Practical tips on how to properly align walls with wallpaper

Any room’s aesthetics can be greatly improved by aligning wallpaper with the walls to give it a polished, new look. A few useful pointers can make the wallpapering process go more smoothly and efficiently, regardless of whether you’re getting ready to do it for the first time or just want to get better at it.

Prior to starting, make sure your walls are dry, clean, and smooth. Take off any outdated wallpaper and use spackle to patch any holes or cracks. Smoothing out uneven surfaces with sandpaper will aid in the wallpaper’s even application.

Next, take precise measurements of your walls to estimate the quantity of wallpaper you’ll need. It is advisable to add a small amount extra to allow for errors made during installation and pattern matching. This preliminary step can guarantee a smooth finish and avoid delays.

Use an appropriate primer to prime your walls before applying wallpaper paste. This helps to seal the wall as well as increase adhesion, guaranteeing that the wallpaper sticks evenly and avoiding bubbling or peeling over time.

Make sure to measure and cut each strip of wallpaper exactly, leaving room for a small overlap at the edges. For a clean fit, this overlap can be cut after application. If there are patterns on your wallpaper that need to line up, don’t forget to match them.

Adhere uniformly to the rear of every strip using wallpaper paste, as directed by the manufacturer. Steer clear of oversoaking as this can cause tearing and overstretching. Before attaching each strip to the wall, give the paste the allotted amount of time to activate.

To guarantee a tight bond and eliminate air bubbles, gently smooth each strip using a clean, soft cloth or a wallpaper smoother. Push any extra paste toward the edges by working your way outward from the center. To get a result that looks professional, take your time.

Finally, use a straight edge and a sharp utility knife to trim any extra wallpaper from the corners, baseboards, and ceiling. To maintain clean edges, use a damp sponge to remove any extra paste. Make sure the wallpaper dries completely before rearranging the furniture.

You can create beautifully aligned wallpapered walls and give your room a brand-new look by using these helpful tips. A successful outcome is guaranteed with careful planning and attention to detail, whether you’re working on a single room or your entire house.

Why is this necessary??

No one even considered leveling the walls when they first started gluing wallpaper. The largest action taken was to pre-paste newspapers on the walls, which helped to somewhat mask all of the surface flaws. Pasting over outdated wallpaper is an additional choice. Even now, we still come across these rarities in the form of layer cakes from old wallpaper in apartments that have "experience."

Nevertheless, not all of the anomalies can be concealed by this technique. Furthermore, if you apply wallpaper directly to plaster or concrete, flaws will show through (see our guide on applying wallpaper to concrete walls for more information). No matter what wallpaper is selected, preparatory work is still necessary for even gluing to drywall. What will be particularly noticeable on the paper web is:

• any depressions;
• small tubercles;
• differences in levels between layers of plaster.

They can be seen visually as well as felt with the hand if the paper is excessively thin.

Small imperfections won’t stand out as much on thicker vinyl or non-woven fabric as they would on paper. However, there are some dangers involved. Such wallpaper will eventually begin to lag behind under its own weight if it is adhered to an unprepared surface. Under the canvas, there will initially be "islands" of emptiness that will only get bigger.

A room can be completely changed by aligning wallpaper with the walls, but perfect finish requires careful planning and execution. This post offers helpful advice on how to guarantee that your wallpaper aligns precisely. It covers important procedures like surface preparation, precise wallpaper measuring and cutting, and smooth wallpaper application to prevent bubbles and misalignment. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, knowing these tricks will help you produce results that look professional and improve the curb appeal of your house. Do you want me to also mention this in the article’s introduction?

Where to start?

• Remove all protruding elements from the wall surface. Small ones can be sanded, and a spatula will do for larger ones.
• Remove the remains of old wallpaper, dust, dirt. If in some places the plaster is already old and peeling off the wall, it is also better to get rid of it right away. It will not last long anyway.
• Check the evenness of the walls using a special level or the old-fashioned way with a cord and weight. This is necessary in order to determine the scope of subsequent work: in some places it will be possible to get by with only a primer, but in others it will be necessary to straighten the curvature of the walls themselves. At the same stage, they check the geometry of the room by measuring its diagonals (we talked about how to calculate the number of wallpaper based on the size of the room here.
• The walls are impregnated with a primer, the composition of which is selected depending on the surface material. The primer is applied in at least two layers, this will increase the adhesion of the wall surface.
• Before applying the compositions, you need to treat the walls with an antifungal solution.

How to do the alignment yourself before gluing?

Putty

Putty is the simplest solution for leveling walls. The dry mixture used to prepare the solution is in the highest demand. This usually presents no problems because the instructions cover every step. There are ready-made solutions for sale as well. There are two varieties of them:

Starters work well for evening out uneven surfaces and deep fissures. Finishing mixtures are used for the final leveling process. They smooth out the wall.

The wall surface can be made as smooth as possible by placing the starting and finishing layers perpendicular to one another.

You will need two spatulas for puttying. After removing a small amount of the solution from the container, the wall is covered with it using a long spatula.

