DIY paper wallpapering

Applying a new layer of wallpaper to your walls can be a fun do-it-yourself project that gives any space character and charm. Wallpapering offers a flexible and cost-effective way to achieve your desired look, whether you’re looking to create a calm and cozy atmosphere in your bedroom or a cozy atmosphere in your living room. With the appropriate resources and some preparation, you can confidently take on this project.

Getting all the supplies together is crucial before beginning the wallpapering process. Wallpaper (measured to fit your walls), wallpaper paste or adhesive, a smoothing brush or roller, a tape measure, a sharp utility knife or scissors, and a sponge for cleanup are usually required. Having these supplies on hand will facilitate the procedure and guarantee a more seamless application.

To achieve a perfect finish, preparation is essential. To start, give your walls a thorough cleaning and smoothing to get rid of any dust, grime, or flaws. After using spackling paste to patch any holes or cracks, sand the area smooth. This step improves the overall appearance of your wallpaper after it is applied in addition to ensuring better adhesion.

Next, take exact measurements of your walls and cut the wallpaper to fit, adding a few extra inches to the top and bottom for baseboards, corners, and ceilings. Using a paint roller or brush, adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions and apply the wallpaper adhesive to the wallpaper’s back. The wallpaper should be "booked" by gently folding the pasted sides together to allow the adhesive to set without drying out.

Start applying the wallpaper from the top of the wall once the adhesive has activated (usually after waiting for a predetermined amount of time). Use a smoothing brush or roller to remove air bubbles and guarantee a tight fit. If your wallpaper has a design, start working your way down the wall, being careful to match patterns. With a sharp knife or pair of scissors, trim off any excess at the top and bottom. Then, use a damp sponge to remove any remaining adhesive.

When applying wallpaper, make sure you give it enough time to dry completely before putting furniture back in its original position or adding more decorations. During the final stages of your renovation project, this drying period prevents potential damage and guarantees that the wallpaper sets properly.

You don’t need a lot of experience to produce results that look professional if you follow these instructions and take your time. DIY wallpapering adds a creative touch of personalization to your home while also improving its aesthetic appeal.

The nuances of gluing paper wallpaper

Paper wallpapers are known for being flimsy, inexpensive finishing materials in terms of both cost and style. Let’s investigate to see if this is the case.

1. Low-cost? And this is how you appear: separate models are available for 40–50 rubles per roll ("Mirage"). It’s hard to find it for less. However, paper is also the most costly: The approximate cost of an American Schumacher handset is $130,000 rubles ($2.0 thousand). The paper appears to be different.

2. Willful? Once more, it’s not that easy. Trellises with two or more layers (duplex) and single-layer (simplex) structures are available for purchase. The first ones are thin, inexpensive, erratic (hard to stick on the wall – the seams split when they dry and tear under your hands when you smooth them), and transient. More like a transient wall decoration, this.

The gluing technology that their parents and grandparents used to overlap was given new life by the wallpaper’s behavior. The fabric’s thin structure makes it possible for seams to go undetected.

Duplex multilayer wallpaper is composed of two layers: a decorative layer and a base that are adhered to one another tightly. Although they cost more than single-layer trellises, they last two to three times as long. Furthermore, there is no headache during the gluing process because they are more technologically advanced, smoothing out nicely, not getting too wet, and adhering seamlessly from end to end.

The idea of paper wallpaper has become unclear due to its multilayered nature. Therefore, these trellises, where the base is made of paper and the decorative coating is: are not limited to home craftsmen; some professional finishers also fall under this category.

• vinyl;
• textile;
• acrylic;
• velours;
• veneer;
• cork;
• bamboo;
• linkrust.

Paper wallpaper is also, though less frequently, thought of as a canvas with a non-woven foundation and a paper decorative layer. The characteristics of the wallpaper types listed are entirely different. It is important to note that paper wallpaper is regarded as canvases with only paper layers.

With the use of contemporary machinery, producing paper trellises with various textures can now be organized:

• smooth;
• embossed;
• for painting;
• embossed.

