Fiberglass Paper, An Easy-to-wear Coating

Revamping the walls or the ceiling of your home is not an easy task, nor cheap! Exit therefore the wood paneling and the point of Hungary parquet, the current time is with fiberglass paper, also called glass cloth, which changes from the ordinary and which is very easy to install. It breaks up the uniformity of the paint and offers a lot more creativity than classic wallpaper. With the arrival of spring 2020, you have no excuse not to revamp your floor or your ceiling! Zoom on a selection of unique walls and ceilings for trendy and personal living rooms!

Fiberglass paper, a wall covering that is trendy to paint and repaint

Opting for a smooth or patterned glass cloth to renovate the walls is nothing new and yet, when you are in the process of revamping the interior, it is rarely fiberglass paper that you think of. first, isn't it? However, this type of coating has everything to transform your rooms, including the bathroom. But what is it exactly? Economical, strong and easy to maintain, glass fabric is increasingly appealing to contemporary interiors. What is it for ? Widely used in renovation, patterned fiberglass makes an excellent decorative and customizable coating. How to put it? Let's explore a magical coating and all there is to know about its composition and use!

Glass cloth, in short

Composed of course of glass, the glass fabric is part of the large family of wall coverings to be painted and is also used for covering ceilings. It is obtained by weaving several glass threads coated with an aqueous solution in order to obtain a resistant material that is easy to handle. Depending on the type of weaving of the fibers, the fabric adopts several different patterns, the most common being: classic mesh, fine mesh and chevron. There are, of course, more modern variants like the smooth glass cloth and the one imitating the texture of concrete.

Having said that, fiberglass paper can be characterized as a kind of hybrid between wallpaper and paint. Therefore, it represents a slightly higher investment than other types of wall coverings. Between the canvas, the glue and the paint, the price of the glass cloth is a little more expensive than the majority of wallpaper. However, it is not exorbitant and remains accessible.

The pros and cons of a canvas to paint

Resistant, dimensionally stable and rot-proof, fiberglass paper has several advantages. In addition to covering wall defects, paintable glass cloth has the potential to stabilize and strengthen substrates, which are in poor condition, as well as protect the surface from the formation of new cracks. It makes a superb paint base and can therefore be repainted up to 10 times.

Fiberglass ceilings are waterproof and water resistant. So you can use it to revamp not only the ceiling, but also the walls of your bathroom. As a bonus, it is very easy to clean. A little soapy water and you're done.

Some models of glass cloths also have a thin layer of fleece which aims to reduce echo and the passage of sounds. Other models are non-flammable and are made of lightweight thermal insulating materials, which makes them very suitable for cooking. And to save time and make your life easier, know that there are pre-painted and pre-glued canvases.

However, fiberglass should not be seen as a magic solution that can hide all the flaws in your home. So if you want to put glass cloth on one of your damaged walls, that does not mean that you can skip the step of preparing the wall. It is mandatory to seal visible cracks before laying the canvas. Otherwise, you may face further damage.

How to install fiberglass?

The installation of fiberglass ceiling or wall is nothing complicated! In fact, the principle is the same as that of classic wallpaper, with marouflage movements to eliminate air blisters. In other words, you don't have to be a professional to get the job done. You can use the fiberglass paper to cover a concrete, wood, plaster wall, or old wallpaper. To successfully lay your canvas, we remind you that the proper preparation of the substrates such as cleaning and prior sealing of cracks is mandatory.

Moreover, there are several installation techniques depending on the model chosen. The most common are:

• gluing (the canvas must first be glued with a special glass cloth glue before being placed on the wall or ceiling)
• pre-gluing (the canvas is pre-glued and must be wet before being placed on the wall or ceiling)

Once the canvas is in place, you only need to cover it with two coats of paint: a primer coat followed by a top coat. If you want to save a little time and avoid the painting step, you can simply opt for a model of pre-painted canvas, also called a "single-layer".

Which fiberglass paint to choose?

Before proceeding to paint application, it is important to know what type of paint to use! So, for the first coat, we opt for an acrylic paint. Because, by covering your canvas with glycerophthalic paint, you risk ruining its good performance. The solvents found in glycerol can attack the fabric glue and thus cause the formation of blisters and detachments. Obviously, pre-painted glass fabrics do not pose this kind of problem.

Once the first coat of acrylic paint has been applied, leave it on for at least 24 hours before moving on to the second coat. For the latter, you must choose between acrylic and glycero, depending on your own preferences.

However, it must be admitted that painting the reliefs of a glass cloth is not an easy task, which is why some manufacturers have launched paints specially designed for glass cloths on the market. Their fluidity offers easier, faster and more uniform application. For demanding customers there are ecological paints.

And when you are fed up with the color, do a new lick of paint and it's good! If, on the other hand, you decide one day to remove your fiberglass paper, know that you can seriously damage your walls! In this case, it is best to think carefully about your purchase. The “strippable” versions offering easier dry take-off are a little more expensive, but are certainly the best solution.