No, classic vinyl wallpaper should not be glued directly onto smooth or glazed tiles. The non-absorbing substrate does not provide a reliable base for bonding with conventional wallpaper adhesive. Those who wish to directly apply existing tiles should instead use a suitable self-adhesive wall medium.
Self-adhesive solutions such as Kavalan Gecko FR AD or ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive questionable.
Why is vinyl wallpaper not suitable for smooth tiles?
Vinyl wallpaper is usually applied to a uniformly prepared and suitable surface. The adhesive ensures the bond between the wallpaper and the wall.
Smooth or glazed tiles are fundamentally different from traditional wall coverings.
Its surface is:
- very smooth,
- closed,
- hardly absorbent and
- Often additionally coated.
This means that important prerequisites for reliable processing with conventional vinyl wallpaper adhesive are lacking.
Possible consequences are:
- solvable edges,
- open seams,
- uneven adhesion,
- extended or interrupted drying,
- visible grout lines,
- Bubble formation,
- Subsequent removal of individual areas.
The problem does not only exist immediately after processing. A wallpaper can initially hold on and only later detach from the substrate.
Therefore, our recommendation is clear:
Do not apply classic vinyl wallpaper directly to smooth or glazed tiles.
Should adhesive primer or special adhesive be used?
Adhesive primers and special adhesives can alter the properties of a substrate.
However, we do not see this as a generally reliable solution for the direct processing of a classic vinyl wallpaper on smooth tiles.
What is crucial is not only whether the wallpaper initially adheres to the surface. The entire system consists of:
- Underground,
- Primer,
- Glue,
- Wallpaper and
- Environmental conditions
must work together permanently.
Especially on very smooth and non-adhering surfaces, long-term reliable adhesion with conventional vinyl wallpaper is not sufficiently predictable.
If vinyl wallpaper is to be used, a properly prepared and tape-able base surface should therefore be created first.
Can you sand down tiles and then wallpaper them?
By sanding, the surface of a tile can be modified. However, this does not automatically mean that a suitable substrate for a vinyl wallpaper can be created from it.
In addition to pure surface adhesion, other factors play a role:
- Condition of the tiles,
- existing coatings,
- Depth of the joints,
- Surface smoothness,
- used adhesive,
- Moisture load,
- later claims.
In our view, the fact that the wall has been sanded down alone does not make it a reliable substrate for wallpapering.
Anyone who wants to install a classic vinyl wallpaper should first prepare a suitable wall structure for it.
What about the grout lines?
Besides adhesion, the existing joints also pose a problem.
Non-woven wallpapers bridge wall irregularities. Depending on the material thickness, tile grout lines may therefore become visible later on.
Of particular relevance are:
- deep joints,
- wide joints,
- damaged grout,
- tiles of varying heights,
- Unevenness within the area.
Simply filling individual joints does not solve the fundamental adhesion problem on smooth tiles.
The entire surface must be considered as a continuous substrate.
Is renovation fleece an alternative to tiles?
Renovation fleece should not be understood as an easy way to automatically make smooth tiles ready for wallpapering.
Even with renovation fleece, you still have to:
- Underground,
- Glue,
- Material and
- additional coatings
be coordinated with each other.
Therefore, we do not recommend simply choosing the following structure without further examination:
Tiles → Renovation fleece → Non-woven wallpaper
If the end goal is a classic non-woven wallpaper, a suitable, smooth, and wallpaper-ready surface should first be prepared.
Which alternative is suitable for smooth tiles?
If you want to keep existing tiles and still redesign them, instead of classic non-woven wallpaper, you should self-adhesive wall medium consider.
The decisive difference:
With self-adhesive wall media, wallpaper paste does not need to soak into the substrate. The bond is created directly via the adhesive layer on the back.
As a result, such materials can be significantly better suited for smooth and non-absorbent surfaces.
For corresponding applications, com2C offers, among other things, two interesting solutions.
Kavalan Gecko FR AD
Kavalan Gecko FR AD is a self-adhesive, PVC-free wall solution for high-end interior applications.
Among the properties are:
- self-adhesive application,
- PVC-free material,
- water- and dirt-repellent surface,
- dimensionally stable material,
- crack-bridging properties,
- good adhesion to many suitable substrates,
- Detachability,
- Tear and scratch resistance.
The material is thus an interesting alternative when a smooth surface is to be decorated and classic non-woven wallpaper is out of the question due to the substrate.
More about the product:
https://com2-c.de/produkte/kavalan-gecko-fr-ad/
ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive
ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive is a self-adhesive, dimensionally stable textile with a gray adhesive.
The material combines a textile look with self-adhesive application.
The characteristics include:
- self-adhesive textile,
- gray glue,
- PVC-free material,
- splash-resistant coating,
- dimensionally stable material,
- crack-bridging properties,
- good adhesion to many suitable substrates,
- Detachability,
- Tear and scratch resistance.
Especially when a textile look and feel is desired, ImageTex can be a suitable alternative to classic non-woven wallpaper.
