small one placed over a doorway. Another com-
mon starting point is an inconspicuous corner.
To determine exactly where wallcovering
seams will occur, mark off intervals the same
width as your wallcovering. Go around the room,
using a ruler or a wrapped roll of wallcovering as
your gauge. Try to avoid trimming and pasting
very narrow strips of wallcovering in corners;
this usually looks terrible, and the pieces don’t
adhere well. You may want to move your starting
point an inch or two to avoid that inconvenience.
However, if the pattern is conspicuous, you
might start layout with a strip centered in a con-
spicuous part of a wall—over a mantel, over a
sofa, or in the middle of a large wall. Choose a
Wallcovering
visual focal point, and mark off roll-widths from
each side of the starting strip until you have
Where windows are the focal point of a
determined where the papering will end—
room, position the wal covering accordingly.
preferably in an inconspicuous place.
If the window is a large picture window,
You may want to center the pattern at a win-
center the middle of the strip on the middle
dow, if that’s the visual center of the room. With a
of the window. If the focal point is two
picture window, the middle of the strip should
windows, center the edges of the two strips
align with the middle of the window. If there are
as shown.
two windows, the edges of two strips should meet
along a centered, plumbed line between them
unless the distance between the windows is less
than the width of a strip. If the distance is less,
center a strip between the windows.
Basic Papering Techniques
Before you start hanging wallcovering, turn off
the electricity to affected outlets, switches, and
fixtures, and check with a voltage tester to be
sure the power is off.
Wallpapering
547
P R O T I P
Be as neat as possible when
applying paste. Keep wiping the
tabletop clean so paste doesn’t
get onto strip faces. removing
stray paste from wallcovering
faces is a nuisance and, in the
case of some of the more delicate
coverings, a disaster.
Use shears to rough-cut strips, leaving extra at each end for trimming and pattern matching. This pasting and layout table is a professional model, strong yet light, easily transported from job to job.
Three Types of seams
you can join strip edges in three ways: butt seam, overlap seam, or double-cut seams.
The butt seam is the most common. its edges are simply butted together and
rolled with a seam roller.
an overlap seam is better where corners are out of square or when a butt seam
might occur in a corner and not cover well. Keep the overlap as narrow as possible,
thereby avoiding a noticeable welt and patterns that are grossly mismatched.
Double-cut seams (also called through-cut seams) are the most complex of the
three. They are used primarily where patterns are tough to match or surfaces are
irregular; for example, where the walls of an alcove aren’t square.
BUTT SEAM
OVERLAP SEAM
DOUBLE-CUT SEAM
zzzzzz How to cut seams
Remove
Cut line
these pieces.
Gently pull cut strips over the edge of the table to
counteract the tendency of wallpaper to curl.
548 chapter 19
Measure out from a corner or a jamb casing,
if that’s where you’ll begin, and draw a plumb
Prepasted Papers and Water
line that will become the leading edge of the first
strip. If the casing is out of plumb, allow the trail-
Many wallcoverings come prepasted. Typically, manufacturers specify that indi-
ing edge of the strip to overlap the casing enough
vidual strips be soaked for 30 seconds in a tray filled with lukewarm water. But fol-
to be trimmed with a razor knife without creat-
low the directions printed on the back or supplied by the retailer. after soaking, pull
ing a space along the casing. If the casing is
each strip out of the tray and onto the worktable, book (fold) it, and allow it to
plumb, simply butt the trailing edge to the cas-
expand before hanging it on the wall. Precut the pieces before placing them in the
ing. As you proceed around the room, continually
check for plumb.
water tray. otherwise, if you try to trim soaked strips, they’ll snag or tear.
Many professional paperhangers will hang prepasted wallcoverings but hate
cUTTing sTriPs To lengTH
water trays because (1) water and diluted paste drips everywhere; (2) the water in
the tray must be changed often; (3) a thin film of paste also ends up on the front of
Measure the height of the wall and cut several
the wallcovering; and (4) if the strips are soaked too long, they may not adhere
strips to length, leaving extra at each end for
well. instead, these pros roll prepaste activator onto the back of strips, just as you’d
trimming and vertically matching patterns. Cut
apply standard paste. rolling on an activator reduces mess and ensures good adher-
the first two strips extra long. Slide the first strip
up or down the wall until most (or all) of its pat-
ence to the wall. last, pros sometimes roll thinned-down paste instead of activator.
tern shows near the ceiling line. Don’t show less
That may be oK, but first ask the supplier if the two pastes will be compatible.
than half the pattern. The pattern along the base-
board will be less visible and less important.
