Renovation 4th Edition

by Michael Litchfield

  small one placed over a doorway. Another com-

  mon starting point is an inconspicuous corner.

  To determine exactly where wallcovering

  seams will occur, mark off intervals the same

  width as your wallcovering. Go around the room,

  using a ruler or a wrapped roll of wallcovering as

  your gauge. Try to avoid trimming and pasting

  very narrow strips of wallcovering in corners;

  this usually looks terrible, and the pieces don’t

  adhere well. You may want to move your starting

  point an inch or two to avoid that inconvenience.

  However, if the pattern is conspicuous, you

  might start layout with a strip centered in a con-

  spicuous part of a wall—over a mantel, over a

  sofa, or in the middle of a large wall. Choose a

  Wallcovering

  visual focal point, and mark off roll-widths from

  each side of the starting strip until you have

  Where windows are the focal point of a

  determined where the papering will end—

  room, position the wal covering accordingly.

  preferably in an inconspicuous place.

  If the window is a large picture window,

  You may want to center the pattern at a win-

  center the middle of the strip on the middle

  dow, if that’s the visual center of the room. With a

  of the window. If the focal point is two

  picture window, the middle of the strip should

  windows, center the edges of the two strips

  align with the middle of the window. If there are

  as shown.

  two windows, the edges of two strips should meet

  along a centered, plumbed line between them

  unless the distance between the windows is less

  than the width of a strip. If the distance is less,

  center a strip between the windows.

  Basic Papering Techniques

  Before you start hanging wallcovering, turn off

  the electricity to affected outlets, switches, and

  fixtures, and check with a voltage tester to be

  sure the power is off.

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  547

  P R O T I P

  Be as neat as possible when

  applying paste. Keep wiping the

  tabletop clean so paste doesn’t

  get onto strip faces. removing

  stray paste from wallcovering

  faces is a nuisance and, in the

  case of some of the more delicate

  coverings, a disaster.

  Use shears to rough-cut strips, leaving extra at each end for trimming and pattern matching. This pasting and layout table is a professional model, strong yet light, easily transported from job to job.

  Three Types of seams

  you can join strip edges in three ways: butt seam, overlap seam, or double-cut seams.

   The butt seam is the most common. its edges are simply butted together and

  rolled with a seam roller.

   an overlap seam is better where corners are out of square or when a butt seam

  might occur in a corner and not cover well. Keep the overlap as narrow as possible,

  thereby avoiding a noticeable welt and patterns that are grossly mismatched.

   Double-cut seams (also called through-cut seams) are the most complex of the

  three. They are used primarily where patterns are tough to match or surfaces are

  irregular; for example, where the walls of an alcove aren’t square.

  BUTT SEAM

  OVERLAP SEAM

  DOUBLE-CUT SEAM

  zzzzzz How to cut seams

  Remove

  Cut line

  these pieces.

  Gently pull cut strips over the edge of the table to

  counteract the tendency of wallpaper to curl.

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  Measure out from a corner or a jamb casing,

  if that’s where you’ll begin, and draw a plumb

  Prepasted Papers and Water

  line that will become the leading edge of the first

  strip. If the casing is out of plumb, allow the trail-

  Many wallcoverings come prepasted. Typically, manufacturers specify that indi-

  ing edge of the strip to overlap the casing enough

  vidual strips be soaked for 30 seconds in a tray filled with lukewarm water. But fol-

  to be trimmed with a razor knife without creat-

  low the directions printed on the back or supplied by the retailer. after soaking, pull

  ing a space along the casing. If the casing is

  each strip out of the tray and onto the worktable, book (fold) it, and allow it to

  plumb, simply butt the trailing edge to the cas-

  expand before hanging it on the wall. Precut the pieces before placing them in the

  ing. As you proceed around the room, continually

  check for plumb.

  water tray. otherwise, if you try to trim soaked strips, they’ll snag or tear.

  Many professional paperhangers will hang prepasted wallcoverings but hate

  cUTTing sTriPs To lengTH

  water trays because (1) water and diluted paste drips everywhere; (2) the water in

  the tray must be changed often; (3) a thin film of paste also ends up on the front of

  Measure the height of the wall and cut several

  the wallcovering; and (4) if the strips are soaked too long, they may not adhere

  strips to length, leaving extra at each end for

  well. instead, these pros roll prepaste activator onto the back of strips, just as you’d

  trimming and vertically matching patterns. Cut

  apply standard paste. rolling on an activator reduces mess and ensures good adher-

  the first two strips extra long. Slide the first strip

  up or down the wall until most (or all) of its pat-

  ence to the wall. last, pros sometimes roll thinned-down paste instead of activator.

  tern shows near the ceiling line. Don’t show less

  That may be oK, but first ask the supplier if the two pastes will be compatible.

  than half the pattern. The pattern along the base-

  board will be less visible and less important.

