Apply wallpaper
Monday 13 December 2021
A step-by-step plan for wallpapering yourself
How do we wallpaper? Following this step-by-step plan, you will be able to wallpaper yourself, even as a beginner.
Equipment: a tape measure, rolls of wallpaper, ready-to-use glue, a (long) spirit level, a pencil, a wallpaper brush, wallpaper scissors, a wallpapering trowel, a spatula, a seam roller, a tarpaulin, a cloth and a sharp hobby knife.
Do you want to hang just one wall or an entire room? Always calculate how much wallpaper you need before you go and get it. To do this, you have to measure the walls concerned. A roll of wallpaper is usually 53 cm wide and 10 metres long. Divide the width of the walls concerned by 53. Then divide this number by 3: you need 3 jobs from a roll (provided your room is no higher than 3 metres). Always round up.
- Always pay attention to whether the wallpaper rolls you buy, all have the same batch number. So you know for sure that the wallpaper rolls come from the same printing series and that there is no colour difference.
Always check before starting the job that the rolls are undamaged and have no irregularities. - If necessary, remove old layers of wallpaper using a steam cleaner. If there is still (latex) wall paint on the wall, you should sand it first. This creates an absorbent surface to which the wallpaper can properly adhere. If you do not tackle old wallpaper or layers of paint, chances are that your wallpaper will come loose in time.
- Treat an absorbent surface with a primer, so that the wallpaper can attach well. Let the wall dry.
- Make sure that your walls are dust-free, clean, dry and smooth.
- Cut the strips to size for your wall. Make sure that each strip is 10 centimetres longer than the height of the wall. When papering, leave a space at the bottom and at the top.
- Mark the top of each strip. All the strips have to be hung in the same direction. Unless, of course, the rolls are numbered.
How should you wallpaper with non-woven wallpaper?
Are you going to use non-woven wallpaper? Wallpapering is a job in itself. Wallpapering with non-woven wallpaper makes it a lot easier for you, as a beginning do-it-yourselfer. When you start wallpapering with non-woven wallpaper, you can wallpaper the walls nicely and evenly because you can easily move the wallpaper around. The big advantage of fleece wallpaper is that you don't have to apply glue to the rolls anymore, but only to the wall. So there is no more wallpapering table and less mess. Winning!
- Determine the starting point. Start the second strip from a corner. Count the width of the wallpaper roll minus 2 centimetres. In the case of wallpaper rolls of 53 centimetres, you draw a point at 51 centimetres. From that point, draw a line perpendicularly downwards. Use a spirit level for this.
- Stir the glue well and smear the top with glue using a brush and the bottom well. Then use the roller to apply adhesive to the surface in between. Always spread the glue a little wider than the track. Spread the glue evenly and thickly enough.
- Now roll the sheet up with the back side outwards. The marking is therefore on the outside.
- Start rolling from top to bottom and do not forget to leave a few centimetres margin. When the sheet has hung, smooth it down gently with the spatula. Remove any blisters.
- Then press both the bottom and the top of the sheet firmly against the edges of the wall with the spatula.
- Then carefully cut away the excess wallpaper using the spatula.
- Repeat these steps for the next strips. Make sure that the seams of the strips fit well together. Press them together with the seam roller.
- Wallpapering in a corner is done in the same way as for the top and bottom of the wall. Hold the spatula firmly against the edge of the wall and cut off the residue with a sharp knife.
- In between, clean the ceiling and the skirting boards.