Do it yourself wallpaper hanging: how to make corners fit perfectly

Hanging wallpaper can be tricky business, and one of the most common problems is trying to get corners perfect. Often after a house settles somewhat, the corners are no longer exactly square, making the task even a little more challenging. To hang wallpaper correctly, with as little hassle as possible, have a yard stick handy, along with a square, a wallpaper squeegee, a trimmer, a sponge and lots of water. Whether you're using pre-pasted wallpaper or the kind that you must apply paste to, it's important to get the wallpaper very wet. This makes it easy to slide into position and to re-position, if necessary.

Make sure any previous wallpaper is completely removed and that the walls are clean and prepped for hanging the paper. Any new drywall, fresh paint or spackled areas should be sealed with a primer. Allow the primer to dry for at least 24 hours. Most people who've had the experience of hanging wallpaper would suggest that you never start in a corner. This is good advice. Another important suggestion is not to allow the wallpaper section to end in the corner, even if this means cutting a strip off of the previous piece, then starting a new piece to wrap around the corner. This will only work on some patterns, so check how often the pattern repeats itself before cutting a piece of paper vertically, then make sure it can be aligned properly before proceeding around the corner.

Be sure and measure the length of your wall each time you cut a new piece for hanging. Sometimes the wall will be slightly longer or shorter in one place than it is in another, so after measuring the wall, allow 2-3 more inches so that you'll never come up short in the length. After getting the paper well-pasted, hang from the top, then smooth the paper with the sponge or the squeegee, aligning it to the bottom. When hanging the second piece, overlap the first piece on the vertical edge, a half inch. When rounding a corner, the side of your hand can be used to smooth the paper into the corner, but never use a sharp object, like a scraper. The scraper-like instrument is great for making sure there are no bubbles under the paper, but it can tend to poke a hole in the corner piece. A seam roller is another item which is helpful in smoothing out seams, but not so great for corners. Often it can appear that the paper is as far into the corner as possible, but if it isn't properly done, there can be a space between the corner of the wall and the back of the paper, which can be easily torn later. Not having the corner properly affixed can also cause that piece of paper to later begin coming loose. Any number of implements can be used to smooth the paper well into the corner, from a wooden spoon with a washcloth wrapped around the handle, to a hand-held sponge. What's important is to rub the wallpaper well, all the way down, first on one side of the corner, then on the other side.

Some people add extra glue to corners, just to make sure they stay attached. This is okay, but if you feel like your paper might not stick, it's best to re-apply paste to the entire sheet, rather than just the corner area. Basically, corners are not much different than any other section of the wall which you are papering. Just make sure to have good adhesive, take the time to measure and cut exactly, then smooth, smooth, and smooth some more, and you should have a perfect outcome each and every time.