Eco-friendly wallpaper for walls. Environmentally friendly wallpaper. Types of eco-friendly wallpaper, their advantages and disadvantages
Properly selected wallpapers can transform a space in an amazing way, add depth, expressiveness, and create the necessary atmosphere. However, when choosing wallpaper, it is worth considering not only their external characteristics, especially for rooms in which people with allergies and children will be. Their non-toxicity and safety for humans is also very important. Also, due to the depletion of natural resources and the constant increase in environmental pollution, wallpapers made from materials made from renewable resources are more preferable. wallpapers are now available in a large assortment and are quite easy to find if you know what to look for.
Guide how to choose eco-friendly wallpaper
What to look for:
paper wallpaper made using recycled paper or FSC-certified paper. Using recycled paper reduces pollution and energy consumption compared to making paper from new material. 3D wallpapers made from recycled paper have good acoustic properties and can be painted (however, I have not seen information about the sale of such wallpapers in Russia). FSC-certified wallpapers are made from trees grown in special, controlled forests. The FSC certificate is issued by an international organization called the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Paper wallpapers allow the walls to "breathe" and they are usually not very expensive. Their disadvantages include low wear resistance, the ability to absorb odors, lack of moisture resistance and fading.
Wallpaper from natural fibers. Although this wallpaper is not recommended when there are cats in the house, in all other cases they are good. These wallpapers are made from rapidly renewable materials such as seaweed, bamboo and reed, straw, linen, silk. Wallpapers made from natural fibers are very beautiful, they add warmth and naturalness to any room. They can be found in all sorts of colors and patterns. These wallpapers allow the walls to "breathe", they are quite durable, have high sound and heat insulation, but their cost is usually high and they tend to fade.
Cork wallpaper. These are eco-friendly wallpapers that are not afraid of the sun, moisture and fungus, have good sound and heat insulation, they are wear-resistant, elastic and hypoallergenic, and have a natural color.
Dyes on wallpaper must be water-based without chlorine and other harmful substances. You can find hand-painted wallpapers that can make any room special, but they are much more expensive.
What to avoid:
Vinyl (PVC)- a darling of the wallpaper industry. Thanks to their strength characteristics and a surface that can be smooth or embossed to hide wall imperfections, vinyl wallpapers have dominated the market for decades. Unfortunately, PVC coating has significant drawbacks. Vinyl production is a process with significant environmental costs. Even vinyl wallpaper pasted on a wall releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants into the air. Some scientists have linked vinyl wallpaper to diseases such as asthma and cancer. But the greatest danger of PVC lies in its decomposition products: chlorine, dioxins (highly toxic substances) and phthalates. When burning and the temperature rises above 220 °C, organochlorine compounds and heavy metals contained in PVC stabilizers are released, which can lead to human poisoning. Vinyl wallpaper does not "breathe", which encourages mold to build up between it and the wall in damp areas such as bathrooms.
Fire resistant wallpaper- you should not buy wallpaper with substances that prevent combustion (with the exception of wallpaper with borates, natural minerals), since these substances are released into the air over time.
VOC– can stand out for several years after gluing. Look for low VOC or VOC free wallpapers. Also, the wallpaper paste should be low or VOC-free.
Heavy metals- contained in some dyes, become a real problem when they end up in a landfill. From there, they can enter the groundwater and then return back to us. By opting for wallpaper that is free of heavy metals, you reduce the risk of drinking water deterioration for yourself and future generations.
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Many will agree that the most popular decorative wall material is wallpaper. The consumer is regularly offered an increasing range of these products. But when choosing finishing materials, most people pay special attention to the environmental friendliness of the wallpaper, because they want to be sure that they do not contain those components that can adversely affect the health of those who will constantly be in the room.
It's easy to breathe in such a bedroom
Why do we need eco wallpaper
For the first time, the very concept of wallpaper in European countries appeared in 1599, and the very first canvases were not glued to the wall, but were fastened with nails to a special frame. These old decoration materials were made from paper.
Gradually, as new components appeared, the technology for their manufacture changed. And today on sale you can find not only paper canvases, but also vinyl, cork, fabric and many others.
Despite this, environmentally friendly wallpapers are always in demand, which are ideal for pasting the premises of allergy sufferers, children, as well as all those who carefully monitor their health.
Even paper wallpapers can make the bedroom cozy.
paper wallpaper
Undoubtedly, this is the most environmentally friendly wallpaper for the bedroom, nursery and other rooms. Due to their affordability, as well as the ability to "breathe", they are still the most popular in the market of finishing materials today.
