How to Hang Wallpaper

Putting up a wall covering is something you can master within a very short period of time. The materials and techniques are simply repeated all the way around the room. After the first strip is up, you'll be amazed at how fast the job goes.

The first task is to select the right wall covering for your room; then you need to buy the right amount of it. Here are details on the many kinds of coverings, followed by a guide to estimating your quantity needs.

Estimating Wall-Covering Quantity Needs

Smart do-it-yourselfers calculate precisely how much wall covering material is needed, then buy it all at once.

Wall coverings are sold in rolls that are 15 to 54 inches wide. Regardless of the width, a single roll contains about 36 square feet; with trimming and waste, figure on getting only about 30 square feet of coverage per roll.

To calculate how many rolls you'll need for a given room, find its perimeter by measuring the length of each wall and adding all four measurements together. For example, in a 9 X 12-foot room, the perimeter equals 42 feet (9 + 9 + 12 + 12). Next measure the room's height

The open expanse of an unobstructed wall makes for some fairly easy wallpapering. Sadly, every room will at least have corners -- if not cabinets or electrical outlets. On this page, we will show you how to handle the finer points of hanging wallpaper.

Papering Around Corners

The last strip of paper you put up on a wall should be made to turn any corner it encounters. Because perfectly straight walls and perfectly plumb corners are rare, never start or stop a strip of paper at or in a corner. If you do, there will be a noticeable gap in the seam, or the pattern will be out of alignment. Instead, plan to run the final strip of paper on the wall into or around the corner and then master the double-cutting technique outlined before. Here's how to successfully negotiate a turn:

Step 1: On inside corners, measure the distance from the edge of the last strip of paper you put up to the corner of the room. Do this at the top as well as at the bottom of the strip. Then take the wider of those two measurements and add 1/2 inch. Cut the next strip of paper vertically to make a strip that is as wide as your final measurement.

Step 2: Paste and hang this strip, butting it to the edge of the previous strip and running it into and out of the corner. Smooth it on both walls and trim at top and bottom as necessary.

Step 4: Use a sharp utility knife and a straightedge to double-cut both thicknesses on one of the two walls, getting as close to the corner as you can. Peel away the top layer of paper, lift the new edge of the top strip, and peel off the inner layer of the paper. Smooth both edges together and use a seam roller to flatten them to the wall.

Step 5: When you get to an outside corner, wrap the wall covering an inch or two around the bend. A wrap of much more than that may wrinkle or buckle when you try to smooth it out. Overlap the next strip on the unpapered wall. Then double-cut the overlap as before, but about an inch away from the corner.

Cutting Around Woodwork, Switches, and Outlets

Papering around windows, doors, built-ins, and woodwork is time consuming but relatively easy. To make the work easier, use a sharp utility knife and clean or change the blade as soon as it shows any signs of pulling or tearing the wall covering.

Step 2: Around large openings or obstacles, make the longest cuts first. At a door, for example, slice the paper from the top of the frame to the baseboard and discard or set aside this strip. Next, crease the flap of paper at the top of the frame and make a horizontal cut, using the frame as a guide. Most such cuts can be done freehand, but you can use a metal straightedge if you desire. Force the knife into the junction between wall and woodwork and guide the tip of the knife along the edge.

Step 3: For outlets and switches, just remove the faceplates and paper right over the recessed electrical boxes. With your utility knife, trim away the overlap, cutting a rectangle in the paper the same size as the box itself. Caution: Wall covering paste is a superb conductor of electricity, so cut off the power to the circuits you're working on at the circuit breaker or fuse box. If you need additional light, run an extension cord to a "live" outlet in another room.

Remove the creased paper and the plate. Position the plate facedown on the pasted side of the paper. Trim off the corners of the paper diagonally so that you can then fold the four edges over the back of the plate without overlapping them. Cut an "X" in the paper where the toggle switch will go through, pull the flaps through the hole, and paste them down.

For best results around both wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted light fixtures, take them down completely. Then you can paper right over the electrical box. Afterward, use the inside of the box as a guide for your knife and cut away the paper covering the opening.

