With the resurgence of wallpaper over recent years, you may be considering decorating a room. Wallpaper brings out the interior designer in us all as we match patterns to walls, once we’ve decided what we want from a room.
With homeowners in the UK spending millions on home improvements, there is no doubt that wallpaper will account for a significant part of this.
So if you’re decorating your home using wallpaper, what do you need to know?
Choosing the Right Wallpaper
Choosing the right wallpaper is more than just choosing the style. It should complement the purpose of the room. Brighter wallpaper designs will make your room appear bigger and accentuate natural light that the room receives. Conversely, darker colours will make a room appear cosier.
The pattern can convey luxury or a feeling of being outdoors or freshness. It all depends on what you have in mind.
Get your Essentials Together
Once you’ve chosen your wallpaper, you should start assembling your gear to do the job. Generally, you’ll need the following:
- Wallpaper – enough to cover the entire surface with a little spare. If you are going to hang lining paper first get as much as you need to do this.
- Decorators table, wallpaper paste, brush, wallpaper or sharp knife, and bucket
- Sugar soap and sponge
- Steamer for taking the old wallpaper off the wall
- Superglue, masking tape
- Sandpaper and sanding block, together with filler, and sealants
Preparation is the Secret to Success
Once you have your equipment and using the steamer, remove old wallpaper. If your walls need attention, make them as smooth as possible using sandpaper and filler. When you feel they are ready, wash down the surfaces thoroughly using sugar soap and follow the instructions on the label.
Plug gaps using the sealant and allow to dry. It should be a flexible sealant and require no sanding. If you are going to paint the ceiling, do so now.
Hanging the Paper
If using lining paper, hang this first. Draw a vertical plumb line on the wall. When cutting the strips cut them longer than you need so you can trim them to size. Hang the paper lining it up to plumb line and trim the top and bottom edge accordingly. Carry on round the room in this fashion, aligning one strip of wallpaper to the next.
It is good practice to line your decorator’s table with a strip of wallpaper to avoid glue getting on to the patterned side of your wallpaper.
If you are using lining paper when you come to hang the good stuff, align it so that the top wallpaper spans two strips of lining paper. This avoids obvious seams.
When finished, your room will be transformed. If you notice some annoying bubbles or a piece of wallpaper just won’t stick down, follow these steps to solve the problem.
- Using a decent glue coat the wall and the paper you want to stick. If you are using an epoxy mix a small amount, just enough to cover the surfaces
- If the issue is a bubble, make a small discreet cut in the paper over the bubble and push out the air
- Apply the glue with care
- Hold the paper down until it sticks
- Wipe off the glue and clean it from your hands
- Break open your champagne you’ve earned it
Once your decorating is done, furnish and organise the room.