Moreover, manufacturers offer not only classic canvases, which, as you know, have a number of significant drawbacks (they tear when glued, are afraid of water, etc.), but also multilayer ones that have embossed embossing. The latter are not only more stable in operation and during operation, but also hide some defects in the wall surface. There are among paper ecological wallpapers and those that are equipped with additional impregnations from UV fading.
Stylish black and white bedroom
Textile wallpapers
In the manufacture of such canvases, not only natural, but also synthetic fabrics can be used, and in the second case, the degree of environmental friendliness of the coating is sharply reduced. But canvases made of viscose, silk and cotton have a fairly high safety rate. But when choosing fabric canvases, you need to understand that all natural fabrics are more prone to fading, and therefore require special protection from sunlight.
The main disadvantage of such ecological wallpaper for the bedroom is their price, but in some cases it is fully justified, since the room becomes not only safe, but also acquires other equally important properties: increased noise absorption, hypoallergenicity, antistatic.
Bamboo wallpaper
vegetable wallpaper
These are natural, and, of course, safe finishing materials, which are based on all kinds of plant fibers: jute, bamboo, sisal, etc. Regardless of the top coating, paper is used as the basis. As a result, the resulting finishing material has the following advantages:
- the ability to "breathe";
- has an excellent appearance and increased strength;
- well, the room itself with them acquires high rates of heat and sound insulation.
The main disadvantage of such canvases is their high cost, due to the use of manual production. And besides that, they fade very quickly under the influence of sunlight.
Cork and other coatings
This material also has a paper base and has high antistatic properties. Unlike many other coatings, they are not affected by UV rays and retain their original appearance for many years.
Genuine leather coverings, as well as glass wall papers, which are based on quartz sand, soda and lime, give special originality to the interior. Any of the finishing materials will not only make the interior exclusive, but also protect against allergies, fungus, mold.
Wallpaper for a classic bedroom
What wallpaper is glued with
In order not to lose the important property of the environmental friendliness of the wallpaper, they need to be glued to a certain composition, which will be able not only to effectively hold the canvases, but also retain their valuable characteristics.
A few decades ago, glue was made at home, and it met all the requirements for environmental friendliness. Unfortunately, modern eco wallpaper for the bedroom can be heavier than its thin paper predecessors. Therefore, it is necessary to select glue directly in the store, which will accurately hold the selected canvases on the walls.
On the shelves you can find a variety of adhesives, but you should pay attention only to those that have a mark on their environmental friendliness. And although components of animal or vegetable origin can be found in their composition, the adhesive characteristics do not change from this.
Any canvases should be glued, guided by the recommendations that the manufacturer offers directly. Well, in order to ensure high-quality gluing, you should carefully prepare the surface, cleaning it from dirt and defects.
When furnishing a children's room, or making repairs in an apartment where small children will live, we try to purchase only the safest materials, including eco-friendly wallpaper for walls. Of course, it is desirable to use such tapestries everywhere, but in the case of the younger generation, the importance of this task is difficult to overestimate.
Below we will tell you what is meant by the term "environmental wallpaper for walls", as well as what types of materials it is better to purchase.
Security Analysis
Choice Basics
In search of information about which wallpapers are environmentally friendly, you can find a lot of information, and only some of them will be true.
A fairly large number of myths are concentrated on the issue of the purity of materials, and therefore it is worth analyzing all the facts presented very meticulously:
- The environmental friendliness of wallpaper means, first of all, their safety for a person who permanently lives in a finished room. In principle, almost all tapestries that can be found on the market meet this requirement, but there are some nuances.
- The first thing you need to pay attention to is the base material.. When deciding which wallpapers are the most environmentally friendly, you need to give preference to those that have the lowest content of synthetic substances.
- It is also worth noting that sometimes the source of problems is not the base, but the pigment or protective layer.. Most often, this drawback is typical for frankly cheap materials, the manufacture of which uses low-quality (and therefore toxic) raw materials.
Note!
In most cases, the price is a direct indication of the environmental friendliness of the product: the use of good raw materials and production control require costs, which is necessarily reflected in the final cost.
There are exceptions, of course, but they are very few.
- When analyzing the material, it is also worth paying attention to the labeling and the presence of a certificate.. The information presented there will definitely tell you what rooms the tapestries are intended for, what substances are included in their composition, etc.
After analyzing the entire array of information, here are some tips:
- 99% of the materials on the market can be safely used for home decoration. The exception is wallpaper for children's rooms, as well as materials that will be used in homes where allergy sufferers or people with hypersensitivity to certain substances live - they need to be selected especially.