This led to the addition of various surface textures to the enormous array of colors and patterns. You can select wallpaper to match any interior style thanks to all of this. Remember that other kinds of trellises are not recognized by the royal classics. just paper.

Finally, one last detail to consider: imported wallpaper has a distinct size that should not be overlooked. As a result, American trellises are 8.23 meters long and 68 centimeters wide. Length: 25 m, width: 75 or 106 cm in Europe.

Which paper wallpaper is better to choose?

It is useless to give advice on paper wallpaper selection. Everybody has a different aesthetic and perspective on interior design. That being said, there are a few things I want to make clear.

Color spectrum

You can deliberately select the ideal color scheme thanks to the range of hues and tones available. Cool colors, such as gray and various shades of blue and green, are therefore appropriate for the south side of an apartment or home. Additionally, these hues visually enlarge the space, which is beneficial for apartments housed in buildings from the Khrushchev era.

You must select warm-toned and colored trellises when facing the north. Variations in yellow and beige make the perfect combination. For the hallway and corridor, dark, rich colors are advised.

You must adhere to the interior style in the living room. This can be any color. The bedroom only has soft undertones. Vibrant hues irritate the eyes and cause sleeplessness.

Density

Density is another important factor to consider when selecting trellises. It determines how strong the wallpaper is. This has an impact on everything: heavier trellises are easier to glue (they don’t stretch or tear), and they are more durable, making it harder for them to get damaged on the wall. Indeed, pets are exempt from this since they can easily itch any.

If the selection process is handled professionally, light wallpaper (density up to 110 g/m2) will quickly become wet and fall apart in your hands. Medium-density wallpaper (110-140 g/m2) is easy to glue to the wall, but only end-to-end—glued overlaps are difficult to cut. Heavy-density wallpaper (140 g/m2 or more) is difficult to glue in difficult-to-reach places due to poor elasticity.

Date of issue

Seldom do home craftsmen consider the article number, batch number, and day of manufacture when buying trellises. but ineffective. Paint for the next batch of wallpaper is replenished in the silk-screen printing apparatus. Theoretically, you could get the same shade the next time you refill. Tonality is always broken in practice. It is impossible to notice the difference in shades in a store or hypermarket, but as soon as it is adhered, it catches your attention. As a result, you must carefully read the insert’s text. The image below indicates where to look.

Which glue for paper wallpaper is better to choose?

An extensive assortment of glue for paper wallpaper is available in Russia. However, not all pastes satisfy the necessary specifications:

• have good adhesion to wallpaper and wall;
• easy to mix, without lumps, to the desired consistency;
• do not leave yellow marks on the surface of the trellis when drying.

Popular brands most closely fit the given requirements. Pricey:

• "Quelyd";
• "Metylan";
• "Kleo".

From the middle-class segment:

• "QUALITY" – good glue with an affordable price. Easy to stir, holds well;

• "Moment" classic. You can buy it for about 100 rubles. It has a thick consistency, which allows you to easily glue both penny simplex and dense duplex;
• "Econ" – German quality does not require special comments.

Cheap paste varieties can be identified as follows:

If you are unable to afford a middle-class or elite adhesive, it is preferable to forgo a cheap purchase and make the glue at home. Either way, the quality won’t deteriorate. You’ll require:

• starch – potato or corn (2 tablespoons);
• flour – any (1 cup);
• water – 2.5 l.

A tiny bit of wood glue can be added to improve the effect.

The recipe and technology used by the grandmothers make it simple to prepare: in a saucepan, bring 2.5 liters of water to a boil. In a bowl, combine flour and starch. Slowly pour in cold water. Everything has been thoroughly combined. Sour cream is then added to the resulting porridge along with hot water until it thickens. Once the water in the pan reaches a boiling point, the contents of the bowl are added and heated further. The paste is taken off of the burner. The cooled glue can now be used. It offers a lot of benefits.

• low cost;
• environmentally friendly;
• high adhesion for about 10 hours, after which you need to brew a new paste;
• easy to prepare.

There is one negative: daily brewing is necessary when working for several days.

