moderate pressure when rolling. After all, you’re
trying to embed the wallcovering in the paste,
not crush it.
Complex and
Special-Care Areas
Installing wallcovering would be a snap if there
were no corners, doors, windows, and electrical
outlets, where you need to use extra care.
TilTing TriM anD
cocKeyeD corners
In renovation work, door and window casings
and corner walls are rarely perfectly plumb, but
strips of wallcovering must be. If your first strip
begins next to an out-of-plumb casing, for exam-
ple, overlap it by the amount the casing is off
plumb. After brushing out the wallpaper, trim the
overlapping edge. Thus the leading edge of that
strip will be plumb, as will the leading edge of the
next strip. Still, always double-check for plumb
before hanging subsequent strips.
To avoid a noticeable welt of overlapped paper in an inside corner, pull back
inside corners. If an inside corner is cockeyed, a
one strip and trim off the excess paper. if corners are out of square, plumb the
strip of wallcovering wrapping the corner will be
leading edge of each wall’s first strip.
out of plumb when it emerges on the second
wall. First, use your spirit level to determine
which way the walls are leaning. Then trim down
552 chapter 19
as you wrap an outside corner with wallpaper, relief-cut the top of the strip at the corner, as shown.
otherwise, the paper won’t lie flat on both walls.
the width of the strip so it is just wide enough to
reach the second wall—plus a 1⁄8-in. to 1⁄4-in. over-
lap. (Save the portion you trim off: If it’s wide
zzzzzz ceiling Folds
enough, you may be able to paste it onto the sec-
ond wall, thus attaining a closer pattern match in
the corner.)
Now, hang a strip of wallcovering on the sec-
ond wall, plumbing its leading edge to a plumbed
line you’ve marked on the wall first. Tuck the
trailing edge of the strip into the corner so that it
overlaps the first strip. There will be a slight mis-
match of patterns, but in the corner, it won’t be
noticeable. If you don’t like the small welt that
An accordion fold is easiest to
results from the overlap, use a razor knife to
unfold as you paper a ceiling and
double-cut the seam. However, if your walls are
helps keep paste off the face of
old and undulating, they’ll make it tough to cut a
the wallcovering.
straight line. Ignoring a slight welt may spare you
a lot of frustration. In any event, don’t butt-join
strips at corners because such seams almost
always separate.
outside corners. Outside corners project into a
room and are very visible. So when laying out the
job, never align the edge of a strip to the edge of
an outside corner. These seams look terrible ini-
tially, and they often fray or separate over time. If
Wallpapering
553
FiTTinG oveR oUTleTS anD FixTUReS
Before hanging paper over an electrical outlet, switch, or fixture, turn off
power to that outlet and check that it’s off by using a voltage tester.
cutting option 1: loosely hang the paper, locate the
cutting option 2: loosely hang the paper, and cut around
outlet, and cut a small x over the center of the outlet,
the outside of the outlet box. When the cutout is
extending the x until the paper lies flat.
complete, brush the paper flat.
the edge of a strip would occur precisely at a cor-
It’s preferable to remove fixtures such as wall
ner, cut it back 1⁄2 in. and wrap the corner with
sconces, but that’s not always possible. For exam-
the edge of a full strip from the adjacent wall.
ple, sometimes mounting screws will have cor-
Relief-cut the top of the wallcovering where it
roded so badly that you would damage the fix-
turns the corner, as shown in the photo on p. 553, ture trying to remove them. In that case, after
so the top of the strip can lie flat. Remember to
matching the wallcovering pattern, cut the strip
plumb the leading edge of the new strip.
to the approximate length. Then measure on the
wall from the center of the fixture in two direc-
PaPering aroUnD elecTrical
tions—say, from the baseboard and from the
oUTleTs anD FixTUres
edge of the nearest strip of wallcovering. Transfer
those dimensions to the strip you will hang. If
Turn off electricity to the affected outlets and fix-
you apply paste after cutting a small X, avoid
tures, and confirm that it’s off by using a voltage
fraying the edges of the cut with your paste brush
tester, as shown on p. 268. Remove the cover
or roller.
plates and other hardware from the outlets so the
Hang the strip, and gradually enlarge the X
hardware protrudes as little as possible.
until it fits over the base of the fixture. Smooth
For an outlet relatively flush with the surface,
down the entire strip, trim closely around the fix-
simply position the strip over it. Then, over the
ture, and wipe away any paste that smeared onto
center of the outlet, cut a small X in the strip.
the fixture.
