No other wall covering can quite so dramatically alter the look and feeling of a room as wallpaper. Correctly hung paper makes the walls sharp and fresh, and to achieve this finish there are important things to know.
Wallpapering isn’t so much an art, it’s more a matter of attention to detail. And perhaps the first mistake that’s made by many people is expecting too much of their walls. Rarely are walls perfectly flat, perfectly vertical an’d at right angles to each other. So the first and most crucial part of hanging wallpaper is to prepare the walls properly. Obviously you can’t change their basic character – if they’re not entirely flat or vertical, you’re stuck with them – but you can make sure that the surface is suitably prepared so that the new paper will stick. This means that any old wallpaper really should come off before you do anything else. Papering on top of old wall coverings won’t always lead to disaster, but it will quite often simply because the new adhesive will tend to loosen the old. The result will be bubbles at best and peeling at worst.
Adhesives
Always use the correct adhesive for the wallcovering and follow the manufacturers instructions for mixing. Using the wrong paste can result in the paper not sticking, mould growth or discoloration of the paper. A cellulose-based adhesive is used for all standard wallcoverings. There are two types, ordinary and heavy-duty which relates to the weight of the paper being hung. Heavy-duty pastes are for heavyweight wallcoverings. Certain brands of paste are suitable for all types of wallcoverings – less water being used for mixing when hanging heavy papers. Since vinyls and washable wallcoverings are impervious, mould could attack the paste unless it contains a fungicide. Fungicidal paste is also needed if the wall has previously been treated against mould or if there is any sign of damp. Some wallcoverings (like polyethylene foam, some hessians and foils) require a specially thick adhesive which is pasted onto the wall. Follow manufacturers’ instructions. Ready-pasted papers are exactly that and require no extra adhesive – although it’s useful to have a tube of latex glue handy for finishing off corners and joints which mightn’t have stuck. (The same applies to all washable wallpapers).
Glue size (a watered down adhesive) is brushed over the walls before papering to seal them and prevent the paste from soaking in to the wall. It also ensures all-over adhesion and makes sliding the paper into place easier. Although size can be bought, most wallpaper pastes will make size when mixed with the amount of water stated in the instructions.
If you buy a proprietary size and the wallcovering you are using needs an adhesive containing fungicide, make sure that the size you buy also contains a fungicide. Use an old brush to apply and a damp cloth to clean off any that runs on to paintwork. It can be difficult to remove after it has dried. Sizing can be done several days or an hour before. Where to begin The traditional rule is to start next to the window and work away from it, but that is really a hangover from the days when paper was’ overlapped and shadows showed up joins. Today, papers butt up, so light isn’t the problem. But as inaccuracies can occur with slight loss of pattern, you have to be able to make this as inconspicuous as possible.
In an average room, the corner nearest the door is the best starting point. Any loss of pattern will then end up behind you as you enter the room. In a room with a chimney breast, hang the first drop in the centre and work outwards from both sides of the drop. Problem areas in a house (recesses, arches, stairwells) are dealt with later in this chapter. Measuring and cutting Measure the height of the wall you want to paper using a steel tape measure and cut a piece of paper from the roll to this length, allowing an extra 50mm (2in) top and bottom for trimming. This allowance is needed for pattern matching, and to ensure a neat finish at skirting board and ceiling. Lay the first drop — that’s the name given to each length of paper -pattern side up on the table and unroll the paper from which the
second drop is to be cut next to it.
Move this along until the patterns match, then cut the second drop using the other end of the first as a guide. Subsequent lengths of paper are cut in exactly the same way, with each matching the drop that preceded it. Remember some wallpapers have patterns that are a straight match across the width, while others have what is called a drop pattern that rises as it- extends across the width. With drop match papers the second length will begin ha’f a pattern repeat further along the roll. Length 3 will match length 1, length 4 will match length 2 and so on. For things to run smoothly, you should establish a work routine when paper hanging. Cut all the wall drops first (so you only have to measure once) and cut bits for papering above windows and doors as you come to them. If you paste say 3 drops, the first will have had its required soaking time ( with medium weight paper) by the time the third is pasted and folded and is ready to be hung. With heavy papers paste, fold and soak 6 drops at a time as extra soaking time is needed.
