Hanging wallpaper – easy when you know how!
Got your new wallpaper already, and now can’t wait to get it straight on the wall? That’s understandable, but the wallpaper alone is not enough. You still need a few other things to help you with the decorating. You’ve very likely got some of them already, and the rest are readily available in a DIY store. And then you’re ready to start. You will see how easy it really is.
What you will need
- • Wallpaper table on which to cut the strips of paper
- • Masking tape and sheeting to cover the floor
- • Sandpaper to smooth the surface if necessary
- • Spirit level, folding rule and pencil to mark out the strips of paper
- • Paste, bucket, water and stick to stir the paste
- • Paste brush or roller to apply the paste
- • paint brush to spread the paste into the corners
- • Foam rubber roller or wallpaper spatula or wallpaper brush
- • tapered seam roller to press down the edges of the paper
- • Scissors, ruler and cutting knife to remove any overhanging pieces of wallpaper
- • Sponge, cloth and clean water to remove residual paste
Preparation of surfaces
Surfaces should be dry, smooth and clean to help your new paper adhere to the wall. Remove old wallpaper residues first. This is easy if your wall was previously decorated with a fleece paper: fleece wallpapers can be completely dry-stripped. It is best to soften other wallpapers with water or even with a stripper. They are usually easy to remove after this, although a scraper will help in stubborn cases.
Use sandpaper to rub down any rough areas next, as these will stand out against the wallpaper. Once everything has dried, fill in holes and smooth out uneven areas with filler that contains plaster.
You must use a suitable base colour if you have chosen a photo wallpaper in soft colours: if the wall was previously painted in a strong colour, you should make sure that it doesn’t show through the light areas of the photo wallpaper. A white surface is best.
Marking out the wallpaper strips
The individual strips of paper should be perfectly vertical. This is easier said than done sometimes, because ceilings and walls tend to be somewhat crooked, especially in old buildings. The easiest way is to take a pencil and mark out the width of a wallpaper strip on the wall at ceiling height. To do this, either place the roll of wallpaper directly on it or use a folding rule to measure the width. Then use a spirit level to draw a vertical line. You will hang the strip of wallpaper in line with this marking later. If you suspect that your walls are not quite straight, when starting with the first strip of paper you should check this marking again at floor level in a corner of the room: place the roll of paper against the wall to see whether it fits into the strip you have marked out. If it turns out that your wall is crooked, measure the widest part and cut off the overhanging wallpaper in the narrower sections afterwards.
Cutting the wallpaper strips
It is best to use a wallpaper table for cutting individual strips. Please note: rooms can sometimes be a little crooked. If you cut the length of paper to the exact height of the room, then a strip of wall may be visible at the top or bottom. It is better to add around 10 cm to the height (5 cm at the top and bottom of patterned wallpapers with seams), just to be on the safe side. Once the wallpaper is on the wall, you can remove the excess with a cutting knife and ruler.
Paste
Use paste, not glue, to hang wallpaper. We recommend the fleece wallpaper paste “Metylan direct”. Add the paste granules to cold water and stir. The amount of paste and water you need will depend on what sort of paste you use; you will find details on the packet. Allow the paste to stand for 10 minutes after mixing. It will then be ready to use. As a general rule, 10 litres of paste is enough for 45 square metres of wall.
Hanging the wallpaper
When it comes to your new fleece wallpaper, the paste mix is applied directly to the wall with a paste brush. Make sure that you spread the paste evenly all the way to the edge of the marked strip. Then place the strip of wallpaper on the wall. Use the vertical line that you have drawn with the spirit level as a guide when doing this. Once the paper is on the wall, press it down with a foam rubber roller or a wallpaper brush. Work from the centre of the strip towards the sides, so that bubbles of air or paste can escape at the edge. Finally, use a tapered seam roller to press down firmly on the edges of the paper. Please note: if paste leaks out, remove it immediately with a damp sponge, otherwise there will be shiny patches.
Proceed in exactly the same way with the next strip. The individual strips should not overlap by the way, but be hung “edge to edge”, as the experts say.
Finished?
Fleece wallpapers have dimensional stability, so they do not expand during handling or contract when drying. While the paste is drying, however, excessive heat or draughts may cause the seams of the wallpaper to become slightly loose. Simply allow the wall to dry at room temperature, therefore, rather than overheating it. And if a seam should have become a little bit loose, use a paintbrush to apply a bit of paste underneath it and press the wallpaper back down with the seam roller.
Did everything go well? Then take pleasure in your new wallpaper and enjoy your home. And if ever you need to change your wallpaper again … You now know how it works.
