How To Hang Wallpaper

If you are a novice and not too handy, this article is not for you.  Get a professional wallpaper hanger.  You will save a lot of time, headache and have it done right.

But if you are the do-it-yourself type, here are tips on how to hang wallpaper.

Step One

Move all furniture to the center of the room, and cover everything with drop cloths. Next remove all outlet covers, switch plates, drapery rods and other hardware. For safety, turn off power to your electrical outlets before you start.

Step Two

Preparing your walls is the most important thing you will need to do.  Different walls will require different types of preparation.

New Walls: With new plaster walls, ideally you should wait between 30 to 90 days before hanging wallpaper. Most contractors, however, don’t have that luxury, so they wash the walls with a zinc sulfate solution to neutralize the lime in the plaster. (2-4lbs. of zinc sulfate crystal in a gallon of water does the job.) Then prime with wallpaper primer specially formulated for the type of wallpaper you'll be hanging.

New drywall calls for a pigmented or opaque wallpaper primer specifically made to be used with the type of wallpaper you are hanging. This product will minimize seam show through. Consult with your wallpaper dealer to get the best product for the job.

Old painted walls: Remove any loose paint and lightly sand away irregularities. Wash the walls to remove surface dirt. Fill in any cracks or holes with spackling compound and seal with an oil-based primer. Cover any stains with a stain-killing primer and then coat the entire wall with a wallpaper primer made to be used with the wallpaper you've chosen.

Previously wallpapered walls: Today most commercial wallpapers are "strippable" and easy to remove. Older wallpapers may be tougher. First, tear away loose paper. Score remaining paper with a scoring tool or heavy grade sandpaper. Saturate the paper with wallpaper remover and gently scrape away the old paper. Wash the walls, let dry, then apply a wallpaper primer made to be used with the wallpaper you're hanging.

Mold and mildew on walls: Let dry, remove with a solution of 2 cups of household bleach per gallon of water. Rinse, let dry and seal with a stain-killing primer. Then apply wallpaper primer made to used with the wallpaper you're using.


Step Three

First determine which of three pattern-types you have chosen. In a straight-across match the pattern continues directly across the strips. That means the same part of the pattern is always the same distance from the ceiling in every strip.

In a drop match, the pattern runs diagonally across the wall. The pattern in every other strip is the same at the ceiling line. Generally, the larger the pattern the larger the drop.

A random or plain match occurs in patterns such as textures or vertical stripes, which pose no matching concerns.

Now measure the width of your roll. (most VILLAGE wallpapers measure just 20" wide which makes installation especially easy.) Starting in an inconspicuous corner, measure and mark strip widths on the walls—lightly in pencil.


Step Four

Measure the height of your walls from baseboard to ceiling line in several places around the room. Heights can vary, especially in older homes. Make a note of the maximum height, then add 4". This allows 2" at both the ceiling line and the baseboard for trimming.

Before cutting the first strip, hold the wallpaper against the wall to find the best breaking point in the pattern. That’s the point where you want the pattern to meet the ceiling line. Move the paper to your flat 3’ x 6’ surface and, allowing for 2" at the top and the bottom for trim, cut your first strip. Cut the second strip after matching the pattern to the first strip. In pencil, mark a T at top of both panels.

Using your level or a plumb bob, make a vertical plumb line on the wall about 1/4" where the first two panels meet. This ensures that your pattern will hang straight.


Step Five

For pre-pasted wallpaper, fill a water tray with room temperature water. Roll your first strip of wallpaper with the pattern side in and immerse the roll in the water—for the recommended time. (Check the instruction sheet found in each roll.) Generally, immersion time is between 10 to 30 seconds.

Then take the top end of the strip and pull it out of the water allowing the strip to unroll as it emerges from the water tray. Gently fold the strip back on itself about a foot down from the top with the pasted sides together. Making a larger fold at the bottom of the strip bring the bottom edge up so that the top and bottom edges of the panel meet and none of the pasted surface is exposed. Be careful not to make deep creases in the paper. Roll the folded strip into a soft roll, like a loosely rolled newspaper. This process is called "booking."

Now set the strip aside for a few minutes to absorb water and become pliable. Again, check the wallpaper instructions for optimum booking time, usually 3-8 minutes, depending on the type of wallpaper you are hanging. Keep your water tray fresh, changing the water after every 6 to 8 strips.

If you are working with unpasted wallpaper, lay out the strip on your work surface. Dip the pasting brush in the adhesive and apply a thin coat working from the center of the strip out. Cover all edges carefully and book the strip.


Step Six

Working with the vertical plumb line that you’ve drawn, begin hanging your first strip. Open the top fold of the booked strip and position it against the wall at the ceiling—allowing for the 2" trim. Also position the strip along the vertical plumb line.

