A Handy Guide to Putting Up a Wallpaper
Shopping for a wallpaper in India stores is similar to shopping for any home décor item anywhere you are. There are a few things you need to consider to make sure you buy the right one for your home, such as the type, the design, measurements, and price. And once you’ve found the right one, there’s nothing left to do but it up on your wall to give your room a new look.
Here are a few tips and tricks to guide you in putting up new wallpaper:
- Consider where you’re putting it up. If you’re doing it for the whole house, then you need to know what type of wallpaper works best in every room. For example, areas like the bedroom or the hallways are free from moist, so the type that would work best in these areas are fabrics as well as non-woven papers. On the other hand, if you’re putting it up in your bathroom where it will likely get wet most of the time, then choose vinyl types. The same goes for your kitchen. And remember to get enough of each type so you won’t run out once you’re already installing them.
- Prepare your wall. Before applying your wallpaper, you need to prepare your wall first to make sure that it sticks and you won’t have problems reapplying it in the future. The first thing you need to make sure is your wall should be smooth and clean. If there are any bumps and other imperfections, you can remove those by using sandpaper or a drywall knife. After smoothing your wall, you should put a wall-size product to make sure that the wallpaper will stick and won’t shrink. Doing this will also help you remove or replace the wallpaper in the future in case you want to put up a new one.
- Do your measurements. First, you need to measure the wall and then the wallpaper. Measure your wall from floor to ceiling, and then add 20 centimeters just so there is extra paper at the top and bottom in case there are uneven measurements. The next thing you need to do is mark your wallpaper with the measurement. Use a flat surface like a table or the floor. To make cutting easier, you can mark your table or your floor and use it as a guide when cutting strips of wallpaper. Remember that your walls don’t have the same measurements so don’t cut all your wallpaper into that one measurement you did.
- Apply your first strip. Now that you’ve cut the strip to the right size, it’s time to apply it to the wall. When using paste, make sure to use the right one specified on your wallpaper. The three basic types are clay, starch, and wheat. Don’t settle for the cheap ones because they usually leave fur balls on the paper. Use a paint roller to apply the paste on the paper or the wall. Some prefer putting on paper, while others prefer applying it straight on the walls. It’s your choice whichever way you want to do it. There is also a type of wallpaper where you don’t need to apply adhesive, you simply paste the paper, and you can opt to buy that too if you want.
- Smoothen your wallpaper. You need to do this as early as possible, or else the glue or paste will set and you won’t be able to make adjustments. You can smooth out the strips by simply using your hand. A smoother or a dry foam roller is also a good item to use in removing wrinkles as well as bubbles. But remember, don’t put too much force because it might stretch or damage the paper or squeeze out too much glue or paste, which results in shrinking. You can use a sponge or baby wipes to get rid of extra adhesive.
- Trim extra papers. There usually will be excess on top and bottom, and you need to get rid of these to make the perfect fit. Make markings on the paper and pull the paper using your scissors. You can also use a knife blade for a sharper cut. They’re very handy for the tricky areas, such as doors, windows, and crooked edges. Work extremely cautious when you’re working around electric sockets. Make sure the power is turned off before doing so.
- Fix your mistakes. Do your repairs as quickly as you notice them. If some strips of paper are falling off or curling, fix them immediately by applying adhesive once again. Do the same process you did when you applied it, making sure you put enough adhesive, and them smoothening out the paper again using a sponge or a cloth. You can also do repairs on your old wallpapers. Simply remove the old paste, dampen the part with a sponge, squeeze paste and reapply.