Why do you need anti-vandal wallpapers and how to choose them?

Wallpaper is one of the main design elements in any living space. Correctly selected, they can decorate a room, make it more comfortable and stylish. Alas, often the appearance of the wallpaper suffers from mechanical damage, children's drawings or accidental dirt. Anti-vandal wallpaper will help prevent and get rid of such troubles.

In the apartments, where guests are often, pets live, there are small children, damage to the wall covering is inevitable. To make the appearance of the walls more pleasing to the eye, special anti-vandal wallpapers have been developed. This coating is designed to reduce damage and keep the original appearance of the wallpaper for a long time. Wear-resistant blade protected from temperature extremes, it is denser than usual wallpaper, thus avoiding scratches. Such material can be washed with plain water without fear of damaging the structure.

More often, high-strength wallpaper is made from extruded vinyl. It is heavier and denser than the foamed version. Therefore, such a coating is not afraid of accidental mechanical damage, which is why it is customary to use it in public places. Applying these wallpapers in a living space will help minimize harm from the claws of cats or dogs. That is why the second name of the anti-vandal coating is "Anti-claw".

Vandal-proof wallpapers have a number of undeniable advantages:

• they are environmentally friendly and do not cause allergies, so they can be safely used in the children's room;
• the service life of durable anti-vandal wallpaper can reach 10 years or more (to maintain their appearance, it is enough to renew the paint);

• such canvases are easy to clean: almost all versions of anti-vandal wallpaper can be washed using ordinary household chemicals;
• durable wallpaper can be glued to any prepared surface.

A big plus of anti-vandal paintable wallpaper is the ability to change the color palette premises without removing and re-gluing the base. The variety of shades of paint will allow you to choose a suitable option in the color design of the room or combine several tones at once, diluting the main background with special colors.

To choose a wall covering with an anti-vandal effect, you need to understand what types of wear-resistant wallpaper exist today. Commercial wallpaper is considered to be the most dense, durable and wear-resistant. They are often called "Contractual". Such coverage is used in public places where the flow of people is almost continuous (for example, in cinemas, clinics, restaurants, offices). So tightly durable and environmentally friendly, it does not cause allergic reactions.

Contract wallpaper is often produced on a vinyl base. The material for such a coating is pressed to make it heavier and denser. Commercial wallpaper rolls are much wider than residential rolls. Usually the width of one sheet is 130 cm.

A variety of colors, textures and prints allow you to choose a commercial flooring that suits any space. In leaving, such a canvas is unpretentious.Vandal-proof glass wallpaper is better and stronger than vinyl counterparts. They are made from a specific material - glass threads, giving them the shape of a canvas by means of special impregnations. Such fibers are elastic. Glass fiber Will not be damaged by cat or dog claws, will not tarnish or deteriorate from water or grease.

This material repels dust. This finish can be used to paste over the kitchen or dining room: the material does not absorb odors, does not turn yellow under the influence of steam and high temperatures. Glass fiber is classified as a coating intended for further painting. At the same time, you can change the color of the canvas, repainting it in any color, up to ten times. The canvases themselves are produced with a textured type of surface, which is offered in a wide range on the construction market. It should be noted that the selected paint and primer give the wallpaper extra strength.

Less durable, but more economical and varied non-woven-based coatings. This material is harmless and has an important advantage: these wallpapers are elastic, they strengthen the walls in the house, where concrete can crack or deform after shrinkage. The anti-vandal type of coating differs from the usual non-woven wallpaper by the specifics of production. After production, the web is processed using a laser at a high temperature.

This nuance allows the wallpaper to perfectly repel dust, water, and tolerate cleaning with detergents. But non-woven wallpaper is not resistant to mechanical damage (for example, scratches from claws), so pet owners are advised to look at other types of coverage.

The least durable, but very effective photomurals with a special coating can also be classified as anti-vandal. Such a canvas is additionally treated with a composition that repels moisture and increases its service life. The undoubted advantages of such wallpapers include their appearance and ease of washing. With the help of household cleaning products, random stains or children's drawings can be removed from the coating. Thanks to this, this wallpaper received a second name. "Anti-marker"... Laminate flooring will be a good alternative to expensive commercial wallpaper.

Conventionally, metal wallpaper can be classified as anti-vandal. They are distinguished by their durability. Thanks to the top foil coating, such a canvas does not fade, does not change color due to temperature and humidity. But mechanical stress can easily damage the appearance of such wallpaper. They are often used for pasting the space around the fireplace, to protect the walls from burnout.

The choice of the most suitable wallpaper depends on the degree of the planned mechanical stress:

• Laminate flooring is perfect for a nursery or living room. It is easy to wash off drawings from them. Non-woven fabrics are also easily cleaned, if necessary, they can be painted.

• Commercial wallpaper will keep your pets' claw marks on your walls. Glass wallpapers will also cope with this mission. The latter adhere more tightly to the walls, so even a fairly large dog will not be able to tear them off.

• The choice of wallpaper for the kitchen may vary depending on where they will be glued. For the walls, a smooth non-woven coating for painting is suitable, but the apron, which is most susceptible to dirt and damage, is best pasted over with contract canvases. They will last as long as possible.

• Not so often, wallpaper is glued in the bathroom, but the anti-vandal coating can cope with high humidity. The walls of this room are best protected with fiberglass, they will not be damaged by water and steam.

The vandal-resistant coating of the wallpaper makes it denser and heavier, therefore such a canvas requires some skill in the pasting process:

• Initially, the wall must be cleaned of dirt or dust covering it. Old whitewash and grease stains must be removed.
• Before gluing the wallpaper, the wall must be carefully leveled and primed with a deep penetration primer. The absence of irregularities will allow the canvas to last much longer and look as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
• Glass fiber is glued to a mixture of the usual PVA with water. In this case, the solution is applied directly to the wall.
• Vinyl wallpaper adheres better to undiluted glue applied to the canvas itself.
• The first strip of wallpaper is glued in the center of the room, and all the following ones are glued to it.
• After the canvas is glued to the wall, you need to wait 24 hours for the material to dry, after which you can start painting the walls.

With the obvious advantages of vandal-proof wallpaper, this material has a certain drawback - all types of canvases are quite expensive. Therefore, you can protect the walls in other ways:

• In a house with cats or dogs, you can veneer the lower half of the wall with laminate to match the floor. The smooth finish will prevent pets from leaving marks on it.
• A more economical option, suitable for a kitchen or bathroom, is a special washable paint. Animals will not be able to scratch such walls, minor stains can simply be removed with household chemicals.
• Familiar plastic panels are easy to clean, so they are not afraid of children's drawings. The smoothness of such a coating will not make a cat or dog want to sharpen their claws. But it is worth remembering that plastic is a fragile material that easily suffers from mechanical stress.

Apartment owners who have chosen anti-vandal wallpaper as a wall covering note that this material does not require a lot of paint for processing. Pets, faced with the increased rigidity and smoothness of the surface, eventually lose interest in it and choose other places for the claw point. Buyers attribute the brightness of the wallpaper to the advantages of finishing, thanks to which you can add rich fresh notes to the interior of the room.

Many buyers note that laminated light-colored canvases with photo printing can be quite thin and transparent. Therefore, in the store, you should pay attention to the thickness of the material. In addition to strength, such a cladding gives out all the unevenness of the walls.

Choice of anti-vandal wallpaper will allow you to avoid frequent re-gluing and changing the blade. Depending on the manufacturing company, such material can last from seven to fifteen years with the right paint and careful use.

For information on how to choose and use anti-vandal wallpaper, see the next video.