Mike, the Maroochydore Handyman brings you his top tips and guide how to wallpaper a room, from wallpapering to tools, preparation and tips.

Wallpaper Hanging Tools

Before you begin your wallpaper hanging project you should be certain to acquire the proper tools for the job. It is important to know, at this point, whether the paper you have purchased is adhesive backed or not. If it is adhesive backed, you will want a water box, if not you will need a paste brush and bucket for your paste. A water box is a long low trough rather resembling a window box. It is a container for soaking the wallpaper before it is put on the wall.

You will need a paper stripper or a wall scraper if you are removing old wallpaper. A water spray bottle is also handy to dampen the old paper, especially if it is the old common type. A putty knife should be used to patch the wall before wallpaper is applied. Some wallpapers were designed for easy removal and will come away from the wall simply by peeling back a corner and pulling.

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A yard stick or other long straight-edge will be needed. For straight cutting use a trimming knife, cutting wheel, and/or utility knife. A plumb bob/chalk line goes a long way in ensuring a square and tidy job by helping you to create straight and precise vertical lines. Another nice tool is a trimming guide which is rather like a small square. Made of metal it can be butted up against edges to help guide the trimming knife.

A bucket for paste (if necessary) and certainly a bucket for water are essential for clean application. A sponge should be kept in the water bucket to wipe away excess adhesive. The smoothing brushwith stiff bristles helps to smooth the paper out, and the seams should be pressed down with a roller.

Other tools that may come in handy include scissors and a small paint brush especially for doing repairs.

Preparation

If the wall is damaged it will show through the Wallpaper, prepare the wall correctly or you will be dissappointed.

In remodelling a room, hanging wallpaper should be one of the last things you do. If you need to do any painting, do that first. It is much easier to get adhesive off a painted wall than it is to get paint off from wallpaper.

Loosen light-switch covers, outlet covers and remove any wall hangings. Turn off electricity to switches and outlets to avoid electrical shock. (Water and Electricity do not mix)You do not need to remove molding. Nevertheless, running the paper under woodwork makes doing the edges of your papering job easier and sometimes neater. Remove hooks, screws and anything else that might get in your way. Be sure to patch any holes in the wall. Papering over holes can cause strange-looking patches and makes the paper vulnerable to tearing.

You can hang wallpaper directly over painted surfaces, but glossy surfaces may not hold the adhesive as well as desired. To take off some of the gloss you can sand with medium grit sandpaper. Oil paint actually holds adhesive better than Latex. Before applying strippable paper, a coat of paint is neccersary. Do not apply directly over unpainted wallboard, bubbling may result. At least prime the wall.
Papering over old wall paper is not a good idea. Inevitably, seams of the old paper will show through the new paper and dampness of the new paper may cause bubbling up of the old paper before the adhesive can dry. (Note that painting over old wall paper with any water-based paint is a mistake. The old wallpaper will flake off leaving an unsightly mottled appearance. If you must paint over wallpaper(not recommended) an oil based paint is preferred.

Removing old vinyl paper can be relatively easy. It involves merely starting a corner and pulling the pieces away in long strips. However, many older homes will have the old common type of wallpaper. Stripping then becomes a bit more laborious. To do this job you will have to root through your toolbox for a paper stripper, putty knife, and, if you have one, a wallpaper steamer. Actually a steamer is not necessary (although it is a handy tool). A bucket and a sponge or a spray-bottle will also serve to loosen up the paper after roughing it up. The process is fairly simple. Wet the paper and scrape it off with the scrapper or the putty knife. Where the water does not soak through put little gashes in the paper with a utility knife or paper scraper and sponge or spray the surface again.Be very careful you do not poke holes in the wall. If you do slip and damage the wall it must be repaired before applying the wallpaper.

Wallpaper Planning

A roll of wallpaper is generally about 4 drops (IE; 4 pieces 2300mm long can be cut from one roll. Even so, wallpaper can come in various lengths and widths. Be sure to check the package when purchasing to ensure enough is purchased. Take the measurements of the wall (or walls) to the shop and they will advise you on the correct quantity required.

When papering one wall, determine where the first piece of wallpaper should hang. Mark the center of the wall with a pencil mark. Now, using a roll, mark off widths towards one of the edges of the area to be covered. If the last width is greater than six inches, use the center mark as the guide for the left side of the first roll. If the resulting last width is greater than 6 inches then align your paper so that its center is also on that mark. This will ensure that the pattern is centered properly on the wall. It is more important for larger and more complex patterns.