Gradually extend the legs of the X until the strip
lies flat. Even though the outlet’s cover plate will
PaPering ceilings
cover small imperfections in cutting, cut as close
as you can to the edges of protruding hardware
People rarely paper ceilings anymore, unless
or the electrical box. Smooth the strip with a
they’re trying to replicate a historical look. Even
smoothing brush, and trim any excess paper. If
in papered rooms, ceilings are usually painted.
the edges of the cutout aren’t adhering well, roll
Even professionals find papering the ceiling chal-
them with a seam roller.
lenging and time-consuming. So get a helper if
554 chapter 19
possible, and paste only one strip at a time until
you get the knack of it. Cover ceilings before
walls because it’s easier to conceal discrepancies
with wall strips.
zzzzzz Papering an arch
Because shorter strips are easier to handle,
always hang across the ceiling’s shorter dimen-
2-in.
overlap
sion. Snap a line down the middle of the ceiling
and work out from it. Cut strips for the ceiling in
the same manner described for walls, leaving an
inch or two extra at each end for trimming.
However, folding the covering is slightly differ-
Relief
cuts
Two strips cover
ent. It’s best to use an accordion fold every
relief cuts and
meet in a double
11⁄2 ft. or so, which you unfold as you smooth the
cut seam
strips across t
he ceiling. (Be careful not to crease
the folds.)
With your smoothing brush, sweep from
the center of the strip outward. Once you have
unfolded the entire strip, make final adjustments
to match seams and smooth well. Roll seams
after the strips have been in place for about
10 minutes.
arcHes anD alcoves
2-in.
Consider painting the inside of arches: It will be
overlap
easier and look better than papering them.
However, papering curved sections isn’t difficult,
provided you allow enough extra wallcovering
for overlaps and trimming and for makin
Relief g
pattern adjustments.
cuts
Two strips cover
relief cuts and
Before papering an arch, try to position wall
meet in a double
cut seam
strips so their edges don’t coincide with the verti-
cal (side) edges of the arch. Just as it’s undesir-
able to have wallpaper seams coincide with an
outside corner, seams that line up with an arch-
way corner will wear poorly and look tacky.
When hanging strips over an arch, let each strip
drape over the opening, then use scissors to
rough-cut the paper so it overhangs the opening
by about 2 in. Make a series of small wedge-
shaped relief cuts in the ends of those strips, and
Touch-Ups AND rePAirs
fold the remaining flaps into the arch. Then cover
the flaps with two strips of wallpaper as wide as
SMUdGES And STAInS. Clean washable wallcoverings by rubbing them gently with
the arch wall is thick. Typically, these two strips
soap and water. A commercial cleaning dough removes stains when rubbed lightly
meet at the top of the arch in a double-cut seam.
over a soiled spot. As the dough gathers grime, fold the dough in on itself, exposing
If possible, match patterns where they meet.
clean dough surfaces. you can blot (not rub) most nonwashable coverings with
Double-cutting is also useful around alcoves
commercial, stain-removing solvents. your wallcovering supplier can suggest one.
or window recesses, where it’s often necessary to
GASHES. First, try to repaste the torn flap. If that doesn’t look good, rip—don’t
wrap wall strips into the recessed area. Problem
cut—a patch from a spare roll of the same covering. The ragged edge of a ripped piece
is, when you cut and wrap a wall strip into a
will be less obvious than straight edges cut with shears or a razor knife.
recess, you interrupt the pattern on the wall. The
best solution is to hang a new strip that slightly
dEnTS And CrACkS. repair dents and cracks in the wall behind, and gently tear
overlaps the first, match patterns, and double-cut
free any unpasted paper around the gash. Paste the back of the ragged-edge replace-
through both strips. Peel away the waste pieces,
ment, carefully aligning its pattern with that of the existing covering before
smooth out the wallpaper, and roll the seams flat.
smoothing down the patch.
Wallpapering
555
20 Flooring
as well as structural members such as joists and
In the old days, flooring was the last
girders. If finish floors are to be solid and long
building material to be installed and the first to
lasting, all parts of the flooring system must be
show its age, as it was crushed by footsteps, swol- sized and spaced correctly for the loads they will
len by moisture, and abraded by dirt. Foot traffic carry. Also, although some flooring materials can
is as heavy and gritty as ever, but today’s crop of
withstand moisture better than others, all will
engineered flooring and floor finishes is far more degrade in time if installed in chronically damp
durable—and varied.
locations. In other words, correct underlying
Flooring is only the top layer of a system that
problems before installing new flooring.
usually includes underlayment and subflooring,
You can rent many of the specialized tools needed to refinish or install flooring. Before you
leave the rental company, have a salesperson explain how to operate the equipment safely
and, in the case of sanders, how to change the paper.
