What is harmful mold under the wallpaper?

Before proceeding with the solution of the problem and choosing the most suitable way to process the walls before gluing the wallpaper from mold, you should understand what it is and where it comes from.

The main reasons for the emergence and maturation of molds are the following factors:

• increased air humidity in the room;
• violations in the operation of the ventilation system;
• Recently, wooden windows have been replaced by sealed plastic ones;
• limited air circulation in the room, which is most often associated with interior items located close to the walls.

Important! The cause of the appearance of mold on the wallpaper after a recent repair may be a violation of the basic technologies for its implementation.

If you notice mold under the wallpaper after repair, what to do should be decided immediately, since such a neighborhood can negatively affect your state of health. Mold spores that spread through the air can cause the following ailments:

• household allergy, which affects mainly the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and skin;
• cardiovascular diseases, cough and migraine, which often appear as a result of intoxication of the body under the influence of fungal spores;
• increased fatigue and a significant decrease in overall performance;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases present in humans.

The above facts are the most powerful argument for explaining the need for mandatory processing of walls before wallpapering.

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How to process the walls before wallpapering?

Since molds are a fairly common problem and multiply by spreading spores in the atmosphere, an integrated approach to resolving the issue should be started when combating trouble. The process of getting rid of mold will consist of several main stages.

Stage one: free the walls from the old coating

If mold has appeared on the surface of the wallpaper, then they should be removed from the walls:

1. In order for the wallpaper to depart as easily and quickly as possible, they should be treated with warm water. To do this, soak the surface of the wall covering with a pre-moistened rag. Increased humidity will contribute to easy peeling of glued wallpaper, and, accordingly, their rapid removal.

Important! To soak the old layer of wallpaper with warm water, you can use not only rags, but also an ordinary construction roller.

2. If the coating is firmly held on the wall surface, then installing a bucket filled with hot water in the room will help. The liquid will evaporate and, accordingly, an increase in humidity and temperature will contribute to the detachment of wallpaper from the wall surface.
3. After the work on removing the old coating is completed, the removal of nails, dowels and other unnecessary building elements in the wall. After thoroughly cleaning the walls, use the building level to determine the evenness of the wall surface.

Stage Two: We Fight Dampness and Mold

Since the main cause of the development of mold on the walls is dampness in the room and insufficient ventilation, attention should be paid to eliminating these indicators to prevent its reappearance.

The following actions will help to cope with an unfavorable microclimate in the apartment:

• modify the ventilation system in the room;
• install ventilation valves on the construction of plastic windows;
• create additional waterproofing of the floor covering;

Important! The waterproofing of the floor is especially relevant for owners of apartments on the ground floor of a multi-storey building, where increased humidity may be observed due to the basement.

• monitor the humidity in the room.

Stage Three: Leveling the Walls

If, after cleaning the surface of the walls from the old wallpaper cover, you observe irregularities and drops that exceed 2 cm, then special attention should be paid to leveling the surface. For such work, special types of gypsum plaster are often used. When leveling, the surface is usually worked with two spatulas, and the final condition of the wall is checked using the building level.

Important! After the wall surface is brought to a perfectly even state, the applied layer of gypsum plaster should dry. After that, an antiseptic primer can be applied to its surface to treat the walls from mold and fungus before wallpapering.

Stage Four: we treat the walls with antifungal agents

After the surface of the walls is cleaned of the old coating and leveled with plaster, you can safely proceed to a special surface treatment from molds. These works are carried out in accordance with the following recommendations:

• Initial surface treatment - by applying a special composition, which may be a solution of copper sulfate.

Important! Such a tool is prepared by mixing 0.1 kg of active substance in 10 liters of water. On the wall, the resulting solution can be applied using a construction roller or sprayed with a spray gun.

• Wipe the surface of the wall with a dry cloth to remove fine dust and chemical residues.
• Treat the surface of the wall with a special antibacterial primer, which can be purchased at almost any hardware store.

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In this article, we told you exactly how to get rid of mold on the wall and prepare its surface for gluing with new wallpaper. We hope that following the above recommendations, you can once and for all get rid of unpleasant mold on the walls of your apartment.