How to Put Up Wallpaper

Before we explain how to do wallpaper yourself, you’ll first need to choose the right wallpaper for your home. Not only is wallpaper an ideal and practical option to decorate walls, but there are also infinite and varied types of wallpaper for you to choose from. You may also be wondering, ‘‘What are the advantages of wallpaper?’’ Many wonder why you would wallpaper your wall rather than paint it and the answer is fairly simple, wallpaper maintenance is easier. In addition, wallpaper protects your wall from scratches, can be combined with painted walls, can recreate desired styles, can cover cracks or stains and lastly, can add texture to a space.

When it comes to choosing the right wallpaper for your living room, bedroom or kitchen, you’ll have to decide what effect you want. Here are some of our top tips for choosing wallpaper:

• Highlighting a wall: if your goal is to highlight a wall in a room, we suggest combining different types of wallpaper. Wallpaper one wall a different color to the rest to make it pop! Additionally, you could also mix block colored wallpaper with a textured patterned wallpaper to make one of the two stand out.
• Expand the room: if you’re looking to make a room appear bigger, we suggest opting for lighter and plainer wallpapers. Light wallpaper will give a room depth, thereby increasing its size visually. If, however, you’re wanting to reduce the the amplitude of a larger space, we suggest opting for a darker toned wallpaper.
• Cozy room effect: if you’re looking to cozy-up a space, stick to warmer colored wallpaper.
• Transform your space entirely: wallpaper is characterized for its ability to create an interesting atmosphere within a home. Therefore, if you’re wanting to renovate your space without getting rid of furniture, opt for this quick, simple and cheap option.

For more, we recommend reading our article where we discuss how to decorate with wallpaper.

The next thing you should consider when hanging up wallpaper is the type. Wallpaper types and styles are incredibly varied... from smooth to printed, the options are endless! When hanging up wallpaper, we recommend choosing the right type for your space. The most common types of wallpaper include:

• Vinyl wallpaper: consists of a paper base and a vinyl layer. This wallpaper type is strong and resistant to both light and moisture. The most prominent advantage of vinyl wallpaper is that is quick and easy to put up. All you have to do is glue the paper and stick it freely to your wall of choice.
• Non-woven wallpaper: is a paper wallpaper with a textile and vinyl base. This wallpaper type is ideal for a child's room, bathrooms, kitchens or corridors, as it is especially resistant to wear and tear.
• Paper wallpaper: is a more delicate option than the above mentioned wallpaper types. Its composition is made up of a textile base, and the paper allows for an elegant and sophisticated look. This wallpaper type takes more time putting up, however, it’s results are worth it.

The type of surface you will be covering should also be taken into account. In fact, we discourage placing wallpaper onto popcorn ceilings, artex or wood. Wallpaper on an artex wall, for example, will wrinkle. Additionally, if you want to cover a wood surface with wallpaper, we suggest using non-woven wallpaper and making sure that the wood surface is completely smooth.

Keep reading to discover how to hang unpasted wallpaper.

Now that we’ve covered how to choose wallpaper, as well as the different types of wallpaper, let’s start installing it! Follow these simple wallpapering instructions:

1. Prepare the room. Before you start applying wallpaper onto a wall, make sure to move the furniture so that you have space to work. Clear the room appropriately so that you can apply the wallpaper without any obstacles.
2. Prepare the surface. When applying wallpaper to a surface, make sure that the wall you’re covering is free of gaps and cracks, learn how to repair wall cracks here. If the wall already has wallpaper on it, make sure to remove it well before applying the new layer.
3. Cut the paper. We recommend measuring the height of the wall, always leaving a 5-10 cm margin at both the top and bottom. Cut the paper into strips by the appropriate calculation: divide the length of the roll by the height of the wall, plus half of its repetition.
4. Line it up. Next, you’re going to glue the paper onto the wall. If you’re using vinyl or non-woven wallpaper, you only need to glue the base of the wallpaper. If, however, you’re using paper wallpaper, make sure to glue both the base of the wallpaper as well the wall. Prepare the glue according to its bottle instructions, and use a brush to spread it out evenly.
5. Hang wallpaper. Now it’s time to hang the wallpaper onto the wall. We recommend applying strip by strip, without leaving gaps in between each. To do this, you will need a wallpaper hanging brush to even out the wallpaper properly, making sure it is completely smooth. When doing this, we recommend taking your time. Precision is key in making sure that the wallpaper is aligned correctly. When wallpapering corners, door frames or windows, or working with obstacles, such as radiators, we recommend pre-cutting extra pieces to apply afterwards.

If you’re you’re dealing with peel and stick wallpaper, follow these tips on how to hang prepasted wallpaper:

1. Prepare the room as instructed above.
2. Prepare the surface as instructed above.
3. Cut the paper as instructed above.
4. Line it up. When putting up prepasted paper, first role the strip inside out. The white prepasted side should be facing outwards (pattern should not be seen).
5. Water. Next, soak the roll completely in 2/3 water for roughly 30 seconds (take note of instruction by manufacturer).
6. Place on wall. Once completely soaked, slowly place the wallpaper onto the wall and even it out with a putty knife at the corners.
7. Smooth out. Lastly, make sure to smooth our any bubbles with a wallpaper smoothing brush or smoothing tool.
8. You can wash off any excess paste with a sponge soaked in water.

Putting up wallpaper is not a very difficult task, but it does require patience, care and dedication. If you’re wanting a clean and polished result, make sure you’re not rushed for time.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Put Up Wallpaper, we recommend you visit our Interior Design and Decor category.