Hopefully by now you have your wallpaper hung and it's looking beautiful. If only your walls could stay that way. Sometimes the wallpaper might start to sag or you might accidentally puncture the paper. Move on to our next section for some common wallpaper fixes.

Despite the remarkable durability of today's wallcoverings, they are not indestructible. When damage occurs or flaws turn up, it's best to fix them as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the larger they get; the larger the defect, the tougher the repair job.

Repairing Blisters

Blisters, which result from excess adhesive or air trapped in bubbles between the wall and the backside of the wallcovering, can show up within minutes, days, weeks, or even years after a project is finished. The easiest way to deal with blisters is to prevent them in the first place. Smooth out a newly applied strip of paper thoroughly with a smoothing brush, a straightedge, or a sponge. If you encounter blisters, work them toward the nearest edge of the strip to release trapped air or excess adhesive.

Blisters located in inconspicuous places won't be noticed. If you're using an untreated printed paper, small blisters may go away by themselves as the paste dries and the paper contracts. However, if a blister is still there an hour after the strip has been applied to the wall, it's not likely it will disappear on its own. Blisters that are only an hour or two old can often be repaired following these steps:

Step 1: Use a straight pin to puncture the blister.

Step 2: With your thumbs, gently squeeze out the trapped pocket of still-wet adhesive or trapped air through the hole, being careful not to tear the paper.

Step 3: If that doesn't work, use a single-edge razor blade or utility knife to slit a small X in the wallcovering, and peel back the tips of the slit.

Step 4: If there's a lump of adhesive underneath, gently scrape it out. If the air was the cause, use an artist's brush to apply a small amount of adhesive behind the flaps, then press the flaps back down. Edges may overlap a little, but this overlapping is seldom detectable later.

Repairing Loose Seams

Loose seams are even easier to repair. Here's how:

Step 1: Lifting the seam slightly, use a brush to work the adhesive under the seam. Press the seam back down and go over it with a seam roller. If you find a loose seam in an overlapped vinyl wallcovering, use a vinyl-to-vinyl adhesive to stick it back down.

Step 2: If a seam shows any tendency to pull away, tack it in place with two or three straight pins stuck through the paper and into the wall until the adhesive is dry. Tiny holes won't show.

Repairing Holes and Tears

Holes and tears in wallcoverings require more effort to repair, but, if done carefully, the repairs will be nearly invisible. Here's how:

Step 1: Use a single-edge razor blade or utility knife to trim off any ragged edges around the damaged area.

Step 2: Tear out a patch from a piece of scrap wallcovering that is slightly bigger than the damaged area. Hold the scrap printed side up with one hand, and the rotate scrap as you gently tear out a round patch. With practice, you'll have the patch with an intact design on the printed side of the paper and a slightly feathered edge on backside.

Step 3: Spread a thin coating of adhesive on the back of the patch, and place it over the damaged area.

Step 4: Line up the pattern on the patch with the pattern on the wall as best you can. A perfect pattern alignment may not be possible, but the match should be close enough to escape detection.

Another technique for repairing holes is called double cutting. With this method you create a patch that is perfectly sized to fit the damaged area.

Step 1: Cut out a square scrap of wallcovering about an inch larger all the way around than the damaged section.

Step 2: Place the scrap over the hole, and align the pattern with the pattern on the wall. Hold the scrap in place with masking tape or thumbtacks, whichever is the least likely to damage  the wallcovering.

Step 3: Hold a metal ruler firmly against the wall over the scrap, then use a very sharp utility knife to cut a square slightly bigger than hole itself through both layers of wallcovering.

Step 4: Remove the scrap and square patch you've just made; set it aside. Use the end of a utility knife to lift one corner of the original wallpaper square with the hole, and peel this square off the wall.

Step 5: Apply the adhesive to the back of the new patch, and press it into the cleaned-out area on the wall, making sure the patterns are once again aligned.

Now that we have the basics out of the way, it's time to get a little fancy. In our final section, we will learn how to hang specialty wall coverings, such as vinyl, fabric or foil.