- Quality material is almost never cheap.
- The presence of a certificate is the main requirement for the material. Instructions for tapestries must contain information about the composition.
Note!
Attractive green stickers "Eco", "100% natural", etc. should not mislead you.
Their use is not regulated by law in any way, therefore they relate exclusively to packaging design.
If you want to know the true state of affairs - study the certificate!
- If you plan to carry out repairs with your own hands, then in addition to wallpaper, you should also pick up glue. Usually they do not contain toxins, but you can check the composition of the material for reinsurance!
With these simple tips, you can pretty quickly determine which wallpaper is environmentally friendly and which is better to use in public buildings. In the following sections of our article, we will analyze the most popular types of materials and evaluate them in terms of health safety.
Range overview
Suitable Options
When choosing ecological wallpapers for a bedroom, kitchen or living room, we find ourselves in a rather advantageous situation: we have more suitable options than varieties that should be discarded.
- The easiest way is to use ordinary paper tapestries (single-layer or two-layer). Their high-quality varieties are made from natural cellulose with the addition of non-toxic pigments, therefore they do not contain chemically active substances.
Note!
In children's rooms, special attention should be paid to the composition of the paint that is used to apply the drawings.
Many children have the habit of licking their finger, rubbing a beautiful picture and pulling all the "kaku" into their mouths, therefore, to prevent poisoning, it is worth choosing specialized materials with persistent pigments.
- Textile material (paper canvas with the addition of cotton, linen or viscose threads) is also quite acceptable. If we take into account the high hygroscopicity, and apply only in dry rooms, then such wallpapers demonstrate an enviable operational stability.
- The environmental friendliness of non-woven wallpaper also deserves praise. If the absence of synthetics is important to you, then choose trellises made of natural non-woven fabric, which consists exclusively of cellulose fibers. In addition to non-toxicity, such material is also characterized by high ventilation rates, so the risk of damage will also be minimal.
Note!
In a fairly common discussion about which wallpaper is more environmentally friendly - vinyl or non-woven, the second variety wins confidently.
Why this is so will be discussed in the next section.
- Fiberglass material contains virtually no organic matter. It is made from the same raw materials as ordinary glass and is therefore chemically inert. Thanks to this, fiberglass wallpapers acquire high resistance, and therefore do not affect the room and the people in it.
As you can see, the main types of finishing materials are quite safe from an environmental point of view. Of course, when buying tapestries for painting, you need to pay attention to the composition of the pigments used for decoration. In this case, by the way, it is worth giving preference to acrylic paints or water-dispersed compositions based on liquid latex.
What to Avoid
Now we need to figure out which wallpaper is not worth buying if it is ecological cleanliness that is important to you. And here only vinyl tapestries fall under the blow.
The reasons are as follows:
- Firstly, synthetic substances are actively used for the production of vinyl (or rather, polyvinyl chloride). This type of material is the least natural of all listed.
- Secondly, the production technology itself is characterized by a high risk for personnel.
- The disposal of this material is also problematic: heavy metals and their salts, which are in a bound state, can lead to soil and groundwater pollution.
- Finally, it should be noted that for some time after gluing, PVC-based trellises may release phenolic volatile organic compounds. And if for a high-quality finish it’s enough just to ventilate the room once, then cheap materials from unscrupulous manufacturers from China and the surrounding area can smell for quite a long time.
Conclusion
Finding eco-friendly wallpaper for walls on sale is quite simple: just carefully study this article and follow its recommendations. But it is very important to understand where the use of absolutely natural material is justified, and where cheaper varieties can be used. The video in this article contains additional information about these aspects of finishing work, so it will be useful first of all for beginners!
Ecological hypoallergenic wallpaper for walls
The fashion for everything environmentally friendly, from food to cars, is growing from year to year and is not going to give up its positions. People suddenly realized that catastrophic environmental pollution turns into intractable problems, including serious diseases, unknown to our ancestors.
Every person lives somewhere, and it is good when his house is his fortress, safe both outside and inside. A lot can be said about the ecological cleanliness of the home, but this article will focus on ecological and hypoallergenic wallpaper for walls, which is not exactly the same.
The first thing to consider when choosing environmental wallpaper is an eco label.
The second is the presence of a quality certificate and instructions with a list of components included in the wallpaper. Among them should not be artificial dyes, heavy metals, formaldehydes and other chemical compounds.
Ecological wallpaper for walls
All paper wallpapers are considered environmentally friendly. However, some of their types are made using chlorine-containing bleaches and synthetic dyes. Therefore, truly environmentally friendly paper wallpapers are those that are made from unbleached paper and dyed with natural dyes.
