Anyone done much wallpapering recently?

[danielwebb]

I'm thinking of giving one of the rooms at home a bit of a refresh with some new wallpaper. I've never really done much of it myself, so just wondering how easy it is to get a decent finish.

Is it something worth having a go at yourself, or is it better to get a decorator in? Any tips on wall prep, matching patterns and getting the edges neat would be appreciated.

Edited by danielwebb on Thursday 15th October 14:27

[lufbramatt]

Did some last year. Actually went really well. Was bricking it as it was expensive wallpaper but pleased we did it ourselves.

Getting the walls as smooth as possible and not expecting the wallpaper to cover stuff up helped with a good finish. Planning out where each drop would go and understanding the repeat distance is essential. Also check how long to let the paste soak for, if the paper expands too much it will be hard to match the pattern.

Biggest thing for me was using the ready mixed paste rather than the sachets you mix yourself. The paper we used recommended the Sanderson ready mixed paste and although not cheap made the process so much easier and gave a better finish with zero bubbles or lifting edges.

Edited by lufbramatt on Wednesday 14th October 20:10

[Simpo Two]

In addition - though mixing wallpaper paste is no harder than making porridge - make sure you get enough paste on the edges, otherwise after a few years they can start to curl up.

Or save yourself the trouble and buy ready-pasted wallpaper. Just soak it in water for X minutes (you can buy troughs for that) and off you go. Either way, use a pasting brush to push out the air as you go, eg https://www.diy.com/departments/wallpaper-smoother...

You need enough paste to give some slip so you can position the paper accurately, but not so much you see pockets of it under the paper.

[Tyre Tread]

Don't buy cheap walpaper as it stretches and tears easily.

Its not hard but needs patience and care.

Measure twice, cut once.

Sharp knife or scissors and a good surface to work on are essential.

[Doofus]

Years ago, you could buy 'paste the wall' paper. Marvellous stuff, but I don't know if they still do it.

[richhead]

Certainly worth having a go, its alot easier than people think, as said make sure the paste is mixed well, and you use enough.
Another tip leave the hangs long and cut off extra when dry, it will tear when wet, and wipe any paste of the good side before it dries.
Getting all the air out is the trick, easy with a papering brush.
Lining up patterns just means you will need longer hangs to line them up and obvious wastage, so a paper with a close pattern is better

[Chris Stott]

I've done quite a bit over the last few years... it's pretty straight forward...

Get you layout right to avoid any slim cuts and make sure your first drop is plumb. I don't use ready mixed paste as it's stupidly expensive... easy enough to mix yourself. Paste the wall (with a paint roller) as it helps minimise any risk of your paper stretching. Wipe off excess paste asap. Have a good supply of disposable craft knives (with the break off blades)... a long straight edge is helpful for trimming.

Good quality paper makes the job easier, but sometimes you can't control what the client buys!

[craigjm]

Whether it is pretty straight forward or not also depends on what is on the wallpaper. Plain paper then yep very easy, lightly patterned wallpaper, fine, heavily patterned wallpaper and a wall that is not straight, has any turns on it or windows, not so much. Other than that the advice above is generally sound. Most wallpaper these days apart from the really cheap stuff is paste the wall and as above avoid cheap paper as it stretches and its easy to tear. Needs to be 140gsm and up.