On your cutting table, place the second strip
next to the first, and align the patterns along
their edges with two strips side by side. You’ll
have a sense of how much waste to allow for pat-
tern matching. (A pattern-repeat interval is often
printed on the label packaged with the wall-
paper.) Depending on the size of the patterns,
each succeeding strip can usually be rough-cut
with an inch or two extra at each end and then
trimmed after being pasted.
Do the rough-cutting at the table using shears.
Do the trimming on the wall using a razor knife.
Patterns that run horizontally across the face of a
covering are called straight match. Patterns that
run diagonally are called drop match and waste
somewhat more material during alignment.
Unless you are working with a delicate cover-
ing, cut several strips at a time. But be careful
not to crease them. Flop the entire pile of strips
facedown on the table so the piece cut first will
be the first pasted and hung. The table must be
perfectly clean; otherwise, the face of the bottom
strip could become soiled.
PasTing
Unless you’re experienced, buy premixed adhe-
sive. But if mix you must, try to achieve a mix-
ture that’s slightly tacky to the touch
. Add paste
powder or water slowly: Even small increments
can change the consistency radically. Finally, mix
thoroughly to remove lumps.
As you work, keep the pasting table clean,
quickly sponging up stray paste so it won’t get on
strip faces. Some coverings, such as vinyl, are not
marred by stray paste on the face, but many oth-
ers could be. Although the batch of paste you mix as you apply paste, roll it out from the center toward the edges. Hold down the wallcovering with should last a working day, keep an eye on the
one hand to keep it from sliding as you roll.
Wallpapering
549
HanGinG WallcoveRinG
3. once the strip is correctly positioned, smooth it onto
the wall, smoothing the upper end first and brushing out
from the center toward the edges.
1. after pasting the back of the
2. To hang the first strip, unfold the top half and
strip, fold both ends in, as shown, so
carefully align it to the plumbed line you marked earlier,
they meet in the middle. Be careful
leaving an inch or so extra at the top. Gently slide the
not to crease the folded ends. This
strip into place. align each subsequent strip to the leading
folding is called booking the paper.
edge of the preceding one.
4. With a taping knife pressed against the woodwork,
trim the joint with a single-edge razor blade or razor
knife. after trimming excess paper and smoothing out the
strip one last time, sponge away any paste smeared on
6. Use a plastic wallpaper smoother
the woodwork.
to flatten any lumps of paste. This
tool is also useful for smoothing out
heavier vinyls and the like.
5. Join the seam with a roller,
removing emerging paste with a
sponge. Rinse the sponge and change
the water in your pail often.
550 chapter 19
consistency. Paste should glide on, never drag.
Rinse the paste brush or roller when you break
Dry-hANgiNg
for lunch and when you quit for the day.
Until you become familiar with papering,
If handled too much, many fabrics, foils, Mylar,
apply paste to only one strip at a time. In other
and grasses will separate from their backing
words, hang each strip before pasting another
once they absorb the paste. For that reason, pros
one. Using a roller, apply paste in the middle of
often dry-hang them. Here’s how: They roll paste
the strip, toward the top. Spread the paste to the
onto the wall and smooth the dry covering onto
far edge and then to the near edge. For good
it. However, leave this job to a pro because the
measure, run the roller over strip edges twice
paste must be applied impeccably even and the
because it’s often hard to see if the paste along
strips placed exactly—there’s little chance to
the edges is evenly spread.
adjust them. Likewise, these materials can’t tol-
BooKing sTriPs
erate sponging, rubbing, or seam rolling. Pros
sweep them on with a soft-bristle smoothing
For convenient handling, create loose folds of
brush and let them be.
pasted covering that you can carry to the wall,
unfold without mess, hang, and smooth. The
most practical folding method is known as book-
ing, perhaps because the folds resemble the folds
of a book dust jacket. When folding strips, do so
seam. Raising one edge of the strip reduces the
loosely; avoid creasing them.
grip between paper and wall.
