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t0707.txt
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1994-09-08
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0707 WALLPAPER TIPS
Preparing walls for papering
Where to locate a pattern mismatch
Papering around openings
Work clean
Papering ceilings
Time frame
Preparing walls for papering
Like paint, wallcovering won't hide surface irregularities - in fact, it will probably call attention
to them. This means you must fill every nick and hole with spackling compound or patching
plaster, sand away any ridges or bumps in the existing surface, scrape away peeling paint and
seal the surface underneath with primer or wallpaper sizing.
If a painted surface is glossy, dull the gloss with light sandpaper so the adhesive will stick
properly. Then wash down the walls with a strong household detergent and let them dry before
papering.
Old paper must be sound and perfectly flat. Glue down any curled edges with wallpaper adhesive
or rubber cement. Lightly sand any seam overlaps so they won't show through the new covering.
Repair tears and other damage by cutting away a rectangle around the area, trimming a scrap of
wallpaper to fit into the rectangle and pasting the patch in place.
Seal new walls or papered walls with wallpaper sizing. Sizing keeps the surface from absorbing
adhesive.
Where to locate a pattern mismatch
It makes a big difference where you hang the first strip of paper, because after you work your way
around the room this is also where you'll hang the last strip. This last strip must be trimmed
vertically to butt up against the first, and the pattern almost certainly won't match up.
One good way to minimize a mismatch is to begin - and end - next to a door or window frame.
This results in just a few inches of disharmony above or below the opening. You might also
choose to locate a mismatch at the room's darkest corner, a built-in bookcase, fireplace or any
spot that will be largely covered by draperies or furniture.
Papering around openings
Just as you must master a few tricks to turn a corner, so you need to take special care when fitting
paper around doors, windows and other openings. Goofs here can be embarrassingly obvious.
At doors and windows, hang a strip that overlaps the casings and use scissors to cut away all but
about two inches of the overlap. Then with a broad knife or straightedge, snugly tuck the paper
into the joint between the wall and vertical woodwork. Cut along this joint, using a sharp blade
so you don't pull or tear the covering. Crease the paper into joints at the top and bottom of the
opening and trim away the excess there, too. Finish by sponging off any adhesive and smoothing
with a brush.
When you reach a recessed opening around a door, window or alcove, paper the recess first,
lapping the covering about one inch. Then cover the overlap with strips applied to the wall.
Remove switch and receptacle plates, paper right over the outlets, then trim around them with a
knife. CAUTION: Shut off all power to the room before cutting around outlets.
Work clean
Hanging even pre-pasted wallcoverings is a messy job, and some adhesives are all but impossible
to remove after they dry. Wash your hands often. Use clean water to sponge away paste after you
put up each strip. Keep the pasting table free of adhesive. And immediately clean any smears
from brush handles, knives and scissors, as well as the seam roller and handle.
Papering ceilings
It's a lot easier to hang paper on walls than to press it up against a ceiling that's eight or more
feet high and usually requires long unwieldy strips. We strongly recommend that you use paint,
not paper on ceilings.
If you're bound and determined to put paper up there, you'll need a helper and scaffolding long
enough to span the width of the room. Plan to paper the ceiling first, then the walls. Begin by
drawing a line across the ceiling's narrow dimension. Locate this line the width of a roll of paper,
less one inch, from a side wall. The inch allows for an overlap onto the wall.
To allow for overlaps onto the end walls, cut a strip of paper two inches longer than the room's
width. Wet the paper and fold it accordion style. Have a helper unfold the paper as you align its
edge with the line and pat it into place. After you stick down a portion of the first strip, smooth it
out with a brush, then move on to the next section and apply it. After you've put up an entire
strip, go back and brush it again, working from the center toward the walls. If the paper begins to
sag, tack it in place by pressing pins at an angle through the paper into the ceiling. Remove the
pins after the adhesive dries.
Time frame
Wallpapering goes fast once you get the hang of it. You can expect to paper the walls of even a
fairly large room in a single day. Add another day to this if the walls need extensive prep work or
if you plan to paper the ceiling.