Materials and tools

Even a novice in this field can successfully apply paper wallpaper. The most important thing is to make sure you have the required supplies and equipment on hand, and to adhere closely to all guidelines and advice.

The laser level is simple and easy to use, it will help to apply markings for smooth pasting of wallpaper quickly and efficiently, even if you have no experience in repairs. With it, you can quickly build a vertical reference point without deviations and inaccuracies, which will allow you to glue all the wallpaper strips evenly, correctly and beautifully the first time. You will not have to redo the work, and this will save you time, effort and materials. An excellent option for home use would be the Rokodil Ray Pro self-leveling level – it is suitable for all types of work, projects 12 lines in different planes at 360 degrees, the error during construction does not exceed 0.2 mm/m. The plumb point will provide quick and convenient transfer of marks from the floor to the ceiling. The green laser beam will be clearly visible in sunny weather, and 5 brightness adjustment modes will make work more comfortable. Autonomy when operating from the built-in battery will be more than 10 hours, operation from the network is possible. A 5-year manufacturer"s warranty confirms the reliability of the tool.

From the supplies you’ll need:

• rolls of paper wallpaper (quantity calculation is given below);
• universal or special wallpaper glue for paper;
• primer – no matter what some experts say, it’s still worth priming the walls.

Impressive scroll tools. Some are available with friends or at home. It will be necessary to buy the remaining items. The majority of the instruments on the list are consumables—used and then discarded.

The entire list consists of:

• stepladder. If it is not available, you can use the table. The main thing is to have access to the ceiling space;
• containers for glue and clean water. You can use 8 or 10 liter plastic buckets;
• a tray (cuvette) for primer and glue;
• a screwdriver with a mixing attachment for preparing glue – will speed up the work. If not, you don"t have to buy it. You can mix the glue yourself;
• rule. If you are not at home or staying with friends, you can make do;
• a roller with a telescopic handle and a small brush – needed for applying primer;
• plumb line – without it it is impossible to draw a starting vertical line. If you have a laser level, you don"t need a plumb line;
• construction pencil or marker;
• 3 or 5 m tape measure – helps to cut sheets of wallpaper;
• utility knife – used for trimming and trimming trellises;
• wide metal spatula – needed for trimming wallpaper near the ceiling and below;
• wallpaper spatula in the form of a wing made of plastic or rubber – smoothes the wallpaper on the wall, removes air bubbles;
• a special wallpaper roller made of thick rubber – needed for rolling trellises to the wall. The population is accustomed to performing operations manually. This trick works with thick wallpaper: duplex. With thin ones, not always – they either tear or stretch, resulting in folds;
• paintbrush or large paint brush for applying glue;
• a towel (napkins) for hands and removing the exposed glue (the glue can be removed with the same success with a foam sponge);
• a small rubber, cone-shaped roller for rolling joints.

Calculation of rolls

There are two ways to figure out how many tubes you need.

Method 1: The wall’s height is determined. In this instance, measuring the area to be pasted over is all that is required. This implies that the length of the trellis strip will be less than the height of the ceiling if there is a permanent floor or ceiling plinth. The resultant length of one strip is then divided by the tube’s length, which is typically 10 m. The number of complete sheets in a roll can be found in this manner.

In the following computation step, the perimeter’s length is calculated and divided by the trellis’s width (0.53 m). Divide the total number of sheets by the quantity of strips contained in a single tube. The intended number is the outcome. There are windows and doors whose area is not subtracted, some do-it-yourselfers may argue. Here, the explanation is straightforward: unanticipated losses are a constant. Expert finishers also suggest adding one or two more tubes to achieve the desired outcome. After all, if you buy more, you might receive a different batch with different colors.

The following formula can be used to express the above reasoning: P = T/L x M/K + 1(2).

• P — number of rolls of trellises, pcs.;
• T is the length of the perimeter of the room, m;
• L—tube width (0.53 m);
• M is the length of the trellis, m;
• K—tube length (10 m, 15 m, 25 m);
• 1(2) – additional 1-2 tubes for unexpected losses.

