There are a variety of types of wallpaper you can use to decorate your home, including textured, vinyl, and even paintable. The use of wallpaper can create a unique look in any room in your home, and you can apply wallpaper yourself in a few simple steps.
Prepare the Area: Before you actually apply wallpaper, ensure that the walls are clear of outlet covers or nails, and patch any holes in the wall with spackle. Smooth any paint splatters or other blemishes with sand paper. Finally, prime the walls with an oil-based primer and let it dry for at least 2 hours.
Measure & Cut the Wallpaper: Measure the wallpaper according to the length of your wall, ensuring there is an extra 4 to 6 inches at the top. This is also a good time to reverse curl the wallpaper, in order to prevent it from curling up on itself.
Apply the Wallpaper: This process differs depending on the type of wallpaper you purchased. For pre-pasted wallpaper, or wallpaper with an adhesive attached to the back, follow these steps:
- Soak the wallpaper in warm water for the specified time, or apply a pre-paste activator, which is similar to wallpaper paste.
- Press the top portion of the wallpaper to the edge of the ceiling, then smooth out any creases and press the wallpaper into corners with a broad knife, working from the middle out.
For un-pasted wallpaper, follow these steps:
- Lay the wallpaper on a flat surface, ensuring that the pattern is aligned. Brush paste on to the top half of your paper and gently fold that section back to meet the middle. Brush paste on the remaining half and fold the bottom end in to meet the middle. This process is known as booking.
- Let the paper to rest for 10 minutes, allowing the glue to fully activate.
- Apply the paper to the wall in the same fashion you would pre-pasted wallpaper.
Repeat the hanging process until your walls are covered. Make sure the seams are pressed together with a seam-roller after the wallpaper has been up for 15 minutes. Let the wallpaper dry for 24 to 48 hours, then sit back and enjoy the setting of your new room! For more help with wallpaper or any interior painting projects, contact Columbia painters at 717-478-8184.