Environmentally friendly non-woven wallpaper is a non-woven material consisting exclusively of natural ingredients - cellulose and textile fibers, without any toxic additives.
Another type of environmentally friendly and safe wallpaper is textile, the raw materials for which are natural fibers of cotton, viscose, silk or linen, known for their bactericidal properties, and paper is used as the base.
The most environmentally friendly wallpapers are glass wallpapers made from quartz sand and other natural materials. They are harmless, antistatic, resistant to mold.
What other environmentally friendly wallpapers are offered by modern manufacturers:
Linkrust, created according to the original technology without chemical additives. Liquid wall-paper from natural natural components. Metal wallpapers that protect against electromagnetic radiation - however, they have a drawback: they do not "breathe", therefore, in a room with walls pasted over with them, it is necessary to maintain good air circulation.
Environmentally friendly wallpaper for painting consists only of materials of natural origin that are safe for humans. This group includes paper, non-woven, glass and linkrust. They are painted with paints that do not contain harmful substances - dispersion, acrylic, water-based. And after painting, they remain breathable.
Eco style wallpaper
Newfangled eco-style implies interior design using environmentally friendly building materials, furniture and other decorative elements with a predominance of natural shades, floral ornaments, images of natural landscapes.
Eco wallpapers for walls are made from raw materials harmless to human health - bamboo, algae, reed, cork, coconut shell, straw, leather, wood veneer, suede.
However, today the term "Eco wallpaper" is used in a broader sense, including to refer to environmentally friendly wallpaper as such, and the abbreviation ECO can often be found in the names of brands and collections.
For example - Swedish eco wallpaper Wallpaper. They are not always decorated with drawings in the style of flora and fauna, but they are made of eco-friendly paper, the raw material for which is trees grown in an ecologically clean area. In general, all eco-friendly wallpapers produced in Sweden are of good quality and environmental friendliness.
Environmentally friendly Japanese wallpaper for walls and want to be called "smart". They are able to regulate the level of moisture, resist bacteria, freshen the air, absorb and neutralize allergens. Only there is a small nuance: the environmental safety of wallpaper does not guarantee their hypoallergenic properties.
Hypoallergenic wallpaper for walls
Not all environmentally friendly wallpapers are suitable for allergy sufferers. For example, paper, fabric, embossed - those are still dust accumulators. The exception is their varieties treated with antistatic impregnation, but then the question arises about the environmental friendliness of this impregnation.
Of course, allergies are different, so you need to choose hypoallergenic wallpapers individually. If it’s not dust that causes an allergic reaction, but mold or fungus, air-permeable wallpapers are suitable: paper, textile, non-woven, the above wallpaper for painting and other types of environmentally friendly wallpaper, especially those with bactericidal properties: linen, cork.
But what kind of wallpaper is actually hypoallergenic in every sense - this is glass wallpaper. They inhibit the development of pathogens, do not gather dust, but stick them with harmless mineral glue.
Speaking of glue. Environmentally friendly wallpaper paste should be made from natural ingredients such as starch or casein.
Buy environmentally friendly wallpaper
The cost of environmentally friendly wallpaper, as a rule, is slightly higher than the cost of their synthetic counterparts. This is understandable - really high-quality materials are not cheap. If the manufacturer claims that the wallpaper is environmentally friendly, and the price for them is clearly underestimated, it would be logical to doubt the veracity of this statement.
If you are determined to buy hypoallergenic or eco wallpapers, it is better to choose reputable suppliers. And it doesn't matter which one you choose - let it be an online eco wallpaper store, Eco House - a liquid wallpaper manufacturer's dealer, or Ecostyle Moscow wallpaper factory. The main thing is to check eco-labels, certificates and carefully study the list of materials included in the composition.
Eco-friendly wallpaper for: apartment, bedroom, nursery, kitchen
It's great when the wallpaper for the bedroom is environmentally friendly, and even absorb sound - cork, for example. Thick paper, non-woven, fabric, liquid wallpapers also cope well with this function - they are all environmentally friendly and are quite suitable for the bedroom.
Among environmentally friendly wallpapers for a nursery, paper ones are usually chosen, especially if the child is small, because they understand that the artist will definitely wake up in him, and the walls will serve as an easel. Also good for children's ecological wallpaper for painting.
As for environmentally friendly wallpapers for the kitchen, it is desirable that they are washable, and glass wallpapers are just perfect. And do not write off vinyl eco wallpapers - there are some. They do not emit harmful substances, and thanks to micropores they “breathe”. You can distinguish them by marking with the sign of environmental safety.
