Back To The Family Handyman
From 
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
About This Project
You can change a dull room into a dramatic personal statement in less than a weekend, and you don't need a bunch of expensive tools. Here's how to select the wallpaper, prepare the walls and hang the paper, with perfect seams, plus all the tools you'll need for the job.
If you want to change the entire character of a room fast, hang wallpaper. You can change a dull room into a dramatic personal statement in less than a weekend, and you don’t need a bunch of expensive tools to do the job. In fact, you can buy everything you’ll need for less than $40.
This kind of transformation does require patience, careful planning and familiarity with key techniques. We asked a professional hanger to demonstrate every technique you’ll need, start to finish, and to show you how to save time and avoid a heap of frustration.
The techniques we show apply to 90 percent of papers you’ll find at wallpaper stores. We won’t cover the specialty papers (such as grass cloth, foil, fabric and ones that require pretrimming). We recommend you master the basics before taking on these papers. Nor will we address removing old paper.
With our instructions, you can successfully wallpaper a room even if you haven’t done it before. Start with a simple bedroom or dining room, a space that doesn’t require a lot of fitting and trimming. With experience, you can tackle tougher rooms like kitchens and baths.
Gather Your Tools and Set Up Your WorkstationPros use a special table made of basswood because it’s a good surface to cut on and easy on razor blades. Rent one from a wallpaper store ($20 per day), or substitute a 36-in. hollow-core door or a 3 x 6-ft. piece of 3/4-in. plywood resting on a pair of sawhorses. Soften the plywood edges with sandpaper so you don’t accidentally tear your paper.
You can buy all the specialty tools you need at a wallcovering store or home center. Purchase a vinyl smoother ($2), a snap-off razor with an extra pack of blades ($7), a seam roller ($2) and two 6-in. broad knives ($5 each). You may already have the other items you need: a 6-ft. stepladder, a 5-gallon bucket, a paint roller and 3/8-in. nap roller cover, a sharp scissors, a 4-ft. level, a 10-ft. or longer tape measure and a sponge.
Advertisement 
