Wallpaper installation and removal can be a tricky process. Learn now to do it right and when it is better to hire a professional for the process.
Lee Debbie (501) 315-0266
708 Newcomb Dr Benton, AR
Herrin Steve (479) 444-0274
Fayetteville, AR
Quality Paper Hanging & Painting (501) 525-5618
Hot Springs National Park, AR
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There are several benefits to using wallpaper over simply painting a wall in your home. The most obvious benefit of using wallpaper is the variety of decorating options you have. You can choose from hundreds of patterns, colors, and designs when choosing wallpaper. Some wallpapers can be painted, allowing you to put some texture in the room while still adding your favorite paint color. You can even vary the way the wallpaper is placed in the room. Some rooms look great with a wallpaper border in the room, while others look best with a full wallpapering. Some homeowners choose to put wallpaper on half of their walls with a border at the chair-rail length, thus giving them another way to decorate with wallpaper.
Wallpaper is easy to clean. Most of today’s wallpapers are coated so that they wipe clean from common household marks. This makes them more durable than some paints, which fade over repeated scrubbings. For rooms where the walls are prone to get dirty, wallpaper is a good option. Besides being easy to clean, the patterns on the paper will help hide dirt and smudges. Finally, wallpaper hides blemishes in the wall’s plaster far better than a coat of paint. However, even though there are many benefits to wallpaper, you may find that your new home has wallpaper that you do not like. For this reason many people want to learn all they can about wallpaper installation and removal. Proper removal is the key to being able to successfully cover areas where the old wallpaper once was.
Wallpaper removal can be quite tricky. You really will not know how difficult the process will be until you start. Some wallpapers are hung with stronger adhesives than others. The stronger the adhesive, the more difficult it will be to remove wallpaper from the room. Also, the amount of wallpaper on the wall will determine how difficult of a time you will have when you try to remove wallpaper from a room in your home. Believe it or not, the previous owners may have put up layer after layer of wallpaper, without removing the previous layers. It is crucial to remove all of these layers before installing wallpaper again.
The first step is to clear the room of any furniture, or cover it with drop cloths. Then, try to see if you can peel off the wallpaper on your own. Some wallpaper adhesives are designed to simply peel away from the wall. If you cannot peel it with your hands, try using a small putty knife. Be cautious about the amount of pressure you use as you do not want to damage the plaster in the wall behind the wallpaper.
If you cannot peel the wallpaper, you need to score it. You can use a razor blade or knife to do this, or you can purchase a wallpaper-scoring tool from your local hardware store. However, use caution not to score the plaster under the wallpaper.
Once you have scored the paper, apply water or a wallpaper removal to the wall. The paper will absorb this liquid, and then you will reapply it. Repeat this process until the paper begins to loosen from the wall. You could also use a wallpaper steamer to remove wallpaper. Then you should be able to remove the paper and most of the adhesive. Now that the wallpaper removal is complete, it is time to shop for your wallpapering supplies.
Once you have you removed the old wallpaper completely, you need to gather the tools you will need to wallpaper the room again. The first supply is, of course, your wallpaper. The pattern and color of your wallpaper will be largely a matter of choice. Buying the correct amount of wallpaper is important. While you do not want to run out before your project is complete, you also do not want to have too much left over when you are done.
You can figure the amount of wallpaper by carefully measuring the square footage of the area you are covering. Square footage can be calculated by multiplying the length and width of each plane on your walls. Be sure to subtract the windows, closets, and doors from this amount. Purchase an amount of wallpaper that gives you a little extra to work with. Besides the right amount of wallpaper, you will also need a paint tray to hold water or adhesive, paint rollers, seam roller, a paint brush for smoothing the wallpaper, a putty knife, spackle, primer, wallpaper sizing, sandpaper, a mixing bucket, and a stepstool or stepladder before you start your wallpaper installation project.