Then with a smoother or wallpaper hanging brush, smooth out the wallpaper at the top of the strip. Now gently unfold the bottom section of the strip and smooth the strip against the wall. You may have to reposition the strip slightly. Relax and take all the time you need. There’s no rush.

When the strip is positioned correctly, again gently use your smoother working from the center of the strip to the edges. Using a broad putty knife or other straight edge and your sharp razor knife, trim the strip at the ceiling and baseboard. Sponge off the baseboard, ceiling and wallpaper with clean water. Now step back and congratulate yourself.

Okay, you’re ready for the second strip. You will hang it in the same manner, using the first strip as your vertical guide. Closely butt the edges of the two strips without overlapping. Position the second strip working from the center sliding it with the palms of your hands.

Never pull or push the edges of the strips. After approximately 10 to 15 minutes, gently press the seams and edges against the wall with your seam roller. Then, sponge off the strip with clean water .

Continue cutting, pasting, booking and hanging one strip at a time until you work your way back to that inconspicuous corner where you began. Don’t forget to keep changing the blades in your razor knife to ensure a clean trim line at the ceiling and baseboard. Don't forget to change the water in your prepaste tray.


Important Notes

Wallpapering inside corners requires a special technique. Don’t just wrap the strip around the inside corner or you will end up with wrinkles and wallpaper strips that don’t meet vertically. Instead divide your strip into two sections and hang them separately. Measure from the edge of the last strip hung to the corner at the top, the bottom and the middle of the wall.

Using the widest measurement, add 1/8th inch. Trim the strip to this width and hang it. Take the remaining width of the trimmed strip and draw a new plumb line on the wall where the new strip will fall. Hang the strip along this line just slightly overlapping the two trimmed edges in the corner.

Outside corners can usually be wrapped with a full strip. Make a small slit in the excess wallpaper at the ceiling line and the baseboard, so that the strip fits against the wall snugly. If you are concerned that the outside corner is not perfectly vertical, follow the same procedure as for an inside corner, allowing 1" for the corner wrap.

Always continue working straight around the room. No skipping doors and window areas with the idea of backtracking later. It won’t work. Hang wallpaper over windows and doors, then measure and cut off the excess wallpaper with your scissors. Leave about 2" of overlapping wallpaper all around. Then make a diagonal cut at each corner and fit the wallpaper around the opening. Use your putty knife or straight edge and your razor knife to trim all edges.

For recessed window casings, hang wallpaper over the opening and run your razor knife along the bottom and top outside edges of the casing. Then wrap the wallpaper into the vertical side of the casing. Repeat for the opposite side of the window. Find matching pieces of wallpaper to cover the top and bottom edges.

When you reach switch plate and outlet openings, simply hang the wallpaper over the openings. If you haven’t turned off the power to your electrical outlets, do it before you go any farther! Now, using your sharp razor knife, cut out a hole slightly larger than the opening but smaller than the plate covers.


Step Six

After you have worked your way around the room, you are ready for the final strip. You will hang this strip in the same manner as the previous strips with one exception: the last strip will overlap the first strip. Using your straight edge and razor knife cut a seam through the two overlapping portions of the strips. Then pull away both the underlying and overlapping excess wallpaper for a perfectly fitted seam. Congratulations! You've just mastered a professional technique, called "double cutting".


Final Touches

For a designer look, cover switch plates, outlet covers and vents with wallpaper. Position the pattern so it matches the pattern on the wall. Spray the back of the wallpaper with spray adhesive, smooth the paper onto the fixture and trim the excess. Then replace the fixtures.

Borders give definition and architectural interest to a room at the ceiling line, the baseboard, chair rail level or anywhere in between. They can also border windows and doors or be placed around mantels. Measure and cut borders adding about 3" to 4" extra. Wet the prepaste, paste with vinyl to vinyl adhesive, book fold, roll and allow to rest, then hang. Be sure to sponge down with clean water.


The Ceiling: The Fifth Wall
Nothing creates warmth or a jewel box effect like a papered ceiling. While you don’t have to contend with cutting around windows and doors, papering a ceiling is definitely easier going with two people. Minimize your work by choosing a pattern with a small repeat that is easily matched. Run wallpaper the width of the room, rather than the length so you are working with shorter strips.

To paper your ceiling, you will need extra equipment—a work platform and a clean, wide broom. As with your walls, you will begin by creating a plumb line to ensure the first strip of wallpaper is straight.

When you are ready to hang the first strip, apply adhesive directly to the ceiling at the start of each strip so it remains on the ceiling while you are working the remainder of the strip. Position the top section of the strip against a wall, while your helper supports the remaining portion of the strip with the clean broom. Slowly work the length of the strip with your smoother. When the strip is positioned, trim the edges and sponge with clean water.