• Gypsum putty. Suitable for wallpapering. Does not shrink. However, this type of mixture cannot be used where there is high humidity. Therefore, for kitchens where there is always a lot of fumes from cooking food, this is not the best option.
• Polymer putty. If you choose a high-quality mixture, it will become a universal basis for any further finishing work, including wallpaper. Like gypsum putty, polymer putty does not shrink, so it can be applied in a thin layer. However, such material is more expensive than others.
• Cement putty. Suitable for wallpapering, but has many disadvantages. This mixture hardens for a long time and cracks form on its surface. To avoid this, you have to apply the mixture in two layers, which increases consumption. It is also worth considering that cement putty shrinks after drying, so the final layer will be thinner than what was originally applied. But the cement putty mixture can be used in damp rooms.
• Lime putty. Not used for wallpapering, suitable for facade work.

We recommend watching this video to learn how to use putty to level a wall:

See our article for more information on puttying walls correctly.

Plaster

Plastering the walls will yield a better outcome than puttying. On the other hand, this option will require more time from you.

Note that the foundation of plaster is either gypsum or cement.

We’d like you to watch this video to see how to use plaster to putty walls beneath wallpaper:

Cement

Cement plaster is inexpensive, long-lasting, and simple to apply. Because of its susceptibility to cracking, this material is applied in layers no thicker than 2.5 cm or with the use of a reinforcing grid. It will take a long time for the cement plaster to dry.

We invite you to view the following video regarding wall putty using cement mortar:

Based on gypsum

Among the benefits of the information is the following:

• a small consumption of the mixture;
• safety;
• the ability to absorb and give moisture, which maintains the microclimate of the room.

Gypsum plaster dries faster than cement, so work cannot be tightened with it.

1. Before starting work, the wall is sprayed with water and the first layer of 3-5 mm is applied, which will fill all greater recesses and bumps. The solution for the initial layer is made in the ratio of the mixture and water 40% to 60%.
2. The next layer is soil. Its thickness is 5-7 mm. The mixture for this layer is thicker: it contains only 35% water.
3. The last layer is a finishing coating with a thickness of 2-4 mm. It is needed for final smoothing of the surface.

It’s important to keep in mind that you apply each layer of plaster only after the previous one has dried completely.

We’d like you to watch this video to learn how to use gypsum plaster to level walls:

Drywall

Plasterboard sheets can be used to level walls with good results. The fact that drywall is an excellent insulator of heat and sound is another benefit. Furthermore, this approach will assist in resolving the issue of uneven walls promptly.

Plasterboard does not need to be puttied before wallpapering. You can use the space between a sheet of drywall and the wall as a pocket for pipes and electrical wires for communications. The substance in question is safe and does not trigger allergies.

• If the unevenness is small, the plasterboard sheet is attached to the wall with glue, and for reliability, dowels are additionally used in several places.
• If the curvature of the walls is very noticeable (the difference is 7 cm), the material is placed on a special frame.
• Horizontal and vertical guides are attached to the wall at intervals of approximately 60 cm from each other. The smaller this distance, the stronger the structure.
• Then drywall is screwed to the slats with self-tapping screws. When fastening with self-tapping screws, their caps should be recessed into the sheet of plasterboard by 1 millimeter; in the future, the resulting defect will be hidden by plaster.
• The joints between the sheets need to be puttied.

You should be ready for the room’s area to decrease if you choose this option. Low strength and inconvenience when attaching hanging furniture and sockets are two more drawbacks.

In this material, we went into greater detail about using drywall for wallpaper.

How to make straight corners with your own hands?

It is preferable to use a perforated metal corner if you need to straighten an external corner, i.e., the one that faces out.

1. To do this, apply a layer of putty or drywall glue to the walls on both sides of the corner.
2. Then the metal corner is pressed into the adhesive.
3. The excess mixture is removed, and the surface is then cleaned with sandpaper.

This approach will reinforce the corner in addition to helping to level it.

Putty is also applied to the inner corner to level it:

1. The correct joint is formed using a rule, performing movements first along one wall, and then along the other.
2. The applied layer of putty is sanded with sandpaper, and then a finishing layer is applied to eliminate minor flaws.

Plasterboard panels are used to create corners that are perfectly even.

Read this to learn how to apply wallpaper glue in corners correctly and this to learn how to keep wallpaper from curling.

Wallpaper alignment can completely change a space, but it needs to be done carefully to ensure a polished, seamless finish. First and foremost, it’s imperative that your walls be smooth and clean. It is imperative to smooth out uneven areas and plug holes in the wallpaper because any flaws or dust will be visible through it.

Next, precisely measure and cut your wallpaper. If the pattern on your wallpaper repeats, be sure to match the patterns. Strong adhesion and the avoidance of bubbling or peeling later on are ensured by evenly applying the adhesive and letting it set for the prescribed amount of time.

When hanging the wallpaper, begin in a corner and work your way outward, gently pressing out any air bubbles with a wallpaper smoother. For a tidy appearance, carefully trim any extra wallpaper from the corners and edges.

Lastly, give the walls enough time to dry completely before putting the furniture back in its original location or letting it get too wet. This guarantees a proper setting of the adhesive and prevents any accidents that might harm your labor-intensive work.

Video on the topic

How to level walls for wallpaper and painting

Puttying crooked walls. 2 methods. Without plaster. TM Putty Brozex

How to align the walls with plaster correctly. Economy option!

How to align walls with wallpaper, the easy way