| TOOLS FOR WALLCOVERING |
|
- A large
surface (table or flat door)
- Stepladder/step stool
- Wallpaper scoring tool
- Razor blade
holder or snap blade and scissors
- Plumb bob (or
make your own with a string, tack and weight such as a scissors
and chalk)
-
Smoothing brush to smooth paper
- Wide metal putty
knife
- Wallcovering seam roller
- Wallcovering water tray
(prepasted only)
- Screwdriver for removing switch plates and outlet covers
- Sponge, bucket and cleanup cloths
- Drop cloth
- Sandpaper and wallpaper sizing
|
| 1. PREPARING
WALLS |
|
Fill any holes or cracks with spackling compound. Let dry, sand, smooth and prime. Remove any previous wallpaper or vinyl wall-covering with a wallpaper removal tool. Clean walls so they are free of foreign substances. Thoroughly cure new plaster walls and seam-tape and prime new drywall. Sand glossy walls until dull. All walls should be sized. |
| 2. A STRAIGHT
START |
|
Establish a true vertical line from ceiling to floor before
hanging the first strip. Start the project in an inconspicuous
spot such as behind a door, in a corner or next to a window. At
this spot, measure out the width of the wallcovering minus 1/2"
and tack a plumb bob at the ceiling line (Figure A). When
the plumb bob stops swaying, lightly mark the wall with a pencil
about 2" above the baseboard. Hold string taut against the
baseboard mark and give it a quick snap to mark a true vertical on
the wall. Use the chalk line as a guide for positioning the first
wallcovering strip, wrapping the strip into the corner and 1/2"
onto the adjoining wall. Strike a new plumb line before you start
each new wall. |
|
| 3. CUT AND
MATCH |
|
Measure wall height in several spots. Take the highest number and
add 4' for trimming at ceiling and baseboard. Cut each
wallcovering strip this length after matching the pattern. If the
wallcovering has a pronounced pattern, plan to have an entire
motif below the final trimmed top edge for the most pleasing
effect. Roll out the next strip alongside the first strip. Match
patterns before cutting. Repeat with each strip before
cutting. |
| 4. PREPARING
PREPASTED WALLCOVERING |
|
Most
wallcovering comes prepasted and is easily installed. Loosely
re-roll strips pattern side in, adhesive side out. Start at the
bottom of the strip so the top (which goes at the ceiling) is the
outer flap (Figure B). Fill a wallcovering water tray with
the rolls for timing. Lay a weighted object such as a screw driver
inside the roll to keep it immersed. Change water often to prevent
adhesive build-up on the wallcovering face. |
 |
| 5. FOLDING THE
WALLCOVERING |
|
Remove strip from water tray, unwinding it slowly, loosely fold
the strip pasted sides together without creasing (Figure
C). Follow the directions included in the rolls for adhesive
setup time (Usually 3 minutes).
PREPARING
UNPASTED WALLCOVERING
Roll
out wallcovering strip, pattern side down. Apply adhesive to top
half of strip with a wide brush or roller, working from end to
center. Repeat this procedure with the bottom half. Follow
adhesive instructions for setup time.
|
 |
| 6. HANGING THE
STRIPS |
|
Unfold top half of strip and apply to the wall leaving a 2"
overlap at the ceiling. Stroke the wallcovering with smoothing
brush from the center toward the edges until all wrinkles and air
bubbles are removed (Figure D). Unfold lower half and
repeat smoothing procedure. If wrinkles occur, pull strip away
from wall and rehang. |
| 7. TRIMMING TOP
AND BOTTOM |
|
Trim strip at ceiling and baseboard with a razor or snap blade
knife and putty knife. Hold the putty knife against the ceiling or
trim and cut with the razor knife along the top of the putty knife
(Figure E). Change knife blades often for best results.
Reposition (do not drag) putty knife and slide blade along without
lifting for a clean, even cut. |
 |
| 8.
BUTTING STRIPS |
|
Fit strip edges together without any overlap or gap. Hang new
strip of wallcovering the same way as the previous one, carefully
matching patterns at seam. Use edge of previous strip as a
vertical guide (Figure F).Allow wallcovering adhesive to
set a minute, then if necessary roll the seam edges with a roller
to ensure adhesion and a tight seam. Wipe excess glue from the
wallcovering surface with a damp cloth or sponge as you go
(Figure G). |
|
9. ROUNDING
CORNERS
|
|
For inside corners, measure from edge of last strip to
corner (at ceiling, middle and baseboard). Add 1/2" to the widest
measurement and cut the next strip to this width. Save the
remainder. Hang the strip turning the corner 1/2" onto the
adjoining wall. Establish a plumb line on the new wall for hanging
the remaining part of the strip. Hang the remainder, overlapping
the 1/2" from the previous strip into the corner. For outside
corners, follow the same technique of measuring, cutting and
wrapping inside corners. Slit excess at the ceiling and baseboard
to smoothly make the turn around the corner. Strike a new plumb on
the adjoining wall to hang remainder of the strip. |
| 10. DOORS &
WINDOWS |
|
Hang a strip over the door or window from ceiling to the floor.
Measure and cut excess with scissors. Cut diagonally at corner,
fit, and smooth. Smooth the rest of the strip up to the edge of
the molding. Finish by carefully cutting along the molding edge
with snap blade or razor using a putty knife as the
guide. |
| 11. OUTLETS
& SWITCH PLATES |
|
Make sure all electricity is turned off, then remove outlet cover,
hang wallcovering and diagonally cut at the opening, then replace
outlet cover. |
| 12.HANGING
A BORDER |
|
For prepasted borders going over a painted surface, cut border the
wall length plus 1/2". wet border. Accordion-fold loosely, paste
to paste, avoiding creasing (Figure H). Apply to wall.
Overlap at corners as indicated for full strips. To frame a window
or doorway, butt or miter corners. To miter, overlap border at a
90 degree angle and cut from outside edge to inside edge at 45
degrees. Remove excess wallcovering and butt the 45 degree edges
together to form a right angle of the border. When applying a
border over wallcovering, use a vinyl-to-vinyl
adhesive. |
 |
| 13. COVERING A
CEILING |
|
Preparation
and and application are the same as for walls, with these
differences: Cover ceilings first, then walls. Work crosswise
rather than lengthwise, since shorter strips are easier to handle.
Enlist the aid of a friend to help smooth strips onto the ceiling.
Use a broom or mop to get the wallcovering up (Figure I).
Once there, you can slide it into proper position and smooth with
a wallcovering brush (Figure J). |
 |
| HELPFUL HINTS
|
|
- Buy an extra
roll of wallcovering to keep in case an area is ever damaged.
- Unwanted bubbles
are easily removed by cutting an "X" into the bubble and carefully
lifting the edge. Apply paste and press back into
place.
- Note dye lot
number, pattern number and collection name for future
reference.
- Do not use
newspaper to cover your work table. Ink from paper may stain
wallcovering.
- Take along
scraps of wallcovering to coordinate colors and patterns when
shopping for other furnishings.
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