Painting your walls might seem easy in comparison to the thought of learning how to hang wallpaper, but rest assured that learning this D.I.Y. skill is well worth your time, especially when your walls look beautifully crisp at the end of the process.
STEP 1: GET ORGANISED
Like painting walls, hanging wallpaper can often get a bit messy so you will need to take care with your furniture. If possible, the best course of action is to completely remove all furniture from the room, however, we understand that you may not have the space for this. In this case, you should squeeze the remaining furniture into the centre of the room and cover it with a dustsheet to ensure maximum protection. You may also choose to lay a protective sheet over the ground, especially if you recently refurnished your room with our wood flooring from Preston or our wood flooring from Lancaster.
STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR WALLS
Depending on the state of your walls, you may be able to skip this step, but in most homes, there will be some necessary groundwork to be undertaken before you start with the wallpaper. This may include removing any old wallpaper – every scrap – filling any cracks or holes, and, in some cases, ensuring that the room is free from mold and that the walls are clean.
Removing mold from a property can be an arduous task, but it is necessary to rectify this problem before you add wallpaper to a room. If you do not resolve your mold issue before adding the wallpaper, the mold will spread to your lovely new paper and slowly destroy it. You may need to speak to an expert if the cause of the mold is the result of a leaking pipe or gutter.
STEP 3: WALL SEALER
This only applies if you have new plaster or an absorbent surface on your walls. A wall sealer is important in these cases because it stops your walls from absorbing too much of the sticky wallpaper paste that is needed to keep your paper up.
STEP 4: LINING PAPER
Hanging lining paper is an important process which reduces any natural imperfections, such as lumps and bumps, in your walls. Because your wallpaper will hang vertically, you should hang the lining paper horizontally – this will reduce the areas where the edges coincide when you wall is finished, which means that you wall should be smooth and free from imperfections.
First, you will need to measure your wall. Once you have done this, add an extra 100mm either side to your lining paper lengths – this will be where your lining paper overlaps the corner onto the next wall, prior to the final trim.
Coat your cuts of lining paper with an adhesive on one side – you can mix your own or use a ready-made paste – but always remember to leave your paper for three to four minutes after pasting before attempting to hang it horizontally. This will allow the paper to soak in some of the paste.
EXTRA TIP
Make sure to wipe down the surface you used to paste the lining paper while you’re waiting for the paper to absorb the paste. This will prevent your workspace from getting messy, as well as preventing the facing side of the lining paper from getting sticky.
STEP 5: HANGING THE LINING PAPER
You need to move quickly and continuously for a smooth wall, so be ready to put some effort in here. Begin by matching your lining paper up to the edge of the ceiling from one of the corners, and then use a wallpaper smoother to remove bubbles or creases. Work from the centre outwards.
Once up, use the smoother against the overlapping corner of the room to create a stiff crease in the paper. Once done, gently pull back the paper enough for you to safely cut a straight line up the crease, thereby removing the excess lining paper in a safe and precise manner.
If the edges are looking a little flimsy, you should be using a wallpaper-roller to smooth them down – you may even need to add a little extra adhesive.
Once your first row is complete, start on the next length of lining paper, and repeat until your wall is complete.
EXTRA TIP
Leave a gap of approximately 1mm between each row of lining paper to prevent the paper overlapping and forming a ridge on the wall. Once your wall or room is fully lined, you will need to wait twenty-four hours before you add the wallpaper so that the lining paper has time to set.
The next step for you will be to hang your wallpaper, so why not make sure that you have the highest quality wallpaper affordable by visiting our wallpaper shop near Preston and Lancaster? Getting your room prepared for beautiful wallpaper is easy when you follow a thorough guide!