Frequently asked questions
- The first step is to accurately measure the walls you’re going to cover in wallpaper. Use a tape measure to measure the width of the first wall you want to paper to the nearest inch/centimetre.
- Then measure the height of the wall from the top of the skirting board to the ceiling, again to the nearest inch/centimetre.
- Do the same for any further walls you want to wallpaper, ignoring any windows or doors, and note the measurements down in metres eg. Wall 1 = 2.45m wide by 2.80m high.
It’s important to ensure your walls are clean, dry and even before starting to wallpaper. This way you’ll get the sleek finished look you want. Whatever the condition of the walls in your room, our top tips below should cover it:
1. Remove any old wallcovering
If you’re replacing a paste the wall wallcovering, this should peel off the wall dry in large strips, thanks to the non woven backing. Removal of a standard wallpaper will take a little longer and you’ll need to first soak with warm water, score and then scrape off. It may be quicker to use a wallpaper stripper. If you’re struggling, or you don’t know what type of wallpaper you’re removing, water or a wallpaper steamer will help.
.
2. Wallpapering over wallpaper
We would never recommend wallpapering over old wallpaper, especially if your existing wallpaper is vinyl. However, if you want to try this over other types of wallpaper as a quick fix, make sure the existing wallpaper is smooth, untextured and fully adhered to the wall. Don’t forget to check that you can’t see the old wallpaper through the new one first!
.
3. Remove loose paint or old, flaky plaster
Any loose paint will need removing prior to wallpapering and scrape off powdery, flaky surfaces to ensure your wall is completely smooth.
.
4. Wallpapering painted walls
You can wallpaper over painted walls, but don’t forget to roughen painted surfaces first with sandpaper and size the wall to help with wallpaper adhesion.
Sizing involves covering the walls with a thin layer of diluted wallpaper paste (approximately 50% water to 50% paste) and allowing it to dry.
.
5. Fill any imperfections
If you have any damages, small holes, cracks or marks on the wall fill these imperfections with wall filler and smooth over with sandpaper.
.
6. Clean your walls
Once you’ve removed any wallcoverings and filled any imperfections, it’s a good idea to give your wall a dust down and vacuum the room to ensure all dust and dirt particles are removed. You can clean your walls down with sugar soap to remove grease and dirt. Sugar soap is a mild detergent used for decorating as it doesn’t leave any residue behind that would hamper adhesion. It gets its name from its appearance in powdered form, but you can also get a liquid version. Simply follow the instructions on the packaging to use. If your walls have mould or mildew, sizing your walls (see point 4) will also help with this.
.
7. Wallpapering newly plastered walls
If your walls are newly plastered, allow them to dry out completely before wallpapering.
Sizing (see point 4) newly plastered walls can really help reduce the absorbency the plaster, then it won’t soak in all your paste straight away.
.
8. Lining uneven walls
For an optimum result you can line your walls with lining paper before hanging your wallcovering. The lining paper should be hung horizontally to ensure the joins of the lining paper won’t coincide with the seams of the wallpaper. This is known as cross-lining.
.
9. Paint your woodwork first
We’d always recommend painting your woodwork; skirting boards, door frames etc. first before hanging your new wallpaper. This way you won’t get any paint splashes on the paper. Allow the paint to dry fully according to the manufacturer’s instructions, before starting to paper.
Paste the wall simply means that rather than pasting the back of the paper, you apply glue directly to the wall. You should use adhesive/glue for non-woven wallpaper. Ask your local shop for advice in buying a good quality glue. Apply the non-woven paper glue directly, and only, to the wall. Excess glue should be carefully removed during application, without waiting for it to dry.
We hope you’re delighted with your wallpaper. On the occasion you are not pleased or unhappy with your product, please contact us so we can work together to resolve the situation. All return inquiries need to be initiated within 28 days of purchase, and all returns are at your cost.
