how to hang a wallpaper border

Wallpaper is a popular covering for plaster walls for many reasons. It comes in a variety of colors, patterns, and designs. It also covers up minor cracks, dimples, and other flaws in plaster walls that paint and other coverings cannot. Then, to finish a wallpapered wall, border is often hung up either at the top of the wall or at the middle. The colors, pattern, or design of the border often accents the wallpaper. After hanging wallpaper and border, the finished product is a beautiful, smooth - looking wall.

Border comes in thin or very wide widths; it can be straight - edged and scalloped too. It doesn't necessarily have to be hung with wallpaper. It can also be hung over painted walls in order to add a touch of fancy decoration.

If you want to add a wallpaper border to a room in your house, you will first need to determine how many rolls you need. Simply measure the length and width of the room. Double these dimensions and divide the answer by the size of the roll of border. For example, if the room is ten feet long and eight feet wide, that would equal eighteen feet. Eighteen feet times two equals thirty - six feet. A roll of border is typically five yards long which equals fifteen feet. Thirty - six divided by fifteen is two with a remainder. Round that answer up, and you'll find that you need three rolls of border for the room. Always allow extra border for overlapping when you match patterns and designs.

Next, in order to hang border on top of wallpaper, you will need to wipe the area clean with a damp cloth. Then, when you hang the border, you will need to use a good - quality adhesive. You do not moisten the border with water. Otherwise, the border won't adhere properly to the wallpaper.

Now, you will need to start with the first strip of border. It's best if you can use an entire roll at once, with the assistance of a couple of helpers. The less you cut the border, the fewer number of overlapping you will have on the walls, and the smoother it will look. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package in order to achieve the best results. Basically, though, you will need to unroll the pre- pasted border and place the adhesive on it. Make sure that you cover the back of the border evenly and completely. Then, carefully book the border, and let it set a few minutes while the adhesive soaks in and moistens the paste.

In the world of wallpaper and border, the term "booking" refers to the way the paper or border is folded over. You start at the end, and you fold the strip over repeatedly so the glued side is placed on to itself. When you are finished booking a strip of wallpaper or border, it resembles an accordion.

Once the wallpaper border is ready to hang, you will need to carefully unfold a section of it, then, position that section against the wall. When it is where you want it to hang, press it against the wallpaper. Gently rub any wrinkles or air bubbles out with a clean, moist cloth. Continue to rub the border and press it down against the wall. Once the first section is finished, move onto another section, positioning and pressing as you go.

When you reach the corner of a wall, allow the border to overlap a half of an inch. Then, use a sharp wallpaper cutter to carefully miter the border in the corner. To do this, you will need to overlap the ends. Then, make a forty - five degree diagonal cut with your wallpaper cutter and the straight edge of a ruler. Cut clear through the border pieces and discard the waste.

If you need to trim the border around windows, door frames, et cetera, hold the border down firmly and use your wallpaper cutter to trim as necessary.