For every six, a trellis tube is added to all computations if the image height exceeds 6 cm.

Method 2: After calculating the room’s size and ceiling height, the desired outcome is extracted from the table below. The losses incurred in fitting the drawing are not considered.

Table 1 shows the calculation of the quantity of paper wallpaper rolls based on the room’s size.

Indoor ceiling height
Standard ceiling – 2.5m		High ceiling – 2.6-3m
Room area, m2	Number of tubes	Room area, m2	Number of tubes
6	5	6	7
10	6	10	9
12	7	12	10
14	8	14	10
16	8	16	eleven
18	9	18	12
20	9	20	13
22	10	22	14
24	10	24	15
26	eleven	26	16
28	eleven	28	17
thirty	12	thirty	18

Glue calculation

Use the glue pack’s consumption, which is listed on the front, to determine how many glue packs are needed. This is typically the quantity of 10 m long by 53 cm wide rolls that can be joined together with glue from a single pack. After that, it’s all very easy: just divide the total number of rolls by the amount consumed. The average value is used when a pack does not specify the exact number but only provides a range, such as 7-9 rolls.

Preparatory work

The process of hanging paper wallpaper starts with prep work, which can be divided into three separate blocks:

• wall preparation;
• wallpaper;
• glue.

Preparing the walls

The degree of surface preparation has a direct bearing on the durability and quality of paper wallpaper finishing. It ought to go easily. Your eyes will hurt from all the convexities and concavities otherwise. The article "How to prepare walls for wallpapering" goes into great detail about the procedure. Let’s not forget what we are discussing:

• Various fasteners are removed from the walls, the room is de-energized, after which switches and sockets are removed. The exposed wires are insulated, after which the voltage can be turned on;
• plinths and trims are removed from doors. In practice, it has been verified that by slightly losing time on the operation of removing and returning skirting boards and platbands to their place, it greatly simplifies the passage of the doorway and working with wallpaper near the floor;
• old finishing is removed – wallpaper, paint, whitewash;
• the plaster is being inspected – the walls are tapped with a hammer. If there are bouncing areas, the plaster layer is removed;
• cracks and chips that appear are repaired;
• areas contaminated with soot and grease are cleaned;
• the wall is primed with a deep penetration primer;
• plastered if necessary;
• after plastering, the surface is primed again and then puttied;
• before wallpapering it is primed again, but under the wallpaper. Many finishers skip the operation of priming concrete walls. Here you can do both. But it’s best to prime – the costs are small.

Note: It has been mentioned several times in different sections of our website that puttying drywall is a prerequisite before wallpapering it. Regretfully, the mistake keeps happening. The trellis sheets and gypsum plasterboard are then removed, much to the owners’ surprise.

Preparing wallpaper

Experts in the field never mix wet and dry methods when adhering paper wallpaper. Consequently, pre-cut panels for every wall. The following is the step-by-step algorithm:

• The height of the wall is measured in several places. If the difference in length does not exceed 2-3 cm, the average value is taken and the measurements are not returned – the plinth will hide the shortcomings. If the baseboard is not removed, you will have to measure every third sheet. Otherwise, you can cause trouble;
• the roll rolls out on the floor;
• use a tape measure to measure the length of the first sheet;
• the trellis fabric bends in the opposite direction. The fold is ironed by hand;
• if there is no fit according to the pattern, the tube is rolled back and forth until it runs out;
• Using a construction knife (scissors are inconvenient) the roll is cut along the folds into separate sheets.

When it comes to color adjustments, the process is different:

• the cut first sheet is turned face up;
• the roll is rolled out;
• the drawings are combined. The main thing here is not to confuse which side the next strip will be glued on;

• the second sheet is cut from the bottom, flush with the first sheet. The top will be cut off already on the wall. If you cut on the floor, you might make a mistake;
• the sheets are numbered on the reverse side.

Likewise, this applies to every wall. Every third sheet, if there is a noticeable variation in height, the entire process is repeated.

