What's the best way to wallpaper?

Question

I am about to embark on my first wallpapering experiment and would like any tips that you have or anything definately not to do.

No tip to big or small.

Answer 1

First, How much paper? Check if the paper has a ‘pattern repeat’, if it has, when you measure your drop, ensure that you divide the Drop by the Pattern Repeat (say that comes to 6.5) and go to the next highest (7 repeats) 7* the Pattern Repeat is then the length of the drop, so you can work out ‘How many Drops per roll.’ From this, and knowing how many drops you need to go round the room, you will know how many rolls, then add one roll for later repairs. I never allow/subtract for windows etc, just to be safe
Ensure that you buy all the same ‘Batch Number’, otherwise they may not match. For your first encounter, look for a smooth or sheen finish Vinyl paper, its a lot easier to handle. If the joining edge is on a vertical stripe, so much the better, it will hide the joints.
Prepare your walls. Fill all the old nail holes etc, re-finish any old cracks, fill any wall to ceiling/ skirting gaps. Gently sand the walls, this will ensure you have no ‘little bits’ sticking out, as these will surely show up when you have finished. I use a power flat sander, little 1/3 sheet with medium aluminium oxide paper. Then run a vacuum brush over the walls to be double sure. If you have large areas of fresh plaster, seal then with a quick coat of say ceiling emulsion, gives a nice surface which will not suck the adhesive.
Decide where to start. Good point would be about 2 inches less than a full width from a corner.
Tools.
12 inch paint roller
4 inch or so paint brush
Pasting table
Edge roller
Sharp (very sharp) Stanley Knife
Flat plastic spatula. Get some thin plastic/Perspex, in the form of a triangle base 8 inches, top 12 inches, cut off the bottom 4 inches (like a rectangle with sloping in short sides) round off the corners, and ‘soften’ the edges…no rough sharp bits!
Tape Measure
Straight edge.
Plumb Line
Pencil
Big bucket for paste

Mark the wall where the edge of the first sheet will be (bear in mind, ‘decide where to start’) allowing your ‘not a full width’ to remain unpapered. Use your plumb line to define where the edge will be. Very important to keep vertical always. Draw line down the wall with straight edge.
Pasting
Cut your first sheet to length, you can always get it square by folding paper over itself where you need to cut and a little crease. Lay the paper face down, and using the paint roller, paste the paper (its easier than a brush, eh) You will need to fold the paper over itself (paste to paste) to be able to paste the full length.. Having done this once, fold over the last bit you pasted, re-open the first bit, paste again. This ensures you have a full coat of paste end to end, repeat to do the whole length. Now, ensure that the bottom is folded up to the middle, take hold of the top.
Hanging
Put the paper on the wall, make sure you have an overhang at the top, and your edge is on the plumb line. Smooth the paper with your hands , then unfold the bottom bit, from the back. Again, smooth the paper. Using the flat plastic spatula, ease out all the air bubbles (drag rather than push) and any excess paste, ensuring that the paper is on the plumb line. Now, the top and bottom overhangs… Push the paper hard into the corner with the long edge of the spatula, this will ensure it is fully in, then (at the top) slope the spatula down a little, press hard, use the Stanley Knife to trim the paper, over the top of the spatula. The spatula will guide the knife. The spatula will hold the paper while you cut, on the edges, cut to the middle rather than from middle to edge. Repeat for the bottom. Use the edge roller all round, to get the edges tight.
When you hang your next sheet, ensure your pattern match and top and bottom overhangs. Ease the sheet into position, sliding it on the paste before you go in with the spatula. Carefully line up the edges to butt tightly, run the spatula over as before. Finally, use the edge roller on the joint and trim top and bottom.
Going Round a Corner.
When you get to a corner, you will generally find (by luck or planning) that you have maybe 8 inches too much to fit your current wall. Use a small strip the width of your paper, edge up to your previous sheet, mark how far round the corner it goes. Then, use the Plumb Line, work out which is the shortest length, come in about an inch towards the corner, and mark your wall with a vertical line from that point. Now, as before, hang your paper, butting the edges don’t worry about the bit going around the corner…. Simply, push the paper well into the corner with the spatula and cut it off in one piece. As soon as you have done this, pull the paper away from the corner, we don’t want it to stick. Take the strip you cut off, hang it on the wall, butting up to the plumb line(keeps us vertical for the next wall, eh) It should wrap round the corner, get it in well, hard down. You may need a bit of paste at this point, paste the top of the bit you just put in, and lay the first piece over it. You now have a neat corner, the ‘overhang’ is under the first piece you trimmed neatly. The corner is covered.
Switches and Sockets
Always SWITCH THE POWER OFF, remove the switch/socket (note the wires/where) Paper straight over, cut a cross slit, pull the wires out, reconnect (ensure wiring correct and terminals tight) Simply, now, replace the switch/socket. Restore power.
Doors and Frames
Depending how much will overhang, you have a choice of cutting the paper before you paste (if there is a lot) or cutting it on the wall. About 2 inches is ok. Having developed your skill cutting tops and bottoms using the spatula as a guide, simply push the paper well in with the spatula, angle it to give yourself some room, then cut from side to middle as before.