  On your cutting table, place the second strip

  next to the first, and align the patterns along

  their edges with two strips side by side. You’ll

  have a sense of how much waste to allow for pat-

  tern matching. (A pattern-repeat interval is often

  printed on the label packaged with the wall-

  paper.) Depending on the size of the patterns,

  each succeeding strip can usually be rough-cut

  with an inch or two extra at each end and then

  trimmed after being pasted.

  Do the rough-cutting at the table using shears.

  Do the trimming on the wall using a razor knife.

  Patterns that run horizontally across the face of a

  covering are called straight match. Patterns that

  run diagonally are called drop match and waste

  somewhat more material during alignment.

  Unless you are working with a delicate cover-

  ing, cut several strips at a time. But be careful

  not to crease them. Flop the entire pile of strips

  facedown on the table so the piece cut first will

  be the first pasted and hung. The table must be

  perfectly clean; otherwise, the face of the bottom

  strip could become soiled.

  PasTing

  Unless you’re experienced, buy premixed adhe-

  sive. But if mix you must, try to achieve a mix-

  ture that’s slightly tacky to the touch
. Add paste

  powder or water slowly: Even small increments

  can change the consistency radically. Finally, mix

  thoroughly to remove lumps.

  As you work, keep the pasting table clean,

  quickly sponging up stray paste so it won’t get on

  strip faces. Some coverings, such as vinyl, are not

  marred by stray paste on the face, but many oth-

  ers could be. Although the batch of paste you mix as you apply paste, roll it out from the center toward the edges. Hold down the wallcovering with should last a working day, keep an eye on the

  one hand to keep it from sliding as you roll.

  Wallpapering

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  HanGinG WallcoveRinG

  3. once the strip is correctly positioned, smooth it onto

  the wall, smoothing the upper end first and brushing out

  from the center toward the edges.

  1. after pasting the back of the

  2. To hang the first strip, unfold the top half and

  strip, fold both ends in, as shown, so

  carefully align it to the plumbed line you marked earlier,

  they meet in the middle. Be careful

  leaving an inch or so extra at the top. Gently slide the

  not to crease the folded ends. This

  strip into place. align each subsequent strip to the leading

  folding is called booking the paper.

  edge of the preceding one.

  4. With a taping knife pressed against the woodwork,

  trim the joint with a single-edge razor blade or razor

  knife. after trimming excess paper and smoothing out the

  strip one last time, sponge away any paste smeared on

  6. Use a plastic wallpaper smoother

  the woodwork.

  to flatten any lumps of paste. This

  tool is also useful for smoothing out

  heavier vinyls and the like.

  5. Join the seam with a roller,

  removing emerging paste with a

  sponge. Rinse the sponge and change

  the water in your pail often.

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  consistency. Paste should glide on, never drag.

  Rinse the paste brush or roller when you break

  Dry-hANgiNg

  for lunch and when you quit for the day.

  Until you become familiar with papering,

  If handled too much, many fabrics, foils, Mylar,

  apply paste to only one strip at a time. In other

  and grasses will separate from their backing

  words, hang each strip before pasting another

  once they absorb the paste. For that reason, pros

  one. Using a roller, apply paste in the middle of

  often dry-hang them. Here’s how: They roll paste

  the strip, toward the top. Spread the paste to the

  onto the wall and smooth the dry covering onto

  far edge and then to the near edge. For good

  it. However, leave this job to a pro because the

  measure, run the roller over strip edges twice

  paste must be applied impeccably even and the

  because it’s often hard to see if the paste along

  strips placed exactly—there’s little chance to

  the edges is evenly spread.

  adjust them. Likewise, these materials can’t tol-

  BooKing sTriPs

  erate sponging, rubbing, or seam rolling. Pros

  sweep them on with a soft-bristle smoothing

  For convenient handling, create loose folds of

  brush and let them be.

  pasted covering that you can carry to the wall,

  unfold without mess, hang, and smooth. The

  most practical folding method is known as book-

  ing, perhaps because the folds resemble the folds

  of a book dust jacket. When folding strips, do so

  seam. Raising one edge of the strip reduces the

  loosely; avoid creasing them.

  grip between paper and wall.

