Chapter 4
Wallpapering Basics
In This Chapter
Deciding what wallcovering to buy
Estimating your needs and buying wallcoverings
Gathering the right tools and supplies
Buying the right adhesive
W allcovering adds rich texture and interest to walls and other surfaces in your home that paint alone doesn’t. You can choose from a virtually unlimited variety of patterns and styles in fabric, foil, natural grasses, papers, wet-look vinyls, and dozens of other materials. A room papered with your favorite pattern is a welcome sight that draws you inside; wallpaper is one of those little things that make a big difference. In this chapter, you explore your options.
Selecting the Perfect Wallpaper
Yes, the choice of wallpapers can be daunting, but allow yourself time to peruse as many wallpaper books as you can find. This undertaking sometimes involves a whole lot of time, but being thorough gives you a good idea of the styles and designs you like — really like. And you really want to like the wallpaper you choose because you’ll be looking at it for quite some time.
Determining how much work you can handle
Wallpapering sometimes requires the skills and experience of a lifelong professional and the eye of a true artist. Yet a first-time do-it-yourselfer can also do the job perfectly. The chosen wallcovering, the condition of the surface, the complexity of the room, and how many thumbs you have all determine the degree of difficulty.
To help you identify wallcoverings that are appropriate for you, ask yourself the following questions:
Am I choosing a wallcovering suited to my skill level? Describe your experience and level of comfort to your wallpaper salesperson, who can suggest professional installation for wallcoverings that demand greater skill or at least caution you about the potential difficulties or quirks of a wallcovering that you’re unfamiliar with. Take a trip to the library to find out more about hanging the particular type of wallcovering you’re considering.
Are my walls and ceilings reasonably straight, level, and truly vertical? (If they are, alert the media.) Even the easiest-to-hang self-adhesive wallpaper can be a bear to hang when nothing is that perfection called true. If you’re working with less-than-perfect walls but still want to do the job yourself, look for patterns that are more forgiving (see “Selecting a pattern that suits the room,” later in this chapter) and use some of the tricks of the trade (check out Chapter 6) that disguise rather than emphasize problems.
Will I hang my wallcovering on a standard, easy-to-paper surface, such as plaster or drywall, or will I cover a problem surface, such as concrete block or wall paneling? It’s true that you can wallpaper just about anything, but only when the surface is properly prepared. Work with your salesperson to determine what work and skills are necessary, and then decide whether you have the skills and inclination to do the work yourself.
Many types of wallcoverings are available. Each requires slightly different preparation, application, and finishing work according to its characteristics. Check out the following section for the lowdown on the most popular wallcoverings and some key things you should know when you buy wallcovering. Ask your dealer whether the wallcovering material or its pattern will complicate hanging. Also, find out any special instructions for the wallcovering you select. For example, make sure that you know how to position and match the pattern. With some papers, pattern matching is pretty confusing. If window treatments are in your decorating plan, don’t forget to ask to see sample books of wallcoverings that have coordinated fabrics.
Choosing a workable material
In spite of its name, wallpaper isn’t always made of paper. The material and coatings used to make and color the wallcovering determine its appearance (natural, shiny, metallic, or wet, for example) and greatly affect how easy or difficult the covering is to hang. For example, with some coverings, you must be very careful not to get any paste on the decorative surface. We don’t know how you work, but we can’t even imagine doing that!
The material and coatings also determine how durable, stain resistant, and easy to clean the wallcovering will be. A paper may be washable or scrubbable (or neither), which is usually determined by how much cleaning the paper or color can handle. You can occasionally sponge a washable wallcovering with warm, soapy water. Scrubbable coverings are made of tougher stuff and can take more frequent washes. Scrubbable papers are ideal for hallways, stairways, and toddlers’ rooms, where smudges (and worse) are inevitable, in addition to kitchens, where spills and grease tend to build up on the walls. Choose a paper that’s suitable for the planned location, considering both the type and amount of abuse you expect the wall to take. Like in choosing a spouse, you may have to compromise, but you shouldn’t go so far as to disregard either appearance or practicality. Here’s how your choices stack up:
Standard papers are inexpensive and generally easy to hang. Just be careful not to tug on the paper too hard as you position and reposition the sheets on the wall. Standard papers tear quite easily, soil easily, and are relatively difficult to clean because they lack a protective coating. However, if money is an obstacle, you’ll be thrilled to hear that these papers are relatively cheap.
