Wallpaper

Adventurous home decor hobbyists often attempt wallpaper installation without all the facts. Truth be told, you need over a dozen tools to do the job right. These include a yardstick, a screwdriver, a roller, premixed drywall, a pair of scissors, a plastic bucket, clean up rags, and, of course, paste. Bearing in mind that you should probably consult a professional before you begin, let's survey a few basic principles of wallpaper installation.

First of all, measure precisely before you decorate. Get more wallpaper rolls than you need. Use the '10 percent rule.' (Always purchase 10 percent more paper than you need to cover a space.) Get exact measurements for doors, windows, molding, and the like, before you shop for paper or purchase wallies or murals. Applying wallpaper with patterning requires special skills to get the patterns to line up evenly.

Now, you're ready for prep work. Thoroughly clean off dust, debris, glue, and old wallpaper remnants before you spackle. Fill in any and all holes in the wall, so you can get a smooth application of the paper. You may wish to seal the heavily spackled areas with a primer. If you do so, be sure to apply the primer uniformly to all areas, so you don't get bumps, cracks, or ripples.

Let newly plastered walls set for at least one or two months before putting up wallpaper. The same rule goes for installing kitchen wallpaper over drywall. When it comes to actually applying strips of wallpaper to your wall, make sure the entire paper gets wet. Apply the paper smoothly to avoid buckling. Keep extra wallpaper, spackling, adhesives, and tools in your garage in case you have to redo any work.