Silverfish and Wallpaper: How to Prevent and Repair Damage

Wallpaper is one of the most commonly damaged household features in homes with silverfish infestations. The combination of starchy paste, cellulose-based paper, and the dark gap between the wallpaper and the wall creates both a food source and a shelter. Here is what you need to know about protecting your wallpaper.

Why Silverfish Target Wallpaper

The Paste

Traditional wallpaper paste is the primary attractant. Most wallpaper adhesives are made from wheat flour, starch, or cellulose-based compounds — all of which are preferred silverfish foods. Even modern pre-pasted wallpapers often use starch-based adhesives.

The Paper

Wallpaper itself is made from paper (cellulose), vinyl-coated paper, or fabric — materials that silverfish can feed on. The paper backing, even on vinyl wallpapers, provides a food source.

The Shelter

The space between wallpaper and the wall creates a thin, dark, often slightly humid cavity. This microhabitat is ideal for silverfish to shelter, feed, lay eggs, and move through the room undetected. They can travel behind the wallpaper along the entire wall surface.

Types of Wallpaper Damage

Silverfish cause several types of visible wallpaper damage:

Paste Consumption

The most common damage occurs when silverfish eat the paste from behind the wallpaper. Signs include:

• Wallpaper bubbling or lifting away from the wall
• Loose edges, particularly at the top, bottom, and seams
• Wallpaper that can be easily pulled away from the wall in affected areas

Surface Feeding

Silverfish also feed on the paper surface itself:

• Small, irregular holes in the wallpaper surface
• Scraped or thinned areas where the surface layer has been consumed
• Ragged edges along seams

Staining

• Yellowish stains near the baseboards and in corners
• Discoloration along seams where silverfish travel
• Dark droppings visible on lighter wallpaper patterns

How to Check for Silverfish Behind Wallpaper

If you suspect silverfish are living behind your wallpaper:

1. Gently press on wallpapered surfaces, especially near baseboards and in corners. Wallpaper that sounds hollow or feels loose may have had its paste consumed.
2. Check for loose seams and bubbling.
3. Look for droppings and staining along the bottom edge of the wallpaper.
4. Place sticky traps along baseboards in wallpapered rooms.
5. Conduct a nighttime inspection — watch for silverfish emerging from behind wallpaper edges.

Protecting Wallpaper From Silverfish

Before Hanging Wallpaper

If you are installing new wallpaper in a home with a history of silverfish:

• Consider adding a small amount of borax to the wallpaper paste (consult with a wallpaper professional first).
• Treat the wall surface with boric acid before hanging the paper.
• Seal all cracks in the wall surface before applying wallpaper.
• Address humidity issues before hanging wallpaper.

For Existing Wallpaper

• Reduce room humidity below 50 percent with a dehumidifier or improved ventilation.
• Apply diatomaceous earth along baseboards where wallpaper meets the floor.
• Seal wallpaper edges with clear caulk to deny silverfish access to the space behind the paper.
• Place sticky traps along baseboards in wallpapered rooms to monitor activity.
• Consider using vinyl or vinyl-coated wallpaper in bathrooms and kitchens where humidity is chronic.

Consider Alternatives

In rooms where silverfish are a persistent problem:

• Paint instead of wallpaper — eliminates the food source entirely.
• Use vinyl wallpaper with synthetic adhesive, which is less attractive to silverfish.
• Use wallpaper panels or feature walls only in well-ventilated, low-humidity rooms.

Repairing Silverfish Wallpaper Damage

If silverfish have already damaged your wallpaper:

• Small areas: Re-glue lifted edges and seams with fresh wallpaper paste. Apply boric acid or DE behind the paper before re-gluing.
• Moderate damage: Patch damaged sections with matching wallpaper, treating the wall surface before applying the patch.
• Severe damage: Replace entire wallpaper panels. Treat the wall before re-papering and address the silverfish infestation first.

Always address the underlying silverfish problem before repairing wallpaper — otherwise, the damage will recur.

For a complete silverfish control plan, see our guide on how to get rid of silverfish. For comprehensive information, visit the complete guide to silverfish.

Expert Insight

"Wallpaper paste is essentially a silverfish buffet," says Sarah Mitchell, BCE, with 15 years of IPM experience. "I have inspected many older homes where silverfish have fed on wallpaper paste from behind, causing bubbling, peeling, and visible damage on the surface. The homeowner often thinks the wallpaper is failing due to age, when silverfish are actually the cause."