Linkrust, textiles, any kind of eco-friendly wallpaper - bamboo, jute, leather, wood, as well as their harmonious combinations will look great in the living room.
During the repair work in the premises where children will live, it is necessary to select the safest materials, one of which is eco-friendly wallpaper. They are made mainly from raw materials that do not emit harmful substances when wet or heated.
What wallpapers are considered eco-friendly? First of all, they should not contain vinyl, this is important for the following reasons:
- Vinyl wallpapers emit volatile substances of the phenolic group for some time after gluing.
- The production process generates toxic waste that adversely affects the environment.
- When heated strongly, it also releases harmful elements.
In addition, the composition should not contain synthetic dyes, formaldehydes, heavy metals and adhesives.
Selection rules
- It is necessary to pay attention to the base material. The less chemicals it contains, the safer the wallpaper for the walls.
- You need to find out about the origin of coloring pigments and the protective front layer. Most often, inexpensive synthetic products are not environmentally friendly. For their production, cheap raw materials are used, which can be toxic.
Attention! Despite the assurances of the manufacturers, materials from a low price category cannot be completely safe for health, since when creating such products they literally save on everything: raw materials, equipment, and control.
- It is very important to check the quality certificate. If it is present, then the products were not made by artisanal methods. The certificate also indicates the composition of the material and its purpose.
Stickers and inscriptions "Eco", "Natural product" are just marketing, in fact, the legislation does not regulate the use of such marks.
In addition to choosing the right wallpaper, care must be taken to ensure that other materials are harmless to health. This applies to glue, putty and primer.
Types of eco-friendly wallpaper
As mentioned above, safe wallpapers should be made from natural or non-toxic artificial materials. Depending on the raw materials used in the production, they are divided into several types.
vegetable
Bamboo, reed and other plant wallpapers are one of the most popular options at the moment. Their soft texture makes the room warm and cozy.
The most common are bamboo. In fact, it is a tube-shaped grass that grows very quickly, so its cutting does not harm the flora and fauna. In addition, the material does not contain resins and other components. Not only wallpapers are made from bamboo, but also furniture, floor coverings, and so on, so you can use it to design a completely safe room.
woody
Despite the similarity with the previous view, environmentally friendly wood wallpaper belongs to a separate group. In most cases, they are a thin layer of flexible wood that can be rolled up.
There are many options for raw materials for this wallpaper, but each of them is natural and environmentally friendly. In addition, such wood is quickly replenished in nature.
The tree always looks rich and noble, so the materials also carry a visual load. As a decor on the front surface, there may be carving or inlay; in some cases, the wallpaper is painted with natural substances.
On a note! Wood products are an excellent choice for people with allergies.
Paper
Such wallpapers can be made from parchment, plain or rice paper. The modern market offers a huge range of models, both manual and conveyor-made. When choosing, it is necessary to carefully study the composition, some unscrupulous manufacturers use non-natural dyes, vinyl, formaldehyde and other harmful substances to reduce costs.
The paper itself must be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. If it was decided to order foreign-made products, they must be labeled with the FSC inscription with a tree with a check mark. These documents confirm that the wallpaper was made from raw materials grown in responsibly managed forests, which means that they do not contain harmful substances.
Made from recycled materials
These wallpapers are made from recycled paper. These products cannot be called natural, their manufacture is associated with many technological processes, but the result is an environmentally friendly material. In addition, the production of such products reduces the amount of waste and the level of wood extraction.
Textile
Fabric wallpapers can be made entirely of cotton, linen, silk and other fibers or made using polyester, viscose and other synthetics. In the first case, we are talking about an expensive and completely natural basis. Textile wallpapers made of artificial materials are characterized by lower cost, improved performance, and so on. Both types are absolutely safe for health.
non-woven
Interlining is a non-toxic mixture of natural and synthetic fibers. Wallpaper breathes well and can be subject to wet cleaning. Ideal for bathrooms, saunas, kitchens and other similar spaces.
fiberglass
Such products contain practically no organic materials. They are made from the same raw materials as ordinary glass, therefore they are chemically inert, thanks to which they are resistant to detergents and abrasion.
Cork and other coatings
Cork products are made from paper and have antistatic properties. They are harmless and light, so they are often used in interior design.
You can also often find products made of natural or artificial leather. This is a relatively expensive material, but it also looks good.
There is an opinion that eco-wallpaper should be made only from natural raw materials. This is partly true, but there are also synthetics that are absolutely safe for health and do not cause allergies.