If you have two windows in a wall that is being papered you also want to be careful about where you begin. Generally, you will want the first roll to be centered directly between the two windows or at least have the sides of two strips meet up in exactly the middle spot.

When papering an entire room, it is inevitable that there will be a point where the edge of two strips meet and they cannot be matched (because the dimension of the room are unlikely to be an exact multiple of the width of your wallpaper). This means you should look for an inconspicuous spot for these two edges to meet. You should not begin at this point, but at the opposite wall. Find a good center-point then work your way to the mismatched spot first one direction and then the other. The inconspicuous spot could be above an entryway where people are unlikely to look, over a window, at an alcove, or where a bookcase is built into the wall (or some other floor-to-ceiling interruption).

Before you begin, take your plumb bob and tack one end to your starting line. Drop the plumb bob down and snap a line. This edge will be where you begin hanging wallpaper.

Wallpaper Application

There is no margin for error when wallpapering, measure twice and check everything again.

Nowadays most wallpaper comes pre-pasted,This simplifies the hanging process considerably. Layout some newspaper on the floor and place your water box on top of it. Fill it about two-thirds full with water. Cut your strip of wallpaper to the appropriate length (four inches longer than the height of the wall to the base). The best method to do this is with a straight-edge and a utility knife – scissors will likely provide an uneven edge.

Roll the cut piece of wallpaper backwards so that the pasted side is on the outside. Place it in the water box so that when you grip the top and lift it from the water box, the pasted side is facing the wall. Now slowly lift the paper from the water box and arrange it against the wall. The wet adhesive should cling to the wall, but it will still be maneuverable. Leave some overlap at both the top and bottom. You will trim this off later with your trimming knife or cutting wheel. To facilitate placement you can fold (do not crease) the bottom part up under and temporally attach it at about the middle of the sheet. This will allow you to get the top in place, then you can swing the bottom part down and attach it to the wall.

On the first strip, it is vital that the wallpaper be hung as vertically as possible, as the rest of the job will depend on it. Now use your smoothing brush to make sure that the entire surface area of the wallpaper is smoothed against the wall. First brush near the ceiling line to prevent the wallpaper from suddenly rolling off. Then brush the top and work your way down, pushing from the middle to the outside edges (to prevent bubbles from forming in the middle). Then run the brush up and down the piece of wallpaper. Be firm and make sure there are no wrinkles and no air bubbles.

Now you may trim the extra paper from the piece with the trimming knife. Push the trimming guide on to the paper along the line where the cut will be made while running the trimming knife alongside it. This should make an even cut.

Now you will need to match your next sheet of wallpaper with the one already hanging. Unroll a length of paper and hold it up to the wall next to your first strip. Figure out where the match occurs and cut the paper, like the first piece, so that there is a two inch overlap the ceiling and to the floor or molding. Repeat the water box treatment and arrange the next piece of wallpaper on the wall. After the sheets are in place, go over them with a large damp sponge to get out all the small bubbles and paste. Be sure to wipe up any excess paste at the seams and ends with the sponge before they dry. After 20 to 30 minutes, use a seam roller at the seams to be sure they are well secured. Press the roller lightly to avoid a glossy area. This step is omitted with raised and flocked wallpaper.

There are several different seams that can be employed. Most commonly wallpaper will be hung using the “butted seam” for which most papers are designed. To do this, hang the second paper so that the two papers meet and there is a very slight buckle outward. The paper will shrink slightly as it dries and this buckle will make allowances for that. Wallpaper can also be overlapped by a standard distance. However, overlaps are not recommended for vinyl papers because the paper does not stick to itself without a special adhesive.

When the adhesive and paper has begun to dry (15 or 20 minutes) firm up the seam by pressing it down. On delicate papers use a sponge, but for most wallpapers you may run a roller up and down over the seam, pressing firmly

