DO THIS, NOT THAT

Here’s a quick tutorial about wallpapering: what are your options; how to hang it; handling corners; adhesives to use.

Use the correct sequence when painting doors.

MEASURE & ORDER

Bring home samples before ordering, tacking them with painter’s tape in different parts of the room to view night and day. You need to see pattern size, colors, texture, and any metallic inks in the space. Check the scale of the pattern. Generally, if a room has lots of doors and windows, small or medium patterns work better. An unbroken expanse of wall can take a larger-scale pattern. Consider practicality, including the presence of water or high traffic in a room.

Most wallpaper is sold by the double roll, which usually covers 56–66 square feet. Measure the height and width of each wall in the room (include windows and doors), multiply for square footage per wall, then add them together for total room square footage. Divide the total by the square footage of one roll to find the number needed. Round up your measurements by at least 10 percent to allow for errors—it may mean two to four extra rolls. For drop-match patterns, buy even more. Another reason to buy extra: wallpaper is made in batches, and a re-order may not match. Stow extra away for future repairs.

HANGING PAPER STEP 1

Prep the walls. Remove or cover outlets and switch plates. Sand or scrape any loose paint; completely remove any old wallpaper. Repair plaster nicks and cracks. Wash the walls with a mix of one part bleach and three-parts water to kill any mildew and degrease the walls. Rinse and let dry. Coat the walls in an alkyd primer and let dry. Wallpaper applies more easily to a primed surface and shows fewer imperfections.

STEP 2

Begin in an inconspicuous corner because the pattern on the first and last strips in a room usually won’t match up. Measure out from the corner the width of the paper minus ½ inch. Mark with a pencil. Using the mark as a guide, draw a plumb line with a level from the top of the wall to the bottom. Repeat the process for every new corner you start. Measure and cut strips as you work, not beforehand. Doing so prevents mismatched patterns and keeps waste

to a minimum. Allow for 2 inches of overhang at the top and bottom of a strip. If there is a main design element that needs to be centered on the wall, consider that as you cut the strip.

STEP 3 Mix the adhesive, if appropriate. For paper that needs to be pasted, set up a 6-foot worktable. Place the first strip face down on the table and apply the paste with a paint roller evenly to the edges. For pre-pasted papers, immerse the strip in a shallow trough of water with the adhesive side up. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and do not oversoak the paper. Whether you are working with applied paste or pre-pasted paper, “book” the strip by folding over both ends of the strip so that they meet in the middle. Do not crease the paper! The edges should meet in the middle so that no paste is exposed. Let stand for five minutes.

STEP 4 Unfold the strip. Apply the top of the strip, leaving 2 inches of overlap over the crown moulding, and work downward, unfolding the bottom half when needed. Smooth with a wallpaper brush or plastic smoother to eliminate bubbles and wrinkles. Check that the strip is straight and aligned with your plumb line. Repeat by lining up the edges of the new strip with the first one. Check that the pattern aligns. Wipe excess glue with a damp sponge (see caution below). After the paper has dried for 10 to 15 minutes, run a seam roller over the seams to seal them. When a wall is completed, carefully trim the excess overhang along the top and bottom of the wall with a utility knife. Use a putty knife or a ruler as a guide to keep from tearing the paper as you cut.

Painting is a do-it-yourself chore that people either love or hate: It gives instant gratification, but it’s meticulous. A few tricks take the finished job from adequate to outstanding. Beyond good cleaning and preparation, good light, and good paint, you need to master the painting sequence.

Unlike the old oil paints, today’s formulations allow paint to flow, leaving fewer or less obvious brush strokes—and modern latex paints dry within hours. Unfortunately, that can work against us. On a warm day, the paint may begin to form a film within minutes of application. That’s why it is important to avoid drawing the brush over an already-painted surface. The result is called lapping, and it ruins the look of the job.