How to Hang Wallpaper

PREPARATION

HOW TO HANG

Getting Ready You will need a table to do your booking and pasting, plumb bob, plastic dropcloths, lots of razor blades, a smoother, buckets of water, sponges, rags and a ladder. If you have prepasted wallpaper, you will need a water tray. If you have unpasted paper you will need paste and an applicator such as a pasting brush or short nap roller.

Start Straight Select an inconspicuous corner such as near a door or large window as your starting point. Use a plumb bob to mark a vertical line 1/2 inch less than the width of your paper from the starting point to ensure you hang the paper straight up and down.

Cutting the Paper This can be a tricky spot because you have to take into account where you want the pattern to start and repeat. Measure the height of the ceiling in several places before you cut and add enough distance to ensure your pattern will line up correctly. Use a sharp blade or scissors to cut the paper into two strips.

Pasting the Paper Some papers come prepasted and others need to have a paste applied to them.
Prepasted Wallcovering Roll the paper strip pattern side in and dip the wallpaper into the tray for about 10 seconds or as the instructions indicate. Leaving it in too long may wash away the paste.
Slowly draw the wallpaper out of the tray makingsure that both front and back are completely wet.
Unpasted Wallpaper brush or roll on paste in a thin uniform layer.
When soaked, wallpaper expands. It is important to allow the wallpaper to absorb water and relax for a short time before you hang it. Book the paper ( fold it pasted side to pasted side) carefully to avoid creasing and let it sit for about three minutes. Do not book longer than five minutes.

Hanging the Wallpaper Line up the edge of your strip with your plumb line. Gently smooth the wallcovering to the wall, forcing out air bubbles as you go. The strip should overlap the ceiling and the baseboard. Continue hanging around the room. After hanging two strips inspect the wallcovering for defects, pattern flaws, and color match. If there is a problem, return the paper to where you bought it.
As you finish each strip, sponge off excess paste with clean water and dry with a soft cloth. Wash paste from painted areas before it dries.
Don't overlap mid-wall seams just butt the edges and avoid stretching. Don't push or pull the seams into place, move the entire strip by sliding it over. Make sure the strips are tight against each other. Roll seams to ensure they are tight against the wall using care to not force out the glue.
Always trim both inside and outside corners. Their edges are rarely straight and can cause bridging over gaps. If the edge is not true vertical, a lean can be influenced into the paper strips. Overlap edges by 1/2 inch to ensure enough covering in the gaps.
When you hang the paper over an opening such as a window or door, relax the paper by cutting the paper diagonally toward the center of the opening. Then, use your edge guide and a sharp knife to snug the paper up to the edge.
Use a metal edge guide to hold the paper in place as you trim around inside and outside corners, baseboards and ceiling lines. It is important to use a fresh sharp blade for each cut, otherwise snagging and tearing might occur.