Wallpapering Around Corners and Windows

Sooner or later you will run into a corner. If you are only doing one wall, then trim the side of the paper. If you plan to go on, you have a bit more work to do. As walls are seldom exactly square you do not want to simply wrap the paper around the corner, it will likely cause your next piece not to be precisely vertical. To deal with this on an inside corner, measure the distance from the edge of your paper at the top to the corner of the wall. Do the same for the bottom and the middle. There will likely be a variation. Add 1/2 inch to the largest of these numbers and make a mark at the top of your paper and at the bottom with the longer of the two lengths (both top and bottom will be the same – the width of the paper will be uniform). Cut a straight line connecting the top and the bottom marks. Now when you paste this piece of paper to the wall it should wrap around the corner by 1/2 inch at the narrowest point and more everywhere else. In other words, there will likely be a slant to reveal how far off square your wall actually is. You should have a strip of paper remaining (the other half of the piece you cut). Now measure the width of the remaining piece of wall paper. Measure out this distance from the corner and drop a new plumb line. Now put the piece in place using the new line as a guide. The match will not be perfect, but this will not be obvious in most patterns. The new strip will overlap the previous one. For vinyl paper, you will need to trim the second sheet where the first and second sheets butt together. This can be done by cutting through both sheets.

Wallpaper can be hung around an exterior corner. Be sure to put a slice in the excess material at the top and the bottom from the corner so that the piece wraps around without wrinkling. Now use your plumb line or level to make certain your lines are still straight up and down. If not, find the point where the plumb line touches the edge of the paper at one point and covers the paper at every other point. Snap a line. You may also want to snap a line at a distance equal to the width of the roll of wallpaper. Use this as a guide, hang the next piece. Trim the overlap using the double cutting method described above.

Remember to work around the room in an organized manner. Do not skip any areas with the thought that you will come back to them later – this will undoubtedly cause trouble matching later. When dealing with windows and other obstructions simply leave about 2 inches of extra wallpaper at the proscribed openings. When laying on the paper, make a slit at the corners with you trimming knife. Press the paper against the side of the trim firmly with a putty knife or your trim guide and then cut away the excess material. For recessed windows and openings you can simply run your trimming knife along the top and bottom of the opening (not the sides). Then wrap the sides around trimming where desired. Then find scrap pieces for the areas that are horizontal. Conversely you may simply want to stop at the face of the opening.

To get around Light switches, cut an X on the paper over the switch the gently feed the swith through the hole made by the X. Trim off the excess and when the paper is dry refix the switch to the wall.

Wallpaper Repair

The real key to repairing wallpaper is to have saved some scraps from your initial wallpaper project. If this has not been done, sometimes you can scavenge a piece of wallpaper from an area that is inconspicuous.

To replace a damaged piece of wallpaper, the easiest and most effective method is the double-cut method. Very simply, match a scrap piece of wallpaper to the pattern over the area to be repaired. Tape it to the wall with masking tape and then with a straight-edge of some kind as a guide, using a utility knife cut out a square area around the damaged part of the paper (make sure also to cut the paper underneath). Remove the masked portion and your new cut patch. With a putty knife remove the square area of the damaged paper where your cut was made. Place the patch in the bared area. The patch should exactly fit – size and pattern. Put adhesive on the patch, press it down lightly with a damp sponge. Press more firmly a few minutes later. You may also roll the patch at the edges.
You can also try the “Tear” method. Instead of cutting the paper, tear a piece from a new sheet that will cover the damaged area and paste it over the area. The torn edges actually dissappear if you do.

Large bubbles in the paper can be repaired by a judicious use of a utility knife and a bit of adhesive. Cut the paper at the bubble using a straight-edge and a utility knife. First cut vertically, then horizontally. Moisten the paper at the bubble with a damp sponge. Put adhesive on the back of the paper. Press down lightly with your sponge. When the flaps are pressed down, there will be some overlap. This should disappear as the paper dries.

An alternative to Paper: Fix Fabric on Walls

If you want to add life to your walls, try wallpapering your walls with fabric!
Placing fabric on your walls is a simple process, it is just like wallpapering except you are using fabric and starch which allow you to easily remove and reuse as needed.

If being budget conscious is necessary for you, understand that fabric prices vary and could actually run into quite a bit of money depending on your tastes – this can be easily remedied by discount fabric stores and clearance sales.

The good news is when you remove the fabric from the wall, all you will need to do is wash it. It can be easily re-used for another craft project, good as new!

Keeping all that in mind – let’s get busy. These simple instructions will help you apply and remove your fabric.

Materials:

• Starch or Stiffener
• Fabric
• Clean sponge or paint roller
• Bucket
• Scissors
• Plumb bob
• Pencil

Process: Wash the wall to remove any dirt or film.

Lightweight fabrics, such as polished cottons, ginghams, and chintzes, are easiest to use. Measure from the floor to the ceiling and add a couple extra inches.
Cut the fabric accordingly. If fabric has a design, be sure to match the design before cutting the next panel as when using wallpaper.

