Bark of cork oak, which is quite rareused in everyday life a few decades ago, is becoming more popular among the population as a finishing material. Cork flooring, walls and ceiling have become a fashion trend in interior design, and the popularity of this method of decoration is increasing every day. 
Pasting the cork wallpaper is done by butt,excess material is cut off by a ruler using a construction knife. The cork cover attracts the consumer not only with an unprecedented durability and ability to withstand the effects of changes in temperature and humidity, aggressive chemistry and fire, but also excellent sound insulation, the property to maintain a comfortable microclimate in the room, and the ease of daily maintenance. Cork wallpaper has another important positive quality, which encourages the population to choose this particular finishing material for repair. Their correct sticking does not require professional skills and excessive efforts, can be performed independently, without the need to pay labor of hired professionals.
Preparation of the wall surface and necessary materials for gluing
Scheme of cork cover. The area on which the wallpapering will be done must be dry and absolutely clean, in addition, it should be inspected for cracks and irregularities. If the old coating has been removed from the wall, the remains of wallpaper or other material should be carefully cleaned. Also, it is necessary to level the mounds, and to crack the cracks or to cement them with a cement-sand mortar. Prepared in this way, the walls must be covered with a primer. This must be done in advance, before the gluing of the cork wallpaper, the soil layer has dried well. This treatment will protect the wall from excessive moisture and improve its adhesion to the adhesive mass. Before buying a cork wallpaper, calculate the amount of necessary material. The cork coating is available in two forms: tile and roll. For the installation of the plug, there are two types of glue, conventional contact and acrylic based. 
Tools for wallpaper gluing: a bucket for glue, a spatula, scissors, plumb bob, stepladder and others. Acrylic adhesive is applied only to the wall, this facilitates the work and reduces the consumption of adhesive mass, but the contact adhesive composition, which simultaneously treats the surface of walls and wallpaper, provides a much better quality of adhesion. The purchased cork cover should be spent some time in conditions of a premise in which its installation is planned. Adaptation to the conditions of temperature and humidity of the room will avoid later deformation of the cork and its spoiled appearance. While the material is being acclimated in the room, it is possible to prepare the necessary tools for the upcoming work:
- a construction knife or scissors;
- a comb with a small tooth;
- small spatula;
- horizontal and vertical building level;
- pencil for marking;
- long metal ruler.
Back to contents</a>
Wall marking and corking
Before gluing the cork can be smearedstain, this will give the material a noble shade and emphasize the texture. Before the beginning of the process of gluing it is necessary to make the marking of the wall, regardless of which variant of the arrangement of the wallpaper is selected - vertical or horizontal. When using sheet material, it is better to place the parts in staggered order, this will make the joints between them less noticeable. Paint tape applied to adjacent to the place of application of the adhesive mass of the surface will allow them to remain clean. To work with the adhesive composition it is necessary to use a spatula. It will allow more accurate application of the mass to the right places and avoid its getting on the cork. It should be noted that it will be practically impossible to clean the glue off the wallpaper afterwards. Cutting is best done with scissors - with their use, the cut will be more accurate than when using a knife. Cork - the material is very brittle, so neatness and slowness in the work will help to avoid spoiled blanks. The technology of gluing cork coating corresponds to the same principle as the usual wallpaper sticker on the wall. At first, a small part of the wall is impregnated with a notched trowel (do not forget that the adhesive composition dries very quickly) and the back of the cork sheet. Then the material is applied to the desired place and after pressing carefully smoothed. In the course of these actions, air bubbles emerge from under the sheet, the adhesive enters its pores, and a dense and strong adhesion of the surfaces is ensured. For smoothing, a presser rubber or a conventional fine-grained roller is well suited. Speaking around the edges of the adhesive composition is quickly removed with a small spatula, wiping the remnants with a damp sponge, trying as little as possible to touch the surface of the plug. A special corner is mounted on the outer corners. Cork sheets are thin enough, but they can not be bent in the corners of the room, or glued to each other, making an overlap. If desired, the finished walls can be covered with furniture varnish, which will give the material a shine. Such a treatment is not necessary for cork wallpaper, which when coated was covered with wax, they have sufficient protection against dust and moisture and do not need additional impregnation.