Vinyl-coated papers have a paper backing and a paper surface that’s sealed with a liquid vinyl. This seal makes the wallcovering washable, meaning that you can safely sponge it off with soapy water.
Solid sheet vinyl
wallcoverings consist of vinyl bound to a cloth or paper backing. These wallcoverings are the most rugged, stain resistant, and scrubbable and make an excellent choice for kitchens.
Vinyls are the best choice for a beginning wallpaper hanger. Not only are they the easiest type of wallcovering to hang, but they’re also easy to live with — they’re durable, soil resistant, and easy to clean. They’re even easy to remove.
Foils and Mylars, which have a thin, shiny metal coating, reflect a great deal of light. This feature makes them a good choice for small rooms with little or no natural light, such as an interior powder room. The wall surface must be in nearly perfect condition, however, because the wallpaper’s shiny surfaces accentuate any imperfections.
Even though hanging reflective wallpaper on walls with imperfections isn’t a good idea, you can improve the results by first covering the walls with a heavy liner paper, which is designed to bridge small cracks and imperfections. Foil and Mylar papers are expensive, and liner paper installation can be a bit advanced for the everyday do-it-yourselfer, so we recommend that you call a pro for this job.
Grasscloth, hemp, and other cloths-on-paper are richly textured, woven coverings with laminated paper backings. Although grasscloth is traditionally made of a vine, many modern synthetic versions are available. All are good choices to cover less-than-perfect walls, but they are expensive and relatively difficult to hang. If you are experienced and want to try one of these natural-looking coverings, discuss the installation requirements in detail with your wallpaper dealer.
Flocked papers have raised, velvety patterns and are good choices for covering walls that have minor surface imperfections. Washable flocks are easier to install than nonwashable ones, but both are expensive, and installation generally requires a pro. If you’re experienced and want to step up to a more advanced project, discuss the installation requirements in detail with your wallpaper dealer.
Knowing what’s on the backside
Your primary concern is rightly focused on the front side of the wallcovering. After all, that’s the side that shows. However, what’s on the backside counts, too. In particular, the back may or may not be prepasted, and the type of backing determines how you will eventually remove it.
The two primary differences on the backsides of wallcoverings and what they may mean to you are
Prepasted or unpasted: Perhaps the most obvious difference on the backside of wallpaper is the presence or lack of paste. The vast majority of in-stock wallcoverings are prepasted. You activate this factory-applied adhesive by applying a pre-paste activator or by dipping the paper in a water tray, as you find out how to do in Chapter 5.
Dry-strippable or peelable: This feature will be a greater concern down the road when you, or the next occupant of your home or apartment, want to remove the paper. Dry-strippable paper peels off in its entirety. Peelable paper peels off but leaves behind its paper backing. This backing can be papered over (assuming that it’s in good shape) or removed with a wallpaper remover solution before painting. Keep in mind that strippable wallpaper or the paper backing of peelable wallpaper is easily removable only if the substrate was properly sealed before installation. See Chapter 1 for additional information about primers.
Selecting a pattern that suits the room
Without a doubt, the most important factor in choosing wallpaper is choosing a pattern you like. You also must make sure that the pattern works in the particular room that you plan to paper — it should achieve your design goals. Because patterns often affect the degree of installation difficulty, you also want to choose one that’s appropriate for your skills if you plan to hang it yourself.
Vertical stripes or patterns make the ceiling appear higher.
Horizontal stripes or patterns seem to widen a room and bring ceilings down.
Large patterns generally don’t look good in a small room because they tend to overpower the space and make it seem smaller. A large, open pattern looks best in a larger space.
A mini-print or a paper with a small pattern or geometric design suits smaller dimensions.
Dark colors make a room seem smaller.
Wallpaper with a light background makes a room look larger.
A pattern of ducks ice-skating makes any room look silly.
Matching repeating patterns
If you look at a roll of wallpaper, you see that patterns repeat themselves every so many inches or feet along the length of the roll. This is called a vertical repeat. The pattern on one strip may align with another adjacent pattern horizontally or at an angle. How the designs on one strip are positioned in relation to the same designs on adjacent strips is called the pattern match.
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Figure 4-1: The types of wallpaper patterns. |
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In a random match, such as a vertical stripe, you don’t need to match patterns, but you do need to install each drop with the same edge always on the left.