There are two popular reasons for using an out-of-the-ordinary wall covering: Either the wall surface is rough or your taste in decoration dictates something special. In either case, applying specialty coverings can be as easy as applying standard coverings.

Vinyl

Washable, durable, and heavier than regular printed papers, vinyl wall coverings are available in extra-wide rolls that can reduce the number of seams and trims. They are usually more strippable than ordinary papers. Perhaps their greatest value, though, is that vinyl wall coverings can cover up defects that paint or thinner wall coverings can't hide.

Because vinyl is not as fragile as printed paper, you don't have to worry about punctures or ripped edges.

Vinyl wall coverings work best if the seams are butted and rolled. Vinyl will not stick to itself, so if you have to resort to a lap seam you'll need to have some vinyl-to-vinyl adhesive on hand.

Most vinyl-to-wall adhesives come premixed, another advantage over paper and mix-it-yourself wheat pastes.

You can spread the adhesive on the vinyl with a paint roller equipped with a mohair or wool roller cover. Afterward, apply the vinyl strips to the wall as you would any other wall covering, but use a smoothing brush with 3/4-inch bristles, which are shorter and sturdier than the longer-bristled brushes used on paper.

With really heavy-weight vinyl, even a short-bristle brush may not do an adequate job of smoothing. If that's the case, use a straightedge, such as a strip of hardboard or a yardstick.

Smooth three or four vinyl strips on the wall and then go back to make the trims and look for blisters. Puncture blisters with a needle or the tip of a single-edge razor blade and then squeeze out the trapped air or excess adhesive.

Fabric

Ordinarily, fabric wall coverings are seen more in offices and business settings than in homes, even though they are good at giving texture and imparting a cozy look to walls. Fabric wall covering, which is expensive compared to more common papers, is usually sold by the yard instead of by the roll. But one of its chief advantages is that it's available in 45-, 54-, and 60-inch widths.

Most of the fabric coverings designed to be used on walls are backed with paper. With these you can use either wheat paste or a stainless cellulose paste. Unbacked fabric is far more difficult to deal with and is not recommended, especially for do-it-yourself paperhangers. If you do purchase an unbacked fabric, however, use a powdered vinyl adhesive and brush it on the wall, not on the back of the fabric. No matter which kind of fabric covering you decide to use, be sure to put lining paper on the walls first so you are able to get a good bond between wall and fabric.

Paper-backed fabric can be smoothed either with your hands or with a smoothing brush. Unbacked fabric requires that you trim off the selvages with scissors before pasting the fabric to the wall. Another disadvantage to unbacked fabric is that fabric will often absorb moisture from the adhesive on the wall. The extra weight makes it heavy and gives it a tendency to droop. Moisture also may allow the fabric to stretch, which can be hazardous because as the adhesive dries and the moisture evaporates, the fabric may shrink and seams may open. If possible, pat and smooth the fabric on the wall with your hands, pulling it taut but not out of shape.

Foil

Both expensive and delicate, foil wall coverings are often used to add dramatic sparkle to entire rooms, entries, or alcoves. Foil coverings must be carefully applied in order to avoid imparting the wrong kind of drama to a space. Most foil coverings are backed with either paper or fabric and should be used with a vinyl adhesive, since water in wheat paste can't evaporate through the foil.

Install foil wall coverings over a lining paper; because of the reflective surface, foil wall coverings tend to emphasize the tiniest bumps or pockmarks in a wall. Be very careful when you put it up, as it is easy to wrinkle or crease the foil. And instead of a smoothing brush, which may scratch the foil, smooth it on the wall with a sponge or a folded towel. Bond the seams the same way, because it's possible that a wooden seam roller may dent the foil.

Wallpaper can be a great addition to your home, and wall coverings have come a long way from the floral patterns of the 70s. Besides being easier to handle and more rip-resistant, they're also more durable. You now know how to handle a wallpapering project at any stage, from start to finish. It's time to hit the hardware store and start papering.

^©Publications International, Ltd.