Glue preparation

There are preparation instructions on every glue package. You must adhere to it scrupulously. Ultimately, the adhesive mass can be destroyed by even the smallest deviation from the proportions. This is where you can find all the details about making glue.

Technology for adhering paper wallpaper

There are various sections to the directions on applying paper wallpaper to a wall:

• wall marking;
• pasting technique;
• passing corners;
• pasting difficult areas.

Wall marking

You have to decide where to work while the glue is setting. This might be a window, doorway, or corner. Start with the last window if there are multiple.

Based on past experiences, it is recommended to apply the first wallpaper strip in the corner, two to three centimeters away from the wall next to it. Markings made ahead of time with a pencil, rule (long ruler), and plumb line will make the work easier. You are unable to concentrate on the adjacent wall’s vertical because it may be slightly slanted in any direction. The initial line is drawn several centimeters away from the corner. Secondly, at a separation equal to the wallpaper sheet’s width. Drawing on wet paper will result in the paper stretching slightly and covering the lines you have drawn, so there’s no point in continuing.

Skilled finishers use these markings to identify each neighboring wall while they glue the trellises. helpful for navigating corners.

Pasting technique

Just in case, you should consider whether to apply the glue on the wall or the wallpaper before gluing paper trellises. On the insert, the manufacturer leaves a unique notation regarding this (see photo). This is 99% wallpaper as far as paper is concerned. Certain types of dense imported trellises are an exception; in these cases, the paste needs to be smeared on the wallpaper sheets as well as the walls.

Appropriate sequencing of tasks:

• the wallpaper sheet is laid on a flat, dry surface;

• Using a large brush or brush, apply the paste in an even layer to the first half of the sheet. Particular attention should be paid to the edge;
• part of the sheet with glue applied is bent so that the second, clean half remains visible;
• glue is spread on the remaining dry part of the surface;
• the second end of the sheet is bent in a similar way, after which it is slightly curled (the diagram is shown below). This operation is necessary so that the glue does not dry and the paper is saturated with the paste. The holding time is given in table 2.

Table 2. Time of wallpaper impregnation.

Density of fabric	Time for impregnation, min.
Simplex paper trellises	5
Duplex paper trellises	7-8
dense
very dense	10

• the soaked sheet is glued to the wall. To do this, the upper part of the wallpaper is opened, the lower part remains folded. Based on the markings, the sheet is glued. Use a wallpaper spatula to remove excess glue and bubbles. Movements from the middle to the edges. Removal is carried out from top to bottom. Any glue that gets on the wallpaper is removed with a dry cloth or sponge;

• the bottom opens up. All operations are carried out in the same order;

• the canvas is rolled to the wall with a special rubber roller. You can use your hands, but only thick wallpaper;
• The second sheet is glued using the same principle;
• after gluing the second sheet, the first sheet at the top is cut with a knife. A wide metal spatula helps to make an even cut. The strip is removed, the glue from the ceiling is wiped off with a rag. It is important not to miss a moment here: do not let the glue on the ceiling dry out;

• after all operations are completed, the joint is rolled with a narrow roller. If the glue has dried in some places, the edge of the wallpaper is carefully pulled away from the wall. The edge of the trellis is re-smeared with paste. Many finishers apply it with their fingers, although the correct method is to apply it with a brush. True, the result is the same.

Passing corners

There are multiple ways to pass both the inner and outer corners. The article "How to properly glue wallpaper in the corners of a room?" goes into great detail about each of them.

Pasting difficult areas

Radiators, sockets with switches, and window and door openings are examples of trouble spots.

Once the trims are removed, the interior door’s decorative elements will conceal any problem areas, making it easy to pass through. Using a window makes it just as simple. Using a stationery knife, trim the wallpaper along the window’s edge once it has dried.

Sockets and switches are replaced with a cross-shaped cut. The petals sag within the container.

The figure below shows how the radiators should be passed correctly.

How to prevent bubbles from appearing

There are several reasons why bubbles could appear on wallpaper:

• an imperceptible draft ran through the room;
• the trellis sheet is poorly coated with paste;
• wall with defects – there are sinks;
• heavy glue for purchased wallpaper;
• the canvas is not rolled tightly enough to the wall.