Random texture wallcoverings, such as grasscloth, don’t have a pattern; therefore, matching is not necessary. However, the left and right sides of a roll often have shading differences that can cause problems. Installing the paper as it comes off the roll juxtaposes a light edge with a darker one, making the shading difference more obvious. To overcome this problem, manufacturers often recommend flipping every other drop.
Straight-across patterns line up and match horizontally but may also be laid diagonally on a wall. The pattern always looks the same on every drop from the ceiling or other horizontal elements, such as chair molding and the tops of windows.
Half-drop patterns line up or match on a 45-degree diagonal line rather than a horizontal one. Each strip is positioned so that it’s above or below the adjoining strips at a distance equal to one-half the vertical repeat. Every other drop looks the same at the ceiling.
A multiple drop (called 1/3 multiple drop, 1/4 multiple drop, 1/5 multiple drop, and so on) is similar to a half-drop; the difference is that the amount you offset on each strip varies. The higher the multiple (3, 4, 5, and so on), the less often a design repeats itself at the ceiling line. This type of pattern is great for out-of-level ceilings but can be very confusing.
Buying Wallcoverings
In many cases, calculating how many rolls of wallpaper you need is very straightforward. Just figure the area you need to cover and divide that number by the area that each roll covers. However, many times you’re better off letting the dealer figure out your needs. In either case, get out your tape measure and a pad of paper.
Sketching the layout
Make a simple sketch of each wall in the room, including any doors, windows, or other openings. Get out your tape measure and grab a helper; measure the dimensions (the width and height) of each wall and opening. Then calculate the area of each by multiplying width times height. Add up all the wall areas and then add up all the opening areas separately. For the total area to cover, subtract the total area of the openings from the total area of the walls and multiply that number by 115 percent to allow for waste.
Estimating the number of rolls to buy
For random texture, random, or straight-across patterns in a typical room, you can handle the figuring. For example, for a bedroom with two doors and two windows, simply divide the total square footage you need to cover (refer to the preceding section, “Sketching the layout”) by the total coverage of the roll of wallpaper you’re buying to determine the number of rolls you need. Most likely, the answer isn’t an even number of rolls, so round up to the next highest number to determine the number of rolls you need to buy or order.
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Tracking down the right paper
You can purchase your wallpaper from a number of sources:
Wallpaper outlets: These stores offer the largest selection of carryout paper and have a library of manufacturers’ books on hand to order from.
Home centers and paint stores: Most of these retailers offer a modest selection of wallpaper-to-go and keep a large library of manufacturers’ books on hand to order from.
Mail-order catalogs: Some manufacturers publish catalogs with pages of actual wallcoverings that you can order by phone. Look through the advertisements in decorating magazines for information about obtaining these catalogs.
Tooling Up for the Task
After you determine what you need to do to prepare the surface (see Chapter 5), it’s time for a trip to a home center, paint store, or hardware store. The tools you need for wallpapering may vary from our suggested list. For example, even if we suggest a breakaway razor knife, your utility knife with a sharp blade may work just fine.
This list and Figure 4-2 show you the tools, supplies, and other items that a do-it-yourself paperhanger typically needs:
2-foot level
Adhesives, activators, or water tray (as required)
Breakaway razor knife
Bucket, sponges, and clean rags
Canvas drop cloth (for areas you’ll be walking on)
Flat, hard work table (a half sheet of plywood on sawhorses will do just fine)
Metal straightedge (such as a 6-inch taping knife or a painter’s trim guard)
Paint roller and tray (for prepasted activator or unpasted paper)
Pencil
Plastic drop cloth (to cover everything that’s not covered by your canvas drop cloth)
Plumb and chalk line
Seam roller
Sharp scissors
Smoothing brush or plastic wallpaper smoother
Spackling compound, primer/sealer, sizing, and liner paper, all as needed for preparing the walls
Stepstool or ladder
Tape measure
Work lights and extension cords
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Figure 4-2: Wall- papering tools, equip-ment, and supplies. |
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Choosing Your Wallpaper Adhesive
If you choose to use unpasted wallpaper, it goes without saying that you need to apply wallpaper adhesive to get the paper to stick to the wall. Wallpaper adhesive is generally available premixed in standard and heavy-duty versions. Standard is fine for most wallcoverings, but some types — heavy grasscloths, for example — require greater holding power. Tell your wallcovering dealer the type of paper and the surface you will apply it to, and he or she will tell you whether the wallpaper requires a heavy-duty adhesive.