Wallpaper Rules
- Wallpaper comes with its own rules for successful installation and maintenance.wallpaper with a rolled edge image by Cherry-Merry from Fotolia.com
Wallpaper can be an exquisite design element in a room when it is hung properly and when the style contributes to the rest of the decor. It takes more work to install wallpaper than it does to paint but there are user-friendly features that make hanging wallpaper a realistic do-it-yourself project. A little knowledge about how to select, hang and maintain your wallpaper goes a long way toward making it work in your home. - Choose from pre-pasted, self-adhesive or non-pasted wallpaper, taking into consideration the skill and time required for the labor-intensive choices. Most paper sold is pre-pasted and the vinyl-coated or fabric-backed vinyl styles meant for high traffic areas like bathrooms and kitchens are usually self-adhesive. Consider the art, size and period décor of the room when making your selection. Flocked wallpaper won't serve as a good backdrop to your contemporary photograph collection. A traditional dining room needs something more elegant than vinyl-coated paper. Grass-cloth is not the most practical choice for a kitchen. Obtain a few samples, paste them up on the wall and live with them for a few days to see how they look in the room under all kinds of light. Buy all of the paper at one time, getting a little more than you estimate you will need, so that the dye lots match exactly.
- You will most likely be working with paper-backed vinyl wallpaper as that is what most wallpaper is. This is reasonably long-wearing, doesn't tear easily and comes pre-pasted, eliminating a messy step. If you do use a silk or grass cloth wall covering, be careful when applying the paste. Once you get paste on the front of the material, you can't wipe it off. For regular wallpaper, a few tips will make it look professionally installed. Once you wet the paper according to the manufacturer's instructions, fold the strip in half, adhesive sides together, being careful to match the edges exactly. Do not crease the paper. Allow it to "book" for a few minutes to activate the adhesive before unfolding and hanging the paper on the wall. Overlap the paper over the crown molding at the ceiling and the baseboards at the floor so that you can trim the paper with a straight edge for precise fit. Ease paper around a window apron by making little cuts in it so that the paper will conform to the shape of the ledge. Then hold the paper against the wall with the flat end of a putty knife while you use a razor or box cutter to trim it so it fits around the window exactly.
- Dust isn't part of the wallpaper pattern, so vacuum your wallpaper every few months using the soft wall attachment that comes with the vacuum cleaner. Don't rub at cobwebs or they will streak and adhere to the paper; lift them off gently with the vacuum or a soft brush. Wipe-down vinyl-coated wallpaper in a kitchen or family room should be cleaned with a damp sponge and a little dishwashing liquid. Never soak the paper and never scrub it, even if the manufacturer calls it "scrubbable." For delicate paper that picks up a stain, wallpaper dough may do the trick. Just roll the dough, which can be purchased from a hardware or home improvement store, into a ball and then roll it across the stain to pick it up from the paper. When the dough becomes dirty, use a fresh surface to keep cleaning until the stain is gone.