More about the product:
https://com2-c.de/produkte/imagetex-190-luvess-m-w-grey-rem-adh/
Non-woven wallpaper or self-adhesive wall mural?
The right choice of material does not start with the design, but with the existing surface.
| Material | Processing | Suitable for smooth tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Classic vinyl wallpaper | Wallpaper adhesive | Not recommended for direct bonding |
| Kavalan Gecko FR AD | Self-adhesive | Interesting as an alternative for suitable smooth surfaces |
| ImageTex 190 | Self-adhesive | Interesting as an alternative for suitable smooth surfaces |
However, self-adhesive does not mean that every surface is automatically suitable.
Here too, the underground conditions, the application and subsequent stresses must be examined.
How should tiles be prepared for self-adhesive wall media?
Self-adhesive materials also require a suitable substrate.
The surface should:
- clean,
- dry,
- dust-free,
- fat-free,
- free from silicone,
- free of wax and
- free of detergent residues
to be.
Especially in kitchens and bathrooms, over time, residues can build up on the tiles, which are barely visible at first glance.
Therefore, careful cleaning is an important part of the preparation.
Before extensive processing, we generally recommend testing the adhesive on a discreet location.
What happens to the grout joints?
Even self-adhesive wall media do not automatically eliminate existing gaps.
How strongly the joints will show later depends, among other things, on:
- Joint width,
- Depth of the trough,
- Material thickness,
- Motif,
- Coloring,
- Light penetration,
- Surface structure.
Therefore, in particularly deep or wide joints, additional preparation of the surface may be necessary.
This should be taken into account even before selecting the material.
Vinyl wallpaper on tiles in the bathroom?
Especially in the bathroom, we advise against directly gluing classic vinyl wallpaper onto smooth tiles.
In addition to the unsuitable substrate, there is an additional load here due to:
- Water vapor,
- increased humidity,
- Temperature fluctuations and
- Possible splash water contamination
Added.
Different areas of application must be distinguished.
A wall outside direct water exposure places different requirements than:
- a shower,
- the direct area of a bathtub,
- areas permanently subject to water contamination.
Self-adhesive wall media should therefore only be used where the material properties are suitable for the actual load.
For example, a water-resistant coating does not automatically equate to suitability for permanently wet areas exposed to water.
Vinyl wallpaper on kitchen tiles?
The same applies to kitchen tiles:
Classic vinyl wallpaper should not be glued directly onto smooth tiles.
In addition, additional stresses can occur in kitchens:
- Fat,
- Water vapor,
- Cleaning agents,
- Heat,
- Frequent surface cleaning.
Therefore, anyone who wants to visually change the appearance of an existing tile mirror should consider a suitable self-adhesive wall material.
For areas in close proximity to cooking areas or other heat sources, the temperature resistance and processing instructions of the respective material must also be taken into account.
Which solution is interesting for print service providers and advertising technicians?
It is particularly important for print service providers, advertising technicians, and professional processors to choose the correct material not only based on the desired appearance.
If a customer wants to customize a tiled surface, it should first be checked:
- What infrastructure is available?
- How smooth is the surface?
- Are there deep gaps?
- What burden will arise later?
- Will the material be able to be removed again?
- What kind of look is desired?
- Which printing medium is technically suitable for the application area?
In the case of smooth tiles, classic vinyl wallpaper is not the right solution in our opinion.
With self-adhesive wall media such as Kavalan Gecko FR AD and ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive alternative materials are available that can be significantly more interesting for appropriate projects.
Which material is specifically suitable should always be examined on a project-specific basis.
Conclusion: Do not glue the vinyl wallpaper directly onto smooth tiles
Can you apply non-woven wallpaper over tiles?
Our recommendation is clear:
Classic vinyl wallpaper should not be glued directly onto smooth and glazed tiles.
The closed and non-absorbing substrate does not provide a sufficiently reliable basis for a classic application using wallpaper adhesive.
In our view, neither the adhesive strength, the heavier adhesive, nor the slight pressure applied do anything to change the fact that this application is not recommended.
Anyone who absolutely wants to install a classic vinyl wallpaper should first prepare a suitable adhesive-compatible substrate.
If the existing tile area, on the other hand, needs to be designed directly, self-adhesive wall media the more appropriate alternative.
With:
- Kavalan Gecko FR AD
- ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive
com2C offers two different self-adhesive solutions for this purpose.
Which of these is suitable for the specific project depends on the underlying ground, the load, the desired appearance, and the application.
Which material is suitable for your project?
Not every wall covering works equally well on every surface.
Especially for tiles, glass, coated surfaces and other non-absorbing surfaces, the material selection should be checked in advance.
The com2C team assists print service providers and advertising technicians in selecting the appropriate printing medium, taking into account the substrate, application, processing, and desired appearance.
Suitable self-adhesive solutions:
Kavalan Gecko FR AD
https://com2-c.de/produkte/kavalan-gecko-fr-ad/
ImageTex 190 LUVESS M W rem. grey adhesive
https://com2-c.de/produkte/imagetex-190-luvess-m-w-grey-rem-adh/