How to Identify

Silverfish damage to wallpaper often goes unrecognized initially because feeding occurs from behind the paper. The first visible signs are usually bubbling, lifting seams, and sections of wallpaper that pull away from the wall more easily than expected -- caused by silverfish consuming the paste underneath. On the surface, look for small irregular holes, scraped areas where the paper layer has been thinned, and yellowish staining near the baseboard. Tiny dark droppings resembling ground pepper appear along the bottom edge of affected panels. Conducting a nighttime inspection with a flashlight often reveals silverfish emerging from behind loose wallpaper edges. Pressing gently on wallpapered surfaces near baseboards can expose hollow sections where paste has been consumed.

Solutions and Actions

Address the moisture driving silverfish activity before attempting any wallpaper repair. Reduce room humidity below 50 percent using a dehumidifier or improved ventilation. Apply diatomaceous earth along baseboards where wallpaper meets the floor, keeping it dry for best effect. For loose seams and bubbling sections, apply boric acid to the exposed wall surface before re-gluing with fresh paste. Place sticky traps along baseboards to confirm whether the silverfish population remains active. Seal the lower edges of wallpaper panels with clear paintable caulk to deny access to the space behind the paper. If damage is widespread, postpone replacing the wallpaper until the infestation is controlled -- otherwise silverfish will damage the new installation in the same locations.

Main Causes

Silverfish thrive where humidity stays above sixty percent and starchy or cellulose-based food is available. Damp basements, bathrooms, attics with poor ventilation, crawl spaces, and storage areas behind exterior walls are the most common nesting zones. They feed on book bindings, wallpaper paste, cardboard, dried pasta and cereals, dead skin and hair in dust, fabric starch, and any organic material with carbohydrates. They enter through utility penetrations, foundation cracks, and gaps around windows, and stowaway in cardboard moving boxes, used books, and stored documents brought into the home. Slow leaks, condensation on cold-water pipes, and inadequate exhaust ventilation in bathrooms create the persistent humidity that lets a small population establish into a sustained presence.

Risk and Severity

Silverfish pose no direct medical threat — they do not bite, sting, transmit disease, or contaminate food in ways that produce illness. The risk is material damage. They feed on book bindings, paper documents, photographs, wallpaper paste, fabric starch, cardboard, and stored dry goods, causing irreversible damage to archived materials, family photographs, important documents, library books, and stored clothing. Heavy populations also indicate persistent moisture problems that drive secondary issues — mold growth, structural wood decay, and other moisture-loving pests like booklice and mold mites. Allergic sensitivity to silverfish scales has been documented in a small number of cases. Risk scales with the value of stored paper goods and the severity of underlying humidity issues.

Prevention

Prevention is essentially a humidity-control program. Run dehumidifiers in basements, crawl spaces, and storage areas to maintain relative humidity below fifty percent year-round. Repair plumbing leaks promptly, insulate cold-water pipes to eliminate condensation, and improve bathroom ventilation with properly vented exhaust fans run during and after showers. Seal cracks around utility penetrations and along baseboards in moisture-prone rooms. Store books, documents, photographs, and seasonal clothing in sealed plastic bins rather than cardboard boxes, and elevate stored items off concrete floors. Periodically inspect storage areas and dispose of damp or damaged cardboard. Outdoors, ensure proper grading and downspout extensions to keep foundation areas dry, since perimeter moisture seeps inward and elevates indoor humidity over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if silverfish are eating my wallpaper?

Signs include bubbling or lifting wallpaper that peels away to reveal scraped or etched paste underneath, small holes in the wallpaper surface, yellowish stains, and tiny dark droppings along the baseboard or on the floor beneath affected areas. Silverfish typically feed from behind, so damage often appears as unexplained wallpaper failure.

Will removing wallpaper eliminate silverfish?

Removing wallpaper eliminates one food source but will not eliminate silverfish if other food sources and favorable humidity levels remain. After removing wallpaper, address humidity, seal cracks, and apply treatments in the wall area to target any silverfish that were living behind the wallpaper.

Can I prevent silverfish from damaging new wallpaper?

Use wallpaper adhesives that contain insect-deterrent additives, or apply a boric acid treatment to the wall surface before hanging wallpaper. More importantly, control humidity in the room — silverfish are unlikely to damage wallpaper in rooms where relative humidity stays below 50 percent.

What should I check after noticing wallpaper silverfish activity?

After noticing wallpaper silverfish activity, inspect the nearest dark cracks, baseboards, pipe openings, stored paper, and humid corners. Use a flashlight at night and place sticky traps along the route where the insect disappeared. That pattern tells you whether the issue is a single wanderer or a supported harborage with moisture and food sources that need correction.

Sources and Further Reading

• Penn State Extension — Silverfish Fact Sheet
• University of Minnesota Extension — Silverfish
• NPMA — Silverfish Overview
• Purdue Extension — Silverfish Control
• NC State Extension — Silverfish and Firebrats