You paint fibreglass wallpaper with emulsion paint: according to Sigma, glass fleece takes one coat, and unpainted woven glass fabric takes two. The wallpaper itself must be completely dry before the first coat.
For Sigmatex Superlatex Matt, Sigma’s data sheet 4014NL gives touch-dry after about 2 hours and recoatable after about 4 hours, at 23 °C and 50% humidity. The product page says touch-dry after about 1 hour.
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How many coats of paint does fibreglass wallpaper need?
That depends on the type. Sigma specifies it per substrate in the data sheet for Sigmatex Superlatex Matt, in the system for glass fabric and glass fleece indoors.
Pigmented fabric already has an opaque colour layer, which saves a coat. Not sure which type is on your wall? It starts with the difference between glass fleece, glass fabric and fibreglass, and if in doubt we check it at the site visit.
Colour matters too. Going from light to dark, or a deep colour over a white fabric, is more likely to need an extra coat. You only see that properly once the first coat is dry.
Which paint do you use on glass fabric and glass fleece?
A water-based emulsion paint intended for glass fabric and glass fleece. We paint with Sigma. Sigma describes Sigmatex Superlatex Matt as ideally suited to glass fabric and glass fleece, and the sheet lists these properties:
- Scrub class 1 according to NBN EN 13300, determined after drying for a month.
- Hiding power class 2, very good coverage.
- Matt, with a gloss level of about 1.9 GU.
- Vapour permeable and solvent-free, with less than 1 gram of VOC per litre.
A matt paint keeps the structure of glass fabric calm, because it reflects little light off the relief. Not every paint works with the same number of coats: in the system sheet for glass fabric, Sigma specifies one coat of Sigmatex Superlatex Matt for pigmented fabric, but two coats of the washable Sigma Pearl Clean Matt.
One warning from the data sheet: do not apply this emulsion paint to a closed substrate, such as an old layer of alkyd paint. In damp conditions that combination can lead to detachment. If glass fabric has ever been treated with gloss paint, we first assess what is needed.
How long must fibreglass wallpaper dry before you paint?
The glue must be completely dry before the first coat of paint goes on. How long that takes depends on the glue, the substrate, the temperature and the ventilation. The product information for Intervos glass fabric glue gives no fixed time for this, so we do not give a figure here.
For the paint itself Sigma does give times, determined at 23 °C and 50 per cent relative humidity:
If it is colder or damper than that, it takes longer. According to the sheet, the substrate and the air must be between 5 °C and 30 °C during painting and drying, the humidity no more than 85 per cent and the substrate at least 3 °C above the dew point, with good ventilation.
If you want to wipe the wall down after painting, wait a while. The scrub class was measured after a month, so in the first weeks the paint is not yet at its strongest.
How do you paint fibreglass wallpaper, and with which roller?
The job itself is not complicated, but the order matters:
- Check. Are all the seams and corners firmly stuck and is the glue dry? Fix loose seams first.
- Mask and cover. Skirting boards, window frames and floor.
- Stir in the paint. For rolling or brushing, Sigma advises adding 0 to 7 per cent water; for spraying, 0 to 10 per cent.
- First coat. Work through each drop or each wall in one go, so that no lap marks appear.
- Dry and assess. After about 4 hours at 23 °C a second coat can go on, if needed.
- Second coat. Always for unpigmented glass fabric; for glass fleece only for coverage.
On the roller, Sigma is clear: the sheet names a different paint roller for textured substrates than for smooth ones. On glass fabric with a coarse structure, the pile must also work the paint into the relief. On smooth glass fleece, the aim is an even, streak-free coat.
Allow 8 to 10 m² per litre per coat, the coverage Sigma gives. Where you end up within that range depends, according to Sigma, on the nature and structure of the substrate. Spraying is possible too; Sigma gives its own water percentage for that. If you are unsure about the difference between spraying and rolling, just ask us.
Will fibreglass wallpaper not come loose when you paint it?
Not if it is firmly stuck. Coming loose during painting almost always has a cause beneath the wallpaper: the glue was not yet dry, there was too little glue under the seams, or the wall was dusty or not primed.
Paint going onto a well-bonded fabric does not pull it off the wall. That is why we only start painting when the wallpaper and the glue are ready, and we repair loose seams first. And that already starts with the wall itself: it must meet the conditions for a wall that is ready for wallpaper.
If existing fibreglass wallpaper is coming loose over large areas, a new coat of paint will not fix that. Removing it and hanging it again is then the better choice. You can also have us handle removing fibreglass wallpaper before we wallpaper again.
What does it cost to have fibreglass wallpaper painted?
With new fibreglass wallpaper, one coat of latex paint in RAL 9010 or 9016 is already included in the price: €16.99 to €20.99 per m², including the wallpaper, sanding, hanging and filling. A second coat is a surcharge. This is how the price of fibreglass wallpaper per m² is built up: wallpaper and work in one price, extra coats on top.
Prices exclude VAT. For renovation work on a home over 10 years old, 6% VAT usually applies.
If existing fibreglass wallpaper needs a new colour, the rules for painting walls from our price list apply:
Prices exclude VAT. For renovation work on a home over 10 years old, 6% VAT usually applies.
Which rules apply to your wall depends on the fabric, the current colour and the new colour. That is fixed in the final quote after the site visit. If you want to do some calculations yourself first, take a look at our full price list.
Who paints your fibreglass wallpaper?
New fibreglass wallpaper is hung and painted in one job by one of our 40 wallpaper hangers. If existing wallpaper needs a new colour, our own tradespeople do that, from the team of 97 wallpaper hangers, plasterers and painters on permanent contracts.
In your request, give the current colour and the new one, and say whether the fabric has ever been treated with gloss paint. That determines the number of coats and whether something else has to be done first, so that it is in the free quote you receive within 24 hours. At the site visit we look at the fabric, how well the seams are bonded and the colour.
Does new wallpaper have to go on first? Then we hang the fibreglass wallpaper ourselves too, in the same job as the painting.
By the Bouwsector België team, 97 in-house tradespeople · reviewed by