Pour starch into a clean pan or paint pan or spray on if using stiffener (see Tip section if using spray stiffener). Apply starch to the top half of the wall with a sponge, paint roller or spray on if using spray stiffener.

Smooth fabric into place at the top of the wall, leaving about one inch to be trimmed later. Use push pins to hold the fabric temporarily in place. Apply more starch going down the wall as needed until you get to the floor, leave approximately one inch overlap at floor level.

Apply starch to the top of the fabric, brushing and smoothing the fabric in place to remove bubbles and wrinkles. Be sure the starch penetrates the fabric evenly.
Work your way down the panel, continuing to sponge or spray starch onto the wall, smoothing the fabric, and applying more starch.

Position the second panel, matching the design along the edge. Repeat steps.
Around windows and doors, leave a 25mm (1inch) overlap as with the ceiling and floor.

Fabric overlap should be cut when the fabric is completely dry. It will then cut clean and easily and any shrinkage will have occurred before you trim.
When Using Stiffener in Spray Bottle: Be sure to mask edges of ceiling & floor to avoid over spray.

To Remove Fabric From Wall: Peel one corner loose, then gently begin to peel the fabric off of the wall panel by panel. If the fabric does not peel easily, dampen the fabric with water using a wet sponge and it should come right off.

20 Tips and Tricks That Make Wallpapering Easier

Deciding to wallpaper can be scary for the beginner. It doesn’t have to be if you keep a few things in mind before you start wallpapering. They might not make you enjoy it, but they will make the job easier.

1. Order all the wallpaper that you expect to need at the same time. When it arrives, double check the lot numbers to insure it was from the same run. Different runs can have slightly different colors and won’t always match.
2. Consider hanging a medium-weight lining paper on the wall before hanging your wallpaper. Lining paper will prevent the wallpaper from creasing or stretching and help the paste to dry faster. Plus, it will give you good practice if you’re just beginning.
3. Apply a one-inch stripe of white paint along the top of the wall before wallpapering over dark paint or wallpaper. This way, it won’t be as noticeable if the wallpaper fails to align exactly at the top.
4. Gather all your tools necessary before starting. These include a seam roller, wallpaper smoother or brush, a carpenter’s level, a few pushpins, steel tape measure, scissors, a long tray filled two-thirds full of lukewarm water, a wet sponge, a bucket of water, a broad putty knife, and a utility knife.
5. Don’t use newspapers to cover your pasting table. The ink from the wet newspaper could stain the wallpaper. Cover the table with a plastic tablecloth instead.
6. House walls are not usually perfect right angles, also known as plumb. To ensure that your wallpaper is straight, you will need to make a plumb line. This can be done by using a special device called a plumb bob or a carpenter’s level.
7. Even if you use a plumb bob to make your first line, keep a carpenter’s level handy. Use it to double check that your wallpaper is straight. Otherwise, it could be several strips too late by the time you notice. A carpenter’s level can also help you cut straighter when you are cutting strips from the roll.
8. The first strip should be about 100mm (4 inches) longer than the height of the wall. Strips after that should be at least two inches longer on the top and bottom but may need to be longer than the first one to insure that the pattern matches.
9. Once you’ve measured and cut the first strip—and you’re positive it’s the correct size—lay it flat out the floor and measure the next strip. Make sure there is enough space at the top and bottom of the second strip so that the patterns line up correctly. You can use a pencil to label the back of the wallpaper if you are preparing several strips at a time (it won’t disappear when the paper gets wet). Laying it all out on the floor is much easier than trying to do it on the walls.
10. Fold the sheet loosely and hold near the start point
11. Press top against wall and then release lower section.
12. Turn off the power in the room before papering around switches and receptacles. Then, paper over them as if they were not there and make a diagonal slit from opposite corners. Trim away the triangular flaps and replace the cover plate.
13. Double and triple check newly hung strips for bubbles and seam matches.
14. Use your sponge to wipe any excess adhesive off the wallpaper, ceiling, and baseboard. Make sure you rinse the sponge often.
15. Make sure your utility knife is sharp before trimming. Dull knives will cause the wallpaper to tear and could lead to uneven lines or damaged wallpaper.
16. Keep a broad putty knife between the wallpaper and the blade when trimming. This will protect the paper and ensure a straight cut. Also, don’t lift the knife blade until you’re done.
17. An alternative way to trim wallpaper is to use the back of a scissors blade to mark the angles on the wall covering. Then, pull the paper away from the wall and trim it along the marked line with a scissors. Only attempt this if you can cut a straight line.
18. Use push pins to keep long strips of border or paper secure. Place the pin in a lighter portion of the paper to minimize the chances of it showing. After removing it, run the seam roller over the paper to smooth out the hole.
19. You will need a special paste if you plan to hang border on top of your wallpaper. You should let the wallpaper dry at least 48 hours before hanging the wallpaper border.