Booking a strip (typically, for five minutes)
Pull the strip off the wall, realign its
also allows it to absorb the moisture in the paste, patterns along the seam, and brush it down.
expand, and contract slightly to its final width. If
But you’ve got to move quickly: Don’t wait
you do not allow the wallcovering time to expand much more than a minute to pull the strip off.
and contract before hanging it, it will do so on
Pull off the strip, quickly sponge-clean
the wall, either buckling or gapping at the seams. the wall, and hang a new strip. Don’t try
Booking times vary: Pros who know their pastes
pulling just one edge of the strip, however. At
and papers will sometimes cut, paste, and book
best, it will stretch, draw back when it dries,
several strips at once, placing them into a plastic
and open the seam. At worst, you’ll pucker or
trash bag so the paste doesn’t dry out.
rip the strip.
However, if you paste several strips at once,
keep track of the order in which you pasted
P R O T I P
them. And hang them in the same order.
sPonging
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of
To reach your ceiling, you’ll
Hanging PasTeD sTriPs
gently wiping paste off wallcovering faces and
probably need an elevated plat-
To hang a strip of wallcovering, unfold the
adjacent surfaces. If paste dries on a painted ceil-
form. The safest option is rental
booked upper fold (leaving the lower one folded)
ing, it can pull the paint off. (If you see a brown
scaffolding. in a pinch, sturdy
and align the edge of the strip to your plumb line. crust along a ceiling–wall intersection, that’s
planks running between two
stepladders will do.
Position the upper end of the strip an inch or so
dried paste.) Paste will even pull the finish off
above the ceiling line. Smooth the upper end of
wood trim. Vinyl-on-vinyl and clay adhesives are
the strip first by running a smoothing brush
especially tenacious, so sponge off the excess
down the middle of the strip and out toward the
immediately.
edges. Working from the center outward, brush
Equally important: Change your sponge water
air bubbles, wrinkles, and excess paste from the
often so diluted paste doesn’t accumulate. Warm
middle to the edges. Align subsequent pieces to
water is best. And wring the sponge almost dry
the leading edge of each preceding strip, checking before wiping. When you’ve wiped the surfaces
periodically to make sure the strips are plumb.
clean, come back with a soft, dry rag. But apply
If the upper half of the strip is adhering well,
only light pressure so you don’t move the wall-
simply unfold the lower fold and smooth the
covering, disturbing the seams.
paper down, again brushing down the center and
Don’t rub delicate wallpapers. Instead, blot
out toward the edges with small strokes.
them clean with a just-damp sponge. Before you
If a butt seam doesn’t meet exactly, you have
commit to any wallcovering, ask your supplier if
three choices:
it can be wiped (or blotted clean) with a sponge.
Move a strip slightly by raising one of its
If not, consider other
materials.
edges and—palm on paper—using your other
hand to slide the strip toward or away from the
Wallpapering
551
TriMMing anD rolling
Fixing Three small Flaws
Where a strip of wallcovering meets a border,
such as woodwork, a ceiling line, or a baseboard,
A paste lump under the covering. First, try to flatten it with a plastic
use a 6-in. taping knife to press the edges of the
wall smoother. This may take several gentle passes. (Don’t use a metal blade because
covering snug. Cut off the excess by running a
it would snag on the lump and tear the wallpaper.) if there are many lumps, the
razor knife along the blade of the taping knife. To
paste is unevenly mixed. in this case, pull the strip off the wall, and sponge the wall
ensure that strips fit tightly against a door or win-
clean. Then adjust or replace your paste mix, and start with a new strip.
dow casing, rough-cut them a little long. Then,
Air bubbles that you can’t brush out. This is a common problem with
using your taping knife, tuck the wallcovering
vinyl wallcoverings. Use the point of a razor knife to cut a small slit. as you
snugly against the casing and trim it more pre-
gently force out the air with a smoothing brush, the slit will flatten out and then
cisely. For clean cuts, razor blades must be sharp.
become unnoticeable.
Conventional wisdom suggests rolling seams
10 to 15 minutes after the strips are in place—
Edge not adhering. Pull it away from the wall slightly and dab on paste
that is, after the paste has set somewhat. But the
with a small brush. avoid stretching the covering, especially if it’s vinyl.
master craftsman shown hanging wallpaper in
the photos here prefers to roll the seams before
he brushes out the paper. If you position the
strips correctly, roll the seams, and then smooth
the covering, he asserts, you’ll be less likely to
stretch the wallpaper. Also, if seams don’t align
correctly, you want to know that sooner rather
than later so you can adjust or remove the strip
before the paste sets up.
In any case, rolling may cause paste to ooze
from the seams. So be sure to sponge wallcover-
ing clean as you work, unless you’re installing
delicate or embossed wallcovering, which
shouldn’t be rolled or wiped at all. Finally, use a
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