Rowan

I've read all previous posts about how to handle bubbles in regular wallpaper...
and I've read the posts about wallpaper murals...

But I'd like to know if anyone has any suggestions on how to handle bubbles in a *thick,* slightly textured vinyl wallpaper mural. I've heard some of you say that the bubbles may go away as the vinyl dries, so that's promising. I'm nervous about going and poking holes in the vinyl--should I do this when the wallpaper paste (I used Roman's 880) is still wet, or all the way dry? I assume this would take a good few days to dry considering the vinyl thickness. I'm just worried that the bubbles will get worse instead of better as it dries

Thanks in advance for any advice!
PS...I'm also curious about vinyl-to-vinyl adhesives. Any that you would recommend?

ProWallGuy

880 has more tendencies to bubble than others which is one of the reasons why I don't like using it. In fact, I rarely use it at all. Next time try Dynamite 234 or a clay.

What was the wall primed with? If it was an oil primer, or Gardz or Drawtite, you may have created a vapor barrier which is keeping the residuals of the paste 'gassing off' from being absorbed into the substrate, and also can't get out through the vinyl. You can either prick the bubbles now and roll them down, or hope it all tightens up as it dries. If it doesn't tighten up, and the bubbles dry in it, you're screwed. It will be really tough to bring it back if they dry in it.

How big are the bubbles and how many? If they are the size of a dime or so, and many are spread throughout, they should dry down tight. If there are just a couple random ones that are as big as a half-dollar or larger, get them now.

Vinyl-to-vinyl selection depends on the application. What do you want/need it for?

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Rowan

We used a latex primer, but with the thickness of the vinyl, and the type of paste, I'm sure you're right about the gasses. I'll research the pastes you suggested and try a different one next time.

Thanks for such a quick response...I was wondering if I should take action now, or wait--and on your advice I'll tackle the larger ones now and wait on the smaller ones. This mural is huge, and I know that we laid it down almost perfectly. So I can't afford to spend several more hours trying to poke holes in the thing! We had a spot where the wall may have been irregular...but the rest of them sprang up overnight and look fairly large.

I've heard of a "holenpoker" (sp?) but I think I'll be able to use a small exacto knife with success...as long as I don't have to make big slits in the thing (!) Or I'll could bring some sewing pins, but I'm not sure those are going to be tough enough to perforate it easily.

Well, about the adhesive, that's just me pre-emptively worrying about the edges/seams of this mural coming loose. When I last checked on it, it looked alright, but I'm already nervous about it and would like to be prepared to fix it.
I suppose I'll have short life if I keep this up, eh?