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| Wallpapering Advice |
How to Wallpaper Like a Pro! By Sharyl Calhoun The first time I gave a wallpapering demonstration, my knees were knocking together and my hands were trembling as violently as my aging grandfather’s. I was standing before a class of peers in my college speech class, and my "wall" was a refrigerator box! Speaking to an audience will never be my forte. Wallpapering, however, is an experience not to be feared. You can beautify any room in your home or office, simply by applying wallpaper. It is easy to do, and the results are always magnificent! Before you jump in with both feet, however, you do need to know a few basics about how to wallpaper. Preparing Your Walls Wallpapering over painted walls: Clean walls are a necessity. Use a mild cleaner to wipe the walls down with a damp cloth. In the kitchen, especially clean walls near the oven to remove any grease. Fill in any holes or dings with spackling and allow it to dry. If paint is loose, use a paint scraper to remove those areas. If flat paint was used, and is in good condition, no further preparation is needed. If painted walls are shiny with glossy enamel or oil based paint, you can either roughen it up with sandpaper or apply a coat of wallpaper primer. If the wall is slightly bumpy and textured, you can either sand it down or use a wallpaper liner. The liner looks like a roll of stiff interfacing and is applied to the walls with a special adhesive that is painted directly onto your wall. The liner lessens the bumpy appearance of your walls. Water stains and smoke stains cause headaches whether you choose to paint or wallpaper. If the water stain is old and dry, you’ll need to apply a primer/sealer that prevents stains from bleeding through. If anyone has smoked in your home, you may notice a yellow film on your walls. If not thoroughly cleaned or painted over with a wallpaper primer/sealer, the nicotine stains could cause problems with your wallpaper adhering to the walls. |