  Booking a strip (typically, for five minutes)

   Pull the strip off the wall, realign its

  also allows it to absorb the moisture in the paste, patterns along the seam, and brush it down.

  expand, and contract slightly to its final width. If

  But you’ve got to move quickly: Don’t wait

  you do not allow the wallcovering time to expand much more than a minute to pull the strip off.

  and contract before hanging it, it will do so on

   Pull off the strip, quickly sponge-clean

  the wall, either buckling or gapping at the seams. the wall, and hang a new strip. Don’t try

  Booking times vary: Pros who know their pastes

  pulling just one edge of the strip, however. At

  and papers will sometimes cut, paste, and book

  best, it will stretch, draw back when it dries,

  several strips at once, placing them into a plastic

  and open the seam. At worst, you’ll pucker or

  trash bag so the paste doesn’t dry out.

  rip the strip.

  However, if you paste several strips at once,

  keep track of the order in which you pasted

  P R O T I P

  them. And hang them in the same order.

  sPonging

  It’s impossible to overstate the importance of

  To reach your ceiling, you’ll

  Hanging PasTeD sTriPs

  gently wiping paste off wallcovering faces and

  probably need an elevated plat-

  To hang a strip of wallcovering, unfold the

  adjacent surfaces. If paste dries on a painted ceil-

  form. The safest option is rental

  booked upper fold (leaving the lower one folded)

  ing, it can pull the paint off. (If you see a brown

  scaffolding. in a pinch, sturdy

  and align the edge of the strip to your plumb line. crust along a ceiling–wall intersection, that’s

  planks running between two

  stepladders will do.

  Position the upper end of the strip an inch or so

  dried paste.) Paste will even pull the finish off

  above the ceiling line. Smooth the upper end of

  wood trim. Vinyl-on-vinyl and clay adhesives are

  the strip first by running a smoothing brush

  especially tenacious, so sponge off the excess

  down the middle of the strip and out toward the

  immediately.

  edges. Working from the center outward, brush

  Equally important: Change your sponge water

  air bubbles, wrinkles, and excess paste from the

  often so diluted paste doesn’t accumulate. Warm

  middle to the edges. Align subsequent pieces to

  water is best. And wring the sponge almost dry

  the leading edge of each preceding strip, checking before wiping. When you’ve wiped the surfaces

  periodically to make sure the strips are plumb.

  clean, come back with a soft, dry rag. But apply

  If the upper half of the strip is adhering well,

  only light pressure so you don’t move the wall-

  simply unfold the lower fold and smooth the

  covering, disturbing the seams.

  paper down, again brushing down the center and

  Don’t rub delicate wallpapers. Instead, blot

  out toward the edges with small strokes.

  them clean with a just-damp sponge. Before you

  If a butt seam doesn’t meet exactly, you have

  commit to any wallcovering, ask your supplier if

  three choices:

  it can be wiped (or blotted clean) with a sponge.

   Move a strip slightly by raising one of its

  If not, consider other
materials.

  edges and—palm on paper—using your other

  hand to slide the strip toward or away from the

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  TriMMing anD rolling

  Fixing Three small Flaws

  Where a strip of wallcovering meets a border,

  such as woodwork, a ceiling line, or a baseboard,

   A paste lump under the covering. First, try to flatten it with a plastic

  use a 6-in. taping knife to press the edges of the

  wall smoother. This may take several gentle passes. (Don’t use a metal blade because

  covering snug. Cut off the excess by running a

  it would snag on the lump and tear the wallpaper.) if there are many lumps, the

  razor knife along the blade of the taping knife. To

  paste is unevenly mixed. in this case, pull the strip off the wall, and sponge the wall

  ensure that strips fit tightly against a door or win-

  clean. Then adjust or replace your paste mix, and start with a new strip.

  dow casing, rough-cut them a little long. Then,

   Air bubbles that you can’t brush out. This is a common problem with

  using your taping knife, tuck the wallcovering

  vinyl wallcoverings. Use the point of a razor knife to cut a small slit. as you

  snugly against the casing and trim it more pre-

  gently force out the air with a smoothing brush, the slit will flatten out and then

  cisely. For clean cuts, razor blades must be sharp.

  become unnoticeable.

  Conventional wisdom suggests rolling seams

  

  10 to 15 minutes after the strips are in place—

  Edge not adhering. Pull it away from the wall slightly and dab on paste

  that is, after the paste has set somewhat. But the

  with a small brush. avoid stretching the covering, especially if it’s vinyl.

  master craftsman shown hanging wallpaper in

  the photos here prefers to roll the seams before

  he brushes out the paper. If you position the

  strips correctly, roll the seams, and then smooth

  the covering, he asserts, you’ll be less likely to

  stretch the wallpaper. Also, if seams don’t align

  correctly, you want to know that sooner rather

  than later so you can adjust or remove the strip

  before the paste sets up.

  In any case, rolling may cause paste to ooze

  from the seams. So be sure to sponge wallcover-

  ing clean as you work, unless you’re installing

  delicate or embossed wallcovering, which

  shouldn’t be rolled or wiped at all. Finally, use a