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If you’ve decided to spruce up your home, new wallpaper might be something you’ve considered. While painting is always a good way to freshen up a room, adding wallpaper allows you to be more creative in your decorating. You can paper an entire room, or you can add a feature wall or a border to give the room more dimension and color.

Here are some of the essential things you should know before you being hanging wallpaper:

Plan in Advance

Before you begin, it’s important to decide on a few things:
• Will you be papering the entire room, or just a wall?
• Measure the surfaces to be wallpapered
• Plan out where the wallpaper seams will be
• Consider how you’ll address issues with uneven walls or ceilings

Pre-cut Your Wallpaper

Any Vancouver handyman will tell you the importance of pre-cutting your wallpaper before you begin. Start by cutting the rough dimensions of each strip, then trim the wallpaper. Ensure you leave a couple of inches at the bottom of the strips to account for any slight discrepancies.
It’s also important that when you’re cutting, that the pattern of the wallpaper will match up from strip to strip, otherwise you’ll end up with a rather strange looking room.

Preparing the Wallpaper Paste

Once your wallpaper has been cut, it’s time to prepare the wallpaper paste. Some wallpapers come with what is called ‘pre-paste’ that only needs to be ‘activated’. Activation can mean simply soaking the paper in water for a few minutes, or applying a pre-paste activating compound. Either way, be certain to follow the exact instructions, since during this step, the wallpaper can actually relax and expand by up to half an inch.
If your wallpaper does not have pre-paste, you’ll need a separate wallpaper paste mix to apply to the wallpaper. Again, follow the exact instructions or you could end up with a big mess on your hands, and wallpaper that neither adheres nor lays properly on the wall.

Hanging Your Wallpaper

It’s time to hang your wallpaper! Start by aligning the edge of the strip about an 8th of an inch from your guidelines. Once you’ve applied the strip halfway, smooth out any bubbles or folds. If you need to shift the strip, do so gently using both hands palms down. Continue to apply the remaining half of the strip, again removing any bubbles or folds.
Once the first strip is in place, the rest of the strips will be somewhat easier to apply as you’ll now have a visible guideline to follow. Work slowly and pay close attention to detail to ensure your wallpaper is hung evenly and uniformly, with any patterns or stripes lining up perfectly.
If you are papering entire room, corners can be tricky. You should avoid wrapping a strip around an inside or outside corner because as the paper dries, it may stretch and buckle. Instead, allow for about a half an inch overlap on both seams.

Summary

Hanging wallpaper can be tricky, but if you follow our tips and ensure you have the right tools for the job, you’ll end up with a professional looking job. And of course, if you run into any trouble, your local Vancouver handyman can help you complete the job. Learn more about hiring a Vancouver handyman.