Tips for hanging wallpaper

The very first step to take before you begin wallpapering is to determine how much paper you need. There is a simple formula for figuring this out that anyone with a degree in calculus can explain to you. Or when you get to the home repair store you could ask the salesperson for help. They will ask for the dimensions of the room that you intend to wallpaper. Make sure you have all of these measurements with you. The salesperson will look over your figures and do some calculating to figure out what you need. You should always buy more than you need for a few reasons, one the calculations may be wrong. You can always use any leftover wallpaper on hand to repair later rips and tears.

When purchasing supplies do not be sidetracked by all that is available for hanging wallpaper. You may be slightly overwhelmed when shopping for supplies, due to the wide variety of paste available, wallpaper to choose from and many other supplies that are not needed. Such as a seam roller, mixing buckets and a cutting edge. Your will need five main items, the wallpaper of your choice, any package of paste, a package of sizing, a pasting brush and a long flat brush to smooth out the lumps.

Before you begin wallpapering, take everything out of the room except your supplies. Wallpapering is a messy job and the paste and bits of wallpaper can ruin furniture. It is extremely hard to remove from hardwood floors, furniture and rugs. Take a large sheet of plastic and cover all rugs and carpets, this will prevent destroying them.

The first step in applying the paper is cutting it to the right length. You need to leave a little extra paper at the top and bottom of each piece so that you can move it up or down to make the pattern match the preceding piece. But you can not waste too much paper, or you might run out.

You will need a large, flat surface on which to lay the paper while spreading paste on it. Or you can use pre-pasted paper that has dried paste on it and needs to be dunk into water. The amount of paste on pre-pasted paper is not enough, to make the paper really stay on, add some regular paste before hanging it on the wall. For pre-pasted paper you will need a long plastic tray to soak it in.

The first piece of wallpaper that you put up should be straight up and down or all the other pieces will become crooked. Never start wallpapering near a corner, if the part of the corner is wider than the part that comes before it, cut a narrow strip that barely goes around the corner and start with a new strip.

After the piece of wallpaper is where you want it you will need to trip off the excess at the top and bottom. You can trim the paper while it is still wet or you can trim the paper after it dries. Trimming will be easier if you use a sharp, new razor blade not an old one.