Avoiding bubbles
The purpose behind soaking time (apart from making paper supple enough to handle) is to give it time to expand to its natural limit. On the width this can be 6mm-12mm (1/4in- 1/2in) and the average wall-size drop will gain 24mm (1 in) on the length – this explains why you have more to cut as waste than you started with. If you haven’t given paper the time it needs, it will expand on the walls – but its spread will be contained by adjoining drops and so you get bubbles in the central part. Soak medium weight papers for 3-4 minutes, heavy weights for about 10. Readypasted papers don’t need too long a soaking, but to ensure they get wet all over, roll drops loosely and press into water till they are completely covered.
Pasting and soaking
Position the paper with its top edge at the right-hand end of the table (or at the other end if you’re left handed). Paste it carefully to ensure that all parts, the edges especially, are well covered. Work from the centre outwards in herring-bone style using the width of the brush to cover the drop in sweeps, first to the nearest edge, then the other – excess paste here will go onto second drop, not the table. Cover two-thirds of the drop, then fold the top edge in so paste is to paste. Move the drop along the table and paste the remainder, folding bottom edge in paste to paste. Because the first folded part is longer than the other, this will remind you which is the top. Fold the drop up and put aside to soak while you paste the others.
This technique will give you a manageable parcel of paper to hang no matter what length the drop – but always remember to make the first fold longer – this is the one offered to the ceiling line. If in doubt mark the top edge lightly with a pencil cross.
Hanging pasted paper
Wallpaper must be hung absolutely vertical if it is to look right, so always work to a vertical line. Position your step ladder as close as possible to where you want to work, and climb it with the first length of paper under or over your arm: Open out the long fold and offer the top edge up, placing the pattern as you want it at the ceiling with waste above. Align the side edge of the drop with your vertical guide line, allowing the other side edge to turn onto the adjacent wall if starting at a corner. Smooth the paper onto the wall with the paperhanging brush, using the bristle ends to form a crease between wall and ceiling, and at corners. When brushing paper into place, always work up first then to the join, then to the side edge, then down.
This will remove trapped air. As soon as the paper is holding in place, work down the wall, brushing the rest of the drop in position, opening out the bottom fold when you reach it. Again use the bristle ends to form a good crease where paper meets the skirting board. The next step is to trim off the waste paper at the top and bottom. Run a lead pencil along the crease between the ceiling or skirting and the wall —the blades or points of scissors will make a line that’s too thick for accurate cutting. Gently peel paper away from the wall and cut carefully along the line with your scissors. Finally brush the paper back in place.
Hanging the second drop is done as the first except that you have to butt it up against the edge of the first length, matching the pattern across the two. The secret here is not to try and do it all in one go. Get the paper onto the wall at the right place at the ceiling join but just a little way away from the first length. Now press against the paper with the palms of your hands and slide it into place. Using well-soaked paper on a wall that’s been sized makes this easy, but if you’re using a thin wallpaper press gently as it could tear. Butt the paper up after pattern matching and brush into place.
When trimming waste from drops other than the first, cut from where the lengths butt to ensure even ceiling and skirting lines.
Hanging ready-pasted wallpaper
With these you won’t need pasting table, bucket and pasting brush but you will need a special light plastic trough made for the purpose. Put it below where the first drop is to be hung and fill with water – covering the floor with layers of newspaper will soak up accidental spillages. Don’t try to lift the trough; slide it along the floor as the work progresses.
Cut each drop so patterns are matching, then roll the first one loosely from the bottom up with the pattern inside. Place it in the trough and press it down so water can reach all the parts covered with paste. Leave for the required soaking time (check manufacturers’ instructions but, it’s usually between 30 seconds and 2 minutes), then pick the drop up by the two top corners and take it to the ceiling line. Press onto the wall using an absorbent sponge to mop up and push out air bubbles. Press firmly on the edges with the sponge or a seam roller, then trim waste.