No, I will not apologise for the length of this answer, if you have problems/queries, please call me on [e-mail], even simple questions will be answered….good luck

Answer 2

. It depends on the type, style, and condition of your existing wallpaper. Deal with the two types: Non-coated Wallpaper: Wallpaper without vinyl coating is the only wallpaper that can guarantee success. True "paper-papers" are generally high end products or products that are made overseas. Homeowners can tell if it is a true paper by using a sponge. Wet an inconspicuous area. If there is a darkening throughout the entire surface, there is no vinyl coating. You may also be able to flake off or rub out surface inks. With coated papers, the opposite results are to be expected. Another consideration is strikethrough. This is a condition where the original paper's inks or pattern appears through the new finish paper. Bleeding of inks may also occur. Both of these errors may take hours to months for the symptoms to show up. Test hangings can assist in determining if either of these will be a problem, but as they can manifest over time, they are not an exact indication. If you feel there will be no strikethrough or bleeding issues, hang your new paper. Otherwise, perform the same steps as if you were painting your wallpaper. Vinyl-coated Wallpaper: You must make every effort to remove the wallpaper first. The reason for this is based on the principle of adhesion. Wallpaper adhesives stick best on porous surfaces. Coated papers have zero porosity. The paper does not have the same bonding capabilities as it would over a properly prepared surface. The other end of the spectrum holds true as well. Paper applied to un-prepped drywall has too much adhesion, therefore causing damage upon removal. There is another issue that recently has become a major topic. That concerns mold and mildew. Imagine the mold and mildew invitation when you encapsulate wet adhesive between two layers of non-breathable vinyl. Aside from the lack of adhesion, you also created the ideal environment for mold. If your vinyl wallpaper is causing excessive damage during removal, you should perform the same type of prep that you would for painting wallpaper prior to re-papering. All types of Wallpaper: Try to engineer the room so that the seams do not fall on top of old seams. Never paper over existing wallpaper that is not firmly adhering to the wall surface.

Answer 3

Use a plumb line to get the sheets vertical. If you are doing a room start on the wall opposite the window and work away from either side of the first sheet. Finish under the window so the join won't notice. You will also need a pasting trestle table and a nice big brush for the paste. Get more hints from Readers' Digest DIY manual or similar publication. Best of luck!

Answer 4

Make sure you are going to like it for a long, long, long time. It is a pain in the neck to take down. I bought a house that had wallpaper in every room and they did not treat the walls before putting it up. If I could find the little old lady who owned the house before me I would wring her neck. After tearing off all of this wallpaper I will never ever have wallpaper in my house again.

Answer 5

measure the walls and leave some excess when you cut out the paper size the walls with paste.Lay the wallpaper on the table and apply paste especially on the edges with a brush.Then put the paper on the walls and using a cloth push out any excess bubbles and this also helps to level the paper.Ensure the paper is cut straight at the top and bottom.When applying second sheet ensure both long edges meet perfectly and use the cloth again to push both together.If the paste dries too quickly the apply some more on the wall.Best of luck

Answer 6

Wallpaper varies greatly in its material content, which helps determine how a paper looks and how it handles. Vinyl wallpaper are popular because they are durable, fairly easy to install, and easy to maintain.

There are fabric-backed vinyl, paper-backed vinyl, and ones designed to look like a three dimensional surface, such as plaster, granite, or grass cloth, which are suitable for walls that aren’t perfectly smooth.

Fabric wallpaper are usually made of cotton, linen, or other natural plant fibers, such as grass cloth, hemp, or burlap. Most textiles fray easily and are not washable. Solid paper wall coverings include hand-screened papers, foils, flocked papers with textured patterns, and murals. Both textile and paper wallpapers should be installed by professionals.

To determine how much wallpaper to buy, measure the height and width of each wall using a steel tape measure. Round up to the nearest foot. Multiply the height and width of each wall, and then add the figures together to get the rough square footage.

How a room is used will help you determine what wall coverings are most suitable. Get a sample or one roll and look at it in the room with your other furnishings or samples.

When it comes to wall-coverings choices, you may want to think outside the box, as they say, and consider new materials as well as traditional materials used in new and different ways.

Think about new places to use them, such as decorative tile in the dining room or wood in the bathroom. You might choose an elegant linen or flocked paper for the living room. Either kind of paper texture will add richness to a room.

Answer 7

Don't get too carried away adding the paste, add plenty but not loads or it will slip down the wall. If you have a pattern to follow, just line it up approximately and once on the wall slide into place. Also, have a nice sharp knofe for cutting the tops and bottoms as well as a bucket of water with a sponge to wipe off any drips.

Answer 8

Unless you really have your heart set on wallpaper - don't do it. Wallpaper is not really in anyway.

Be sure to size the walls and do all the recommended steps. Otherwise when you try to take down the wallpaper you will be in nightmare city!!

Better yet hire a pro.

Answer 9

my tip would be strip and prepare the walls yourself and then pay a decorater to do it for you it cost me £70 for a 24ft x 14ft room and it took him all of 2 hours to do it, it would have taken me a lot longer trying to fit around work ,

Answer 10

With someone experienced & with the right tools.