556
Flooring Choices
solid
engineered
resilient
tile &
characteristic wood
wood
laminate flooring bamboo
Palm
cork
stone
concrete
durability
good
Very good
Excellent
Excellent
Very good
Very good
good*
Excellent
Excellent
required
Sweep
Sweep
Sweep
Sweep
Sweep or
maintenance
regularly
regularly
damp mop
damp mop
regularly
regularly
damp mop
Wet mop
Wet mop
good to
water resistance†
Poor
Fair
good
excellent
Poor to fair
Poor to fair Poor
Excellent
Excellent
comfort underfoot Flexes
Flexes
Flexes
Soft
Flexes
Flexes
Soft
Hard
Hard
lino, yes;
green creds
Yes
Mixed
no
vinyl, no‡
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Mixed
cost§
$ to $$$
$ to $$
$
$
$ to $$
$$
$$ to $$$
$$ to $$$
$ to $$
* Durable but deforms if furniture sits on same spot for too long.
† Correct persistent moisture problems before converting any area to living space.
‡ Linoleum and recycled rubber are considered green; vinyl is not.
§ Costs do not reflect installation charges.
This chapter begins by introducing some of
Wood Flooring
the more exciting flooring choices. Then it
The revolution that produced engineered lumber
explains how to strip and refinish wood flooring
has also transformed wood flooring. In addition
and how to install wood flooring, resilient floor-
to solid-wood strips and planks, there are lami-
ing, and carpeting. Tile floors are covered in
nated floorings, some of which can be sanded
chapter 16.
and refinished several times. There’s also a wide
range of prefinished flooring.
Flooring Choices
Solid-wood flooring is solid wood, top to bot-
These days, choosing flooring is almost as com-
tom. The most
common type is tongue-and-
plicated as buying a car. The old standbys such as groove (T&G) strip flooring, typically 3⁄4 in. thick
solid wood, tile, and linoleum have been joined
by 21⁄4 in. wide, although it’s also available in
by hundreds of ingenious hybrids, from snap-
1⁄2-in.-thick strips and widths that range from
together laminates that mimic wood or tile to
11⁄2 in. to 31⁄4 in. Hardwood plank flooring is
bamboo planks to prefinished maple the color of
most often installed as boards of varying widths
plums. To make them tougher, floor finishes may
include ceramics, aluminum oxides, or titanium.
Basically, you should try to choose flooring
that’s right for the room. Some factors to consider:
Compatibility with the house’s style or
historical period
Ease of installation
Ease of cleaning and maintenance
Scratch and water resistance
Durability
Comfort underfoot
Sound absorption
Anti-allergenic qualities
“Green” practices for wood flooring,
such as sustainable-forest harvesting
Cost
These HomerWood® hand-scraped planks have a cinnamon cherry finish.
Prefinished flooring, such as this, spares you the effort of sanding, the stink of
noxious fumes, and a week of waiting for the floors to dry.
Flooring
557
Here’s a typical cross section of
(3 in. to 8 in.), random lengths, and thicknesses
solid-wood tongue-and-groove
of 3⁄8 in. to 3⁄4 in. Parquet flooring comes in stan-
strip flooring.
dard 3⁄8-in. by 6-in. by 6-in. squares, though some
specialty patterns range up to 36-in. squares.
Because red and white oak are attractive and
durable, they account for roughly 90% of hard-
wood installations. Ash, maple, cherry, and wal-
nut also are handsome and durable, if somewhat
more expensive than oak. In older homes, soft-
wood strip flooring is most often fir, and wide-
plank floors are usually pine. If you know where
to search, you can find virtually any wood—old
or new—which is a boon if you’re restoring an
older home and want to maintain a certain look.
On the Internet, you can find specialty mills,
such as Carlisle Wide Plank Floors®, that carry
recycled wood that’s often rare or extinct, such as
chestnut salvaged from barns or pecky cypress
pulled from lakes. There’s also new lumber made
to look old, such as the hand-scraped cherry
Renovation 4th Edition Page 128