How to Hang Wallpaper Like a Pro:
A Step by Step Guide to Decorative Borders and Wallpaper
© 2009 by Kelly Smith all rights reserved
Learning how to hang decorative borders and wallpaper isn’t hard, although it can certainly be messy.
In that respect it’s like learning to finish drywall. Just pay attention to wall preparation and
pay close attention to detail.
In fact, there are two things that reading this article will prepare you for: hanging decorative borders
and installing wallpaper.
Borders are hung horizontally where walls meet the ceiling. Their purpose is to set off the room as a
less expensive alternative to installing crown molding. They are commonly used decorating a baby’s
nursery because they actually help develop the visual senses.
The First Step is Preparing the Walls for Wallpaper
- First, remove all paintings, posters, wall hangings, and the like.
- Remove all the electrical cover plates. Set them aside for re-installation.
- Sometimes it’s possible to paper over existing wallpaper but it’s better
to remove it. If the wall is
textured,
sand it down.
- If the wall surface needs repairs,
tape and float
the bad spots.
- “Size” the wall. Sizing means rolling on diluted wallpaper paste. It forms
a barrier between the wall and the new paper or vinyl making for easy removal in the future.
Use a Plumb Bob for the First Drop
It’s important to start with a plumb wallpaper drop; any mistake here will compound down the line. It
will be impossible to correct because the pattern won’t match.
It’s possible to get the plumb line using a 4’ level, but nothing is as accurate as gravity. Make
a pencil mark at the top and the bottom of your wall and then strike a chalk line through them.
You’ll need a helper for this step.
Cutting your Wallpaper Drops (Strips)
Use a flat work table and a razor blade or X-acto knife to cut the strips. It’s more efficient to
cut several drops at a time. Measure and make them about 3” longer than the height of the wall.
This additional material ensures enough play so that the pattern can be easily matched. It’s
better to waste a little bit than a whole drop.
Prepare the Adhesive
The paper or vinyl will be pre-glued or not. Pre-glued simply needs to be soaked in a pan. Otherwise,
the glue or paste must be rolled on un-pasted paper. For the pre-glued kind, loosely roll up the drop
and submerge it in the water pan for the time period specified by the manufacturer.
When it comes time to hang it, stand on the
step ladder,
hold the loose end, and drop it to unroll it. Now it becomes obvious why it’s called a drop.
For the roll-on type, roll the paper out on the table, cut it to length, then paste it. To avoid
a mess, loosely fold it in half with no crease (glue to glue) and then fold in half again (dry to dry).
Alternately, fold (no crease) the bottom glued side to the middle, and the top glues side to the middle.
Hanging the Initial Wallpaper Strip
To hang the first strip, drop the roll and align one edge along the chalk line. Allow an excess
of approximately 1” at the ceiling. Use a squeegee to smooth out all air pockets and then use a seam
roller on the edges.
Cut the excess material off with a sharp razor blade at the ceiling line and at the bottom.
Use a wide drywall floating knife as a guide to get an accurate, tight, cutting edge. Now, use a wet
sponge to clean any excess glue from the ceiling and
baseboard
before it dries.
Installing the Rest of the Drops
The way some people prefer to get the tightest seams is to use the double cut method. This
works best on wider rolls. Overlap the seam of the next drop by an inch or so over the previous one.
Squeegee completely.
Now, use a straightedge and razor to cut through the center of the overlap. Strip off the 2
narrow orphan strips and mate the cut seams carefully with the seam roller.
Other paper hangers prefer to match seams and leave it at that. Try both methods and go with
what feels best.
Further Wall Cover Tips
Inside and outside corners are rarely plumb. The way of dealing with this for outside corners is
straightforward: simply run the first drop around the corner and past it a bit. Then use the plumb bob
on the second wall.
Run that drop back over the previous seam and double cut. The closer it is to the corner, the harder
to notice will any inconsistencies be.
Inside corners are handled in a similar fashion although sometimes the cut can be made right in the
corner if you’re careful not to cut through the mud and drywall tape.
When working with seams, use the steps on the step ladder! Only a level eyeball will avoid visual
distortions when matching seams.
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