Planning a DIY interior design project at home or work? Considering adding some detail and personality with a beautiful traditional wallpaper design? Installing traditional wallpaper for the first time might feel challenging at first, however once you prepare and learn more about it, it will become very straightforward. Here will be some of the top tips for first time traditional wallpaper installers to boost your confidence.
1. Measure The Walls
This is the first step before ordering your chosen wallpaper to understand how much will be needed to cover the area you want to decorate. To help you with this step and give you an example, visit our How To Measure Your Wall page that will help you to measure a wall if you have an obstacle as well.
2. Prepare Your Walls
Prior to wallpaper installment walls need to be prepared. They need to be clean, dry, smooth and free of any stains. This is extra important if your chosen wallpaper design is lighter colored, as uneven surfaces will be more visible than on a bolder colored design. Preparing your walls with a smooth surface will allow the wallpaper panels to slide in the correct position making it easier during the wallpaper installment process.
3. Prepare Everything You Need
Make sure to have everything you need before installing wallpaper to ensure an effortless and trouble-free process.
You will need:
- Traditional wallpaper;
- Wallpaper paste or glue;
- Cloth or sponge;
- Straight edge tool;
- Utility knife;
- Brush or roller;
- Pencil;
- Laser or level tool (recommended);
- Wallpaper smoothing tool with round corners.
4. Check The Positioning Of Wallpaper Panels
Before installation, double check the positioning of wallpaper panels by laying them out on floor/any surface side by side to check if the pattern and numbering (if there is any) match correctly. An extra tip here is to roll the wallpaper out and leave it to stretch overnight for an easier installation.
5. Find a Level Spot
Putting the first wallpaper panel from the corners of your wall might feel temptings, however, finding a level spot on your wall is extra important before installing the first panel as walls are rarely perfectly even. To do this, hang a plumb line against your wall and draw along its vertical line with pencil. This will give you a straight line as a guide to help ensure the wallpaper goes straight and not at an angle. If you prefer to take a more professional approach, a laser level tool is also a good way to easily check if the walls are level.
6. Pasting The Walls
When pasting your wall, make sure to only paste it where the first two wallpaper panels will go. Do not paste further along or the whole wall as the paste/glue might dry out while you are installing the first panels. This might complicate the wallpaper installation afterwards, as you might need to smoothen the walls again and reapply the paste.
7. Cut The Wallpaper Right
Make sure to only use a sharp knife and a ruler when cutting the wallpaper and trimming the excess wallpaper from the top and bottom of the wall. Using a blunt knife or cutting without a ruler might tear and damage the wallpaper, giving an uneven finish. Using a craft knife, carefully cut out electrical sockets etc. if there are any as well.
Extra Tip
It is not as hard as it seems! People often think that peel & stick wallpaper might be easier to install as it might seem that there is not much to do, however, the preparations are the same as for the traditional wallpaper installment. A bonus for traditional wallpaper is that it is easier to apply on the wall, as while the paste/glue is drying it is possible to slide the panel in the right position, allowing to achieve a perfect result even for the first time wallpaper installers. As seen in the photo above, Sage has done a beautiful job by adding personality to the room with this traditional wallpaper - Delicate Floral Design Removable Wallpaper.
We hope these top tips for the first time traditional wallpaper installment will have helped you to prepare for your DIY wallpaper project. To learn more about traditional wallpaper installment, visit our Learn & How To - Traditional Wallpaper page.
