Wallpaper know-how

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Wallpaper know-how Posted On 19 April 2021

Our top tips when it comes to wallpapering

Wallpapering. A word that strikes fear into a lot of DIYers, however, with our handy guide you too can become a wallpapering pro.

The Basics

First things first, always go for a high-quality wallpaper. If you’re thinking of wallpapering a room, then you are thinking of a look that will last for a few years, so why would you scrimp on quality? And at the same time, surely you want to ensure that you have properly prepped the walls you are going to wallpaper.

You will need a steamer to remove old wallpaper, and ensure you get any left over little pieces too as these can cause imperfections on the final fit. Also, if there are any dents, screw holes or other imperfections; use polyfilla to smooth these out. Give the whole wall a wipe down once the previous steps have been completed.

Types of wallpaper

Generally, there are two types of wallpaper. paste-to-wall and paste-to-paper. The differences are exactly as they sound. Once you have mixed your wallpaper paste, you either paste the wall and then attach the paper, or paste the paper and then attach to the wall. Everyone will have a favourite for simplicity, however, we would recommend paste-to-wall for ease and neatness.

Cutting and equipment

To do the job properly, you will need a wallpaper pasting table, a couple of large, flat brushes and a very sharp stanley knife. To start, measure your paper to the length of the wall and then, using a straightedge, cut off the sections leaving at least an inch at the bottom and the top.

Apply a liberal coat of wallpaper paste to the wall, and then, starting from left to right, attach the first piece as straight as possible. If you have patterned wallpaper, now find the next section that matches, cut it off the roll, again leaving an inch at the top and bottom and loosely attach it to the wall, before carefully lining it up and smoothing it down.

Repeat the following steps until you have completed the wall and the pattern matches all the way across. It will look messy at first with the bottoms and tops not being straight due to the excess you cut off, however, you will need to wait for the paper to dry before using your stanley knife to cut off the edges straight.

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