How to Wallpaper a Room?

Answer 1

Remove everything from the walls: shelves, hooks, switchplates, etc. Check the walls for cracks and holes -- use spackle to fill and smooth those gaps. If you had to remove old wallpaper, clean all paste residue off the wall, then use primer.

Calculate the square footage of the walls. Don’t subtract for the doors and windows, because you’ll always need more paper than you think, and leftover wallpaper is always useful. Divide the total square footage by 25, and you’ll get the number of single rolls of wallpaper you’ll need. Ask the store that sold you the wallpaper which paste would be best for that type of wallpaper.

Start in a corner, and draw a vertical line 1/2 less than the width of the wallpaper, parallel to the corner -- you’ll be overlapping that 1/2” piece around the corner. Use a level and straightedge to make the line straight. Cut the first strip of wallpaper 3-4” more than the height of the wall. Cut a second strip, checking how the patterns line up. Always cut one more strip in advance of pasting.

Paste the first strip by lining it up on the wall, and overlapping around the corner -- slide the strip into place, and butt the end up against the ceiling. Check for straightness. Smooth and wipe the entire piece, from the ceiling to the baseboard. Use a knife and straightedge to trim the strip at the baseboard end.

Now, paste the second strip (but cut the third one first). Butt the edge of the second strip as tightly as you can without overlapping against the strip already on the wall, matching the patterns. Continue pasting strips around the room in this way. Around windows and doors, use a knife to make short diagonal cuts to remove the wallpaper that would go over the opening.

Work methodically around the room. Step back from each pasted strip to see if the patterns line up. When you get back to the corner where you started, cut a wider strip, and overlap the strip to get the patterns to match. Now stand back and admire the fantastic job you’ve done.