The success of wallpapering a room depends on careful preparation, precise measurements and attention to detail. This is especially important when working around internal corners.
Before you hang the first length of wallpaper, use a spirit level or plumb line and pencil to draw a vertical guideline on the wall. Then position the concertina of paper with its right-hand edge running down the line you drew.
Preparation
Wallpaper gives you the opportunity to create a feature wall in any room that can’t be easily painted, and with so many textures, patterns and colourways available, there are endless possibilities for creating eye-catching designs. But like painting, wallpapering can be messy and requires some preparation to ensure that the end result is a success.
Start by washing the wall with sugar soap and letting it dry. If the wall has cracks and dents, use wood filler to repair them, and then sand the surface until smooth.
Measure each wall (ignoring windows and doors) to the nearest centimeter, and calculate how much wallpaper you need. Remember to allow for a margin of error and add 10% extra to your purchase. This will help you avoid any unnecessary wastage. I recommend this website for more wallpaper singapore.
Measure the Walls
In order to avoid having a seam near a door or window, measure the length of each wall (including any doors and windows) in metres and divide by the vertical repeat listed on your wallpaper. This will give you an accurate measurement for the number of ‘drops’ needed.
Start with the first wall you are going to tackle, measuring from ceiling to baseboard and adding 4 to 6 inches. This extra length will allow you to trim the top and bottom of the paper for a smooth finish.
Roll out a drop of paper on the paste table and using a ruler and pencil mark the length you need to cut from the wallpaper, cutting it slightly longer – this allows for trimming later.
Cut the Paper
When hanging paste-the-wall wallpaper it is vital to get the first length, or ‘drop’ of wallpaper straight as all others will align to this. To do this, make a pencil mark on the wall from the left-hand corner and then using a spirit level draw a vertical straight line – known as a plumb line.
Once you have done this, cut your first strip of wallpaper to size (adding an extra 4 inches on either end for trimming). When cutting patterned paper, always fit it up against the previous strip to ensure the pattern lines up.
Next, apply the paste to the wall. Depending on the type of paste you use, this may be done by brush or roller. Lastly, start from the top of the room and work your way down, smoothing as you go.
Apply the Paste
If you’re using prepasted wallpaper that has paste incorporated into the back surface, it is ready to hang once you apply the paste. If you’re hanging unpasted paper that requires soaking, you need to follow the pasting instructions on the label.
Once the paste is applied, loosely fold a length of wallpaper and pasted sides together to create a concertina. Set it aside to rest for three minutes—a process called booking.
When it’s time to hang, start with a wall behind or opposite the door. If your pattern matches up with a doorframe or corner, you can use that as a reference point for the first strip to get it perfectly vertical. Otherwise, it’s best to begin at a corner or ceiling line that you’ve plumbed with a plumb bob and string.
Hang the Paper
When the paste is dry, position your first length or ‘drop’ of wallpaper and smooth it against the wall. This is a vital step to ensure that your wallpaper stays flat and straight – it’s very easy to get this wrong, especially if you are using a pattern, as it will throw off the alignment of the rest of the strips.
Make sure that your line of wallpaper is ‘plumb’ (straight) and that you have left enough of a margin at the top of the paper to trim it later. When you reach the end of this strip, carefully work your way around to the right of it and apply another strip of paste. Repeat this process until all the walls have been covered.