Experience demonstrates that bubbles appear as a result of at least one of the factors, even for the most seasoned professionals. However, in this case, the guiding principle holds true: if you created it, you will fix it.

Let’s examine how to remove bubbles from paper wallpaper before hanging it. The problem’s solution:

• If the glue has not set, smoothing it with a dry cloth will help. It is better not to use a spatula or roller – they can stretch the wallpaper in this place;
• puncture the bubble with a syringe, after which air and glue are removed through the hole. If the glue has dried, only air is squeezed out, glue is applied under the wallpaper with a syringe. The restored area is rolled to the surface with a roller;

• cutting the wallpaper with a safety razor – leaves an invisible mark if everything is done correctly (the technique is the same as with a syringe). A knife, no matter how sharp the blade, is excluded.

In conclusion, bubbles can be easily and quickly eliminated if they arise.

Be advised that thin wallpaper is not covered by anything mentioned above. Only the largest bubbles need to be eliminated in this case. As the paper dries, minor swells will naturally go away and the paper will stretch.

What is the best way to glue – overlap or butt

There are two ways to glue paper wallpaper:

• overlap, when each subsequent sheet is placed on the already pasted one;
• butt.

Because they have an edge strip, it is simple to identify which wallpapers are glued together with an overlap. While cutting off the edge on one side will require labor-intensive work, the gluing process is significantly simplified, requiring only that the pattern be fitted, if one exists.

This method is used for thin wallpaper because there is no other way to hang it; shrinkage will not separate the seams in new construction or wooden houses. It is impossible to glue thick wallpaper over thin; the seam will always show. With thin wallpaper, however, the seam is nearly undetectable. You can confirm this by examining the picture.

Even if the overlapping and embossed trellises have a low density of 100–110 g/m2 (thin), you cannot glue them together.

How long does it take for paper wallpaper to dry?

The right drying time is one of the requirements for the longevity of trellis wall decoration. Depending on who owns it. They ought to be aware that paper wallpaper takes eight to twenty hours to dry after adhering. It is forbidden during this period to:

• open windows – the slightest draft is enough to cause bubbles and saggy corners to appear near the ceiling;
• use fans, heaters, hair dryers indoors.

Many factors determine the precise drying time. Among them are:

• wallpaper thickness (density) – thin ones will dry faster;
• indoor air temperature;
• humidity level in the apartment;
• How warm are the walls?.

It is not advised to paint wallpaper before 24 hours after the job is finished because bubbles are likely to form.

Applying wallpaper to your walls can be a fun do-it-yourself project that gives your house character and appeal. Paper wallpaper comes in a variety of patterns and textures to fit any style, whether you’re covering an entire room or just creating an accent wall.

It’s crucial to properly prepare your walls before you begin. This entails giving them a thorough cleaning, making sure they are smooth, and removing any leftover residue or wallpaper. You’ll get a better result and aid in proper wallpaper adhesion if you take the time to prepare your walls.

Think about the size and lighting of the room when selecting your wallpaper. Darker hues can add drama and coziness, while lighter hues can open up a space and make it feel bigger. Patterns should not overpower the room; rather, they should enhance the current decor.

Take your time and carefully align each strip as you apply it. To guarantee a smooth surface and get rid of air bubbles, use a clean, moist sponge or a wallpaper smoother. For a polished appearance, trim extra paper from corners and edges neatly.

Lastly, give the wallpaper enough time to fully dry before rearranging furniture or hanging decorations. Being patient during the drying process will shield your freshly wallpapered room from unintentional damage and guarantee that it looks its best for many years to come.

DIY paper wallpapering is an inexpensive way to makeover any space in your home while adding charm and individuality. This guide includes all the information you need to successfully wallpaper your walls, from preparation advice to detailed instructions. Discover how to measure and cut wallpaper precisely, select the best adhesive, and expertly manage challenging corners. Learning this method enables you to add flair and creativity to your home, making it a satisfying and pleasurable project for any homeowner, regardless of experience level.

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