Wallpapering advice. How to hang wall paper professionally

by Steve Macrie steve@serviceteam.co.uk

If you have ever tried to hang wallpaper without having been trained by a professional wallpaper hanger or at trades school, you will encounter some problems if you do not follow some basic tips. To begin with wallpaper either comes in self stick or plain uncoated wallpaper that requires the application of wallpaper adhesive, a thick glue that is troweled onto the wall and smoothed out before laying the wallpaper on top.

Going with the self stick wallpaper is not as simple as it may sound. The paper has to be moistened and carefully applied to the wall and smoothed out to prevent bubbles, streaks or even tears. If that isn't enough to get you into a book on the proper techniques to use to hang wallpaper, you should also be aware that wallpaper isn't pre cut to fit your walls. You will have to cut the wallpaper to fit your space by measuring the wall area to be covered and then measuring the wallpaper before cutting it.

Of course, there are cutting tools and trowels and other equipment that you will have to buy before even beginning to buy your wallpaper. Wallpaper is bought by the role. Each role covers a specified space but it does not mean that some of the wallpaper will have to be discarded due to cuttings over doors, around windows, in corners and other areas. If you buy patterned wallpaper with lines and borders, chances are that you will waste more paper than if you buy an overall pattern without lines. The area that is to be wallpapered is measured and roles are bought according to the number of feet required.

Once you have purchased your wallpaper hanging tools, your wallpaper and a book on hanging wallpaper, you will have to prepare your walls. If you haven't thought through how you will prepare your walls, before you start opening roles and unwrapping tools is the time to plan your wall preparation. If the walls already have wallpaper, that paper will have to be removed. The walls will have to be cleaned of all paste and sanded smooth before new wallpaper can be applied. If your walls are painted, the preparation is simpler and all that is required is a smoothing of the walls plaster with sand paper, brushing off the dust and getting the room ready to be wallpapered.

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