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Of all the decorating tasks people fear the most, wallpaper is probably up there.
If you’ve never done it before, you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s something that is unapproachable unless you’re a professional decorator.
The good news? That simply isn’t the case! Anyone can hang wallpaper brilliantly, providing you pay attention to the following brilliant tips.
It might be tempting to reduce your spend a little and only order ‘just enough’ wallpaper to get started.
Don’t. This is a classic mistake and one that might result in you being left high and dry (literally) if your chosen wallpaper sells out or becomes unavailable from the manufacturer.
To avoid this, order everything you need, plus a little extra in case you make mistakes. It might cost a little more, but it’ll save, big time, when it comes to stress and a potentially ruined room.
You may not have heard of lining paper, and if you haven’t it could be your knight in shining armour.
Lining paper is what you place on the wall before adding the wallpaper. It helps prevent creasing, irons out any minor wall imperfections and helps the paste dry quicker.
Try it - we’re confident you won’t look back.
Your walls will almost definitely not be straight - hardly any are in modern or old homes. This is why a plumb line is vital.
To create one, you need something called a plumb bob (sometimes referred to as a carpenter’s level). This is a small weight that can be hung from the ceiling in order to give you a perfectly straight line to work against while hanging wallpaper.
When you’ve measured and cut your first strip, lay it on the floor and start measuring the next one.
Next, lay that second strip on the floor and ensure you have enough space at the top and bottom of the wallpaper to line the patterns up correctly.
Why on the floor? Because it’s far easier to do it that way than on the walls.
Adhesive is one of the trickiest things to deal with while hanging wallpaper. Take your eye off it and you can get into a mess - quickly.
To avoid this, make sure you keep an eye on the adhesive you’ve applied. Use a sponge to wipe away any excess and make sure you rinse that sponge regularly to remove the glue afterwards.
Unless you’re extremely lucky, you’ll need to cut around a few power outlets and light switches.
To ensure you’re operating safely, turn the power off before tackling these tricky elements. Then, use a sharp knife to work your way gently and safety around each outlet or switch, or remove the switch plates entirely to make it a super-neat job.
See? You really can hang that wallpaper yourself!
However, if our tips above still haven’t convinced you to get cracking on your own, that’s fine - you’ve probably got better things to be doing after all.
That’s why professional decorators exist, after all, and you’ll find the best on this very website.