Wallpapering the Wall
Patch and prime the walls before you start. Primer can be white, clear, or tinted slightly to match the paper. Once you have primed, take a hard look at the paper you selected. The type of pattern determines how the strips are cut and glued on the wall. On straight-match and random-match papers, pattern along the left and right edges of the paper are the same, and installation is straight forward.On drop-match papers, such as the one shown at right, the elements are staggered along both edges. Aligning the pattern results in an uneven top edge, which is trimmed. This takes more time and wastes some paper but results in a more interesting patten. Cutting alternating strips from two rolls of wallpaper will cut down on some of the wallpaper waste, but don't get too far ahead of yourself. You have got enough to think about without trying to organize 100 strips of paper.
Begin in the least conspicuous inside corner of the room. Position the first strip so that most of the paper is on the first wall to be papered, with about 1/2 to 2 inches of the strip wrapping around the corner onto the adjoining wall. To lay out the strip, measure from the corner by the width of the paper minus the wrap. Draw a plumb line at the point guided by a level.
Cut the first strip of paper about 2 inches longer than needled so that it can temporarily overlap the ceiling and baseboard. Roll out the paper on a long work surface and cut the strip to length with scissors.
Apply activator or paste. Profession paperers and most wallpaper department recommend applying a paste activator instead of soaking prepasted paper: the bond is stronger and drying time is longer so you can move the paper around the wall more. Brush or roll on the activator following the manufacturer's direction. If you you use wallpaper without paste, brush on paste instead of activator.
Gently fold the ends toward the middle, glued sides together with the patterned side out. While it is sometimes unavoidable, try not to crease the paper. Wait one minute, or as directed, so the paste has a chance to activate before hanging. If you are called away from your project, tuck the paper in a plastic bag so that it stays wet.
Hang the first strip along the plumb line with a gentle but firm hand. Start by positioning the middle of the strip, and work your way up to the top, sliding the paper to align it. Align the bottom and work it gently against the wall. Go back to the top and smooth, but don't stretch, the paper onto the wall with a brush or a flexible plastic smoother. Coax any bubbles out of the edges.
Hang the second strip and then trim the first. Allow the glue to dry on the first strip while you hang the second strip, and then go back to trip the first. Trim as shown, placing a broad knife between the paper and the cutting knife, and guide the cut along the edge of the broad knife. A plastic smoother can also be used as a straightedge.
But subsequent strips against each other. After you hang a few strip, go over the seams between them with a seam roller to fix the edges in place. Don't force too much paste out from under the strips or your seams will loosen. Sponge paste from the surface with clean, warm water. Foils and flocked or embosses papers may be damaged by rolling; instead, press along the seams with a smoothing brush.
Paper over electric switches and outlets. Cut away excess paper. Before cutting around an electrical box, shut off the power to the room. Make four diagonal slices, starting at the center of the box and working toward the corners. Avoid cutting into the outlet or switch. Trim to make a rectangular opening, leaving enough paper for the cover plate to conceal the edges.
