Choosing wallpapering tools
The list above is what exists. This is how to decide which of it you actually need, what separates a tool worth keeping from one that ends up at the back of a drawer.
Getting the old paper off
Water has to reach the paste, which means breaking through the face of the paper first. On vinyl or painted paper, scoring it with an orbital scorer or perforator is what makes soaking work at all, and skipping that step is why people conclude soaking does not work.
A steamer is faster than soaking on thick or multiple layers, and it also loosens plaster on a weak wall. Move it steadily rather than holding it in one spot, and on lath and plaster or old skim be prepared to lose some surface.
- Score first
- Water cannot reach paste through a vinyl or painted face. Perforate, then soak.
- Soak, wait, soak again
- Two applications ten minutes apart beats one heavy one. The paste needs time.
- A steamer is faster and riskier
- Keep it moving. Held still on old plaster it will lift the surface with the paper.
- Get every scrap off
- A patch of old backing paper shows as a lump through the new paper permanently.
The wall decides the result
New paper follows the wall underneath it exactly. Any lump, hole or ridge of old paste shows through, and a wall that is dusty or previously gloss painted will not hold paste at all.
So the sequence is strip, wash off all residual paste, fill and sand, then size or apply a coat of diluted paste. Sizing seals a porous wall so the paste stays wet long enough to slide the paper into place, which is what makes butt joints possible.
- Wash off old paste
- Residual paste dries as ridges that show through. Sugar soap and a sponge.
- Fill and sand
- Paper shows every lump. This is the step that separates a good job from a passable one.
- Size the wall
- Diluted paste or a proper size, so the wall does not drink the paste before you can slide the paper.
- Lining paper for bad walls
- Hung horizontally under the finish paper. It hides a great deal and is cheap.
Soaking time and paste on wall
Traditional paper absorbs paste and expands, which takes the soaking time stated on the roll, usually a few minutes. Every length must soak for the same time, because a length that expanded less will not match the pattern of one that expanded more.
Non woven and most modern papers are paste the wall instead: the paper does not expand, so there is no soaking and no folding. Read the roll rather than assuming, since the two methods are not interchangeable.
- Same time every length
- Different soaking times means different expansion, and then the pattern will not match.
- Fold paste to paste
- Book the length loosely so it stays wet and is easy to carry up a ladder.
- Paste the wall papers
- Non woven does not expand. No soaking, no folding, and paste goes on the wall.
- Read the roll label
- It states the method, the soaking time and the pattern repeat. All three matter.
The first drop sets the whole room
Every subsequent length references the one before it, so an error in the first drop accumulates around the room and arrives back as a visibly leaning pattern. Corners are never plumb, so the first line has to come from a level or a laser rather than from a wall.
Start at the most visible wall, not at a corner, and work outward in both directions. The unavoidable mismatch then ends up in the least noticeable corner rather than beside the door everyone looks at.
- Plumb the first line
- From a level or a laser, not from a corner. No corner in any house is plumb.
- Start at the focal wall
- Work outward both ways so the mismatch lands somewhere nobody looks.
- Check every few drops
- Errors accumulate quietly. Checking plumb at the fourth drop is cheaper than at the tenth.
- Plan around the window
- A pattern that arrives awkwardly at a window is what the eye finds first.
Bubbles, seams and trimming
Bubbles are trapped air or paste, brushed out from the centre toward the edges while the paper is still wet. Many small bubbles in traditional paper are the paper still expanding and will disappear as it dries, so waiting is the correct action.
Seams are butted, not overlapped, and rolled lightly rather than pressed hard, because squeezing paste out of a seam is what makes it lift later. Trim with a sharp blade against a broad knife, changing the blade far more often than seems necessary.
- Brush out from the centre
- Toward the nearest edge, so air has somewhere to go rather than being moved around.
- Small bubbles may vanish
- In traditional paper they are expansion. Give it a few hours before intervening.
- Butt seams, roll lightly
- Never overlap, and never press paste out of a seam. That is what makes it lift.
- Change the blade often
- A dull blade drags and tears wet paper. Every few cuts, not every few rooms.
Frequently asked questions
- What tools do I need for wallpapering?
- A pasting table, paste brush or roller, a smoothing brush, a seam roller, a broad knife, a sharp trimming knife, a plumb line or level, scissors and a sponge. For stripping first, add a scorer, a scraper and either a spray bottle or a steamer.
- What is the best way to remove old wallpaper?
- Score the surface first with an orbital scorer, since water cannot reach the paste through a vinyl or painted face. Then soak with warm water and stripper, wait ten minutes, soak again and scrape. A steamer is faster on thick or multiple layers.
- Do I need a wallpaper steamer?
- Not always. Soaking works well on ordinary paper once it has been scored. A steamer is worth it for several layers, thick vinyl or woodchip. It also risks lifting old plaster, so keep it moving and expect some surface damage on lath and plaster.
- Why does my wallpaper keep bubbling?
- Either trapped air, which brushes out from the centre toward the edges while wet, or the paper still expanding, in which case many small bubbles will disappear as it dries. The third cause is a wall that drank the paste, which sizing prevents.
- How long should wallpaper soak before hanging?
- Whatever the roll label says, usually a few minutes, and crucially the same time for every length. Different soaking times give different expansion, and then the pattern will not match at the seams. Non woven paste the wall papers do not soak at all.
- Where should you start when wallpapering a room?
- At the most visible wall, working outward in both directions, with the first length hung to a plumb line rather than to a corner. No corner is plumb, and every subsequent drop references the previous one, so an error in the first accumulates around the room.
- Should wallpaper seams overlap?
- No, they should butt together. Overlapping shows as a ridge and it will lift. Roll the seam lightly with a seam roller rather than pressing hard, because squeezing paste out of a seam is exactly what makes it lift a few weeks later.
- How do you cut wallpaper neatly?
- Hold a broad knife firmly along the line and run a very sharp blade against it, keeping the knife in place while you reposition your hand. Change the blade every few cuts, since a dull blade drags and tears wet paper rather than cutting it.