Common Wallpaper and Wall Covering Problems

Following are some of the more common problems which may be encountered when installing wallpaper, along with their likely cause and solutions. Most involve improper or poor surface preparation, inadequate inspection prior to hanging, or installation errors. All of these problems can be avoided if proper instructions are followed.

Seams Opening
Causes:
1. Excessive rolling of seams forcing adhesive from behind wallpaper.
2. Failure to apply adhesive to edges when pasting.
3. Allowing paste to dry on edges while booking.
Solution: Loose seams can usually be reaffixed using special adhesives available.
Curling or Loose Ends
Causes:
1. Improper wall preparation, i.e. not sealed or no sizing.
2. Not enough adhesive used.
3. Adhesive dried too fast due to high temperature room.
Solution: If problem is restricted to ends or edges, wallpaper can be re-affixed using the proper adhesive.
Streaks on Wallpaper or Other Surfaces
Cause:
1. Failure to rinse off wallpaper and walls after hanging to remove all excess paste.
Solution: Rinse with water or proper cleaning solution (check manufacturer’s instructions).
Tears When Trimming
Cause:
1. Usually caused by a dull blade.
Solution: Fresh blades should be used with every strip.
Gaps Between Strips
Cause:
1. If small gaps appear between strips, they are usually caused by improper surface preparation that results in poor adhesion.
2. Gaps can also be caused by not butting strips tightly
Solution: Customers should be advised of the importance of following the manufacturer’s instructions regarding relaxation time after booking strips. If not enough time is allowed, the wallpaper may continue to expand on the wall causing bubbles or blisters. If too much time is allowed, the edges may dry out and thus not adhere. Improper surface preparation may also cause some wallpapers to contract on the wall resulting in gaps. If wallpaper edges are stretched during hanging, as it dries on the wall, it may return to its original shape causing the gaps. They can sometimes be camouflaged by coloring the wall the same color as the ground with a solvent-based marker. Tinting the primer/sealer approximately the same color as the wallpaper ground is another way of hiding possible gaps.
Shading
Causes:
1. Varies by wallpaper type.
2. With natural materials, such as grasscloth, slight variations in colors are natural. If the effect is too stark, reversing each strip by hanging every other strip upside down can minimize the problem. Another method is to sort the rolls by tonal values and hang near matches together.
3. With flocks, the problem is often caused by not using a nonstaining adhesive or by using inappropriate tools when hanging. A shortnapped roller or squeegee should be used.
Solution: If the shading is due to the ground color not being consistent from roll to roll, the problem is one that occurred during printing and the wallpaper should not be hung. If the shading has occurred with materials such as suede and corduroy, it is probably due to the nap not all running the same way. Brushing the nap against the grain on the pieces that were hung the wrong way will sometimes provide a more uniform look.
Design Dropping or Rising at Ceiling Line
Causes:
1. Initial plumb line not truly vertical.
2. Ceiling not on a horizontal plane.
3. A combination of the two.
Solution: If caught at end of first wall, new, true plumb line on next wall can help correct problem or minimize it if ceiling is not horizontal. If caught after second or the third strip, can be corrected by drawing new plumb line and double cutting adjoining incorrect strip. No way to correct if hanging has been completed.
Show Through
Causes:
1. Some wall coverings are thin enough to be semi-transparent and thus allow dark images caused by patching, etc. on the wall to show through.
Solution: This potential problem must be avoided by priming the wall with a pigmented wallcovering primer/sealer. If the wall is in particularly bad shape and a semi-transparent wallcovering will be used, lining paper should be used.
Bubbles & Blisters
Causes:
1. Not smoothing out a strip smoothly.
2. Hanging in temperatures below 50′ Fahrenheit.
3. Improper surface preparation.
4. Not allowing the booked strips to relax the proper time.
Solution: Some can be eliminated by pricking and smoothing out or, if large, slitting and squeezing in more paste.

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