Q&A for How to Wallpaper a Room

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Where do you start when wallpapering a room?

Kanika Khurana
Interior Designer
Kanika Khurana is an Interior Designer and the Owner of Kanika Design. With over 12 years of experience, Kanika specializes in remodeling, refurnishing, and color consulting. Kanika holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University, a Redesign and Home Staging Certification, and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Cañada College.

Kanika Khurana

Interior Designer

Expert Answer

Decide whether you want to wallpaper the whole room or just one wall. Doing the whole room can be bold or subtle depending on the pattern. If you're not sure what you want to do, try doing an accent wall. In that case, only one wall in the room would be wallpapered.

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Question

Some excess glue ended up on the freshly painted ceiling. How can I safely remove the glue streaks from the ceiling without having to re-paint?

Community Answer

Use a wet sponge and carefully wipe the excess glue out, being careful not to pull the installed wall paper.

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Question

How do you paper behind wall lights?

Community Answer

You can the wall lights carefully with masking tape before installing the wall paper. You'll have to trim the wallpaper carefully with a razor blade. Or you can take the lights off the wall and punch out the paper over the holes before replacing the sconces.

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Which corner do you start in?

Community Answer

Start behind the door so you can't see it as soon as you walk into the room, or the hidden side of a chimney breast if the room has one.

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Question

Do I need to turn off the electricity before applying wallpaper?

Community Answer

It is a good safety precaution for when you wallpaper around electrical sockets, switches, etc.

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Question

What if my seams are not glued to the wall?

Community Answer

make a water/glue mixture and paint it on, then firmly use a roller to press it against the wall.

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Question

What temperature water do I use for wallpaper that's already been pasted?

Community Answer

Warm water can loosen the glue faster than cold water, but the difference isn't substantial.

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Question

Should I work toward the window or away from it when wallpapering a room?

Community Answer

Work towards the window so any matching up the pattern won't be as difficult. If the window is in the middle of the wall, pick a side to start and line up the pattern around the window as you go so as not to interrupt the pattern.

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Question

What should I use to fill the gaps in between two sections of wallpaper that are already pasted on the wall?

Community Answer

Look for the pattern that matched to the space and place it carefully with enough seam.

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Question

How do I choose the correct angle to stick the wallpaper? What would happen if there were stains under the foundation?

Community Answer

Use a plummet (string with a weight on the end) so, hold the string at the top of the wall, when the weight at the other end stops swinging, you then draw 5 or6 marks going down the wall behind the string. This marks the start edge of your wall paper. Whatever you do, avoid using the room corner to start, as they are almost always not a straight edge. Professionals may also use a laser level, which in practice does the same job as plumbob.

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Question

How do I clean and prepare a painted wall before pasting a wall paper on it?

Community Answer

If your wall is in good condition and health, smooth and clean, then really you can start without needing to do anything extra. In some cases a wall may need some or all of the following: damp proofing, wallpaper lining, priming paint and applying a thin watered-down layer of paste across the wall/s left to part-dry.

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Question

How can I line up two pieces of wallpaper in the middle of a wall without making it look obvious?

Community Answer

Assuming the last piece is too wide to fit the gap - if it came to it - you just let your last roll overlap, then mark a straight line down lightly in pencil, in the overlap where suitable. Now, preferably using a decorator's edge (a long metal straight edge) and a sharp blade, cut through both sheets at once along your mark. Peel back the last roll where it overlaps and then peel off and remove the extra behind it that you've just cut. Finish by matching, trimming and smoothing out the last roll onto the wall. Tip: when using your knife, don't remove it once you start the cut. Instead, stop, move your edge down, then start cutting, move your edge down... Repeat.

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