Digitally printed wallpaper has opened up bespoke interiors to hotels, restaurants, offices and homes. A forest mural in a reception area or a photographic panorama in a meeting room is now an affordable project. The challenge is that walls get a harder life than almost any other printed surface. They are brushed against, leaned on, splashed and cleaned, often for a long time.
Wallpapers are one of the typical uses for Landor Liquid Lamination, alongside artworks, retail displays and signage. It adds a protective layer that helps printed walls last longer and cope with harsher environments.
Why liquid rather than film
Many wallcoverings are textured, embossed or have a fabric-like surface. Film laminate struggles on these surfaces: it can silver, trap air, flatten the texture or make the paper too stiff to hang well. A liquid coating follows the surface, keeps the texture visible and leaves the wallpaper more workable for the installer. It also avoids a separate film layer that could lift at seams.
Colourjet protects against water, chemicals and abrasion, which helps a printed wall stand up to routine cleaning, and its integrated UV inhibitors help where daylight falls across the wall.
Wallcovering types
- Non-woven papers are widely used for printed murals. Many coat well, but some uncoated non-wovens can react to solvent or absorb the coating unevenly, so test.
- Vinyl wallcoverings are durable already. A coating adds chemical and abrasion resistance for high-traffic areas.
- Textured and embossed papers are where liquid lamination has the clearest advantage over film.
- Self-adhesive fabrics such as Phototex offer a removable alternative to pasted wallpaper; see Phototex.
Production checklist
- Dry, outgas or cure prints fully before coating, depending on the ink.
- Coat all drops in a single session with the same settings so the sheen matches across the wall.
- Test a coated drop with the paste and hanging method the installer will use.
- Butt two coated test drops together and check the seam under raking light.
- Let the coating dry fully before rolling the drops for delivery.
Consistency across many drops is hard to achieve by hand, so most wallpaper producers use a liquid lamination machine. Our equipment page has the details.
If you are taking on printed wallpaper, we would be pleased to coat a test drop on your chosen media. Call 01252 624 411 or arrange it through our contact page.