Tips for Installing Wallpaper

Wallpaper has finally been making its comeback as a fashionable choice for wall decor design. You can now get really cute designs, a big bonus for those of us who only remember it coming in very interesting, old floral patterns that matched the curtains. If you are like me and have not had much practice installing wallpaper since you were a child, here are a few refresher tips for installing wallpaper.  If you have never installed wallpaper before I would recommend hiring a professional, getting someone with experience to help, or buying cheap wallpaper first and practicing.

I wanted the perfect accent wall for my daughters room. I seriously searched and searched until I found this beautiful wallpaper by Clairebella Studio.  I love the vibrant colors and the beautiful flowers.

I can remember as  a little girl helping my mom hang wallpaper in our home and I always loved to help put it up. It was the taking it down that I dreaded.  I didn’t remember all the tips and tricks but the one thing I did remember was if I didn’t take my time and do it right, I was going to have a big mess.  I decided to call in an expert….my mother in law.  She has floor to ceiling wallpaper all over her home and every last seam is perfect!

Installing Wallpaper: Step 1

First things first, we had to figure out our measurements and seams.  On each stripe of wallpaper there is usually about 18″ to 24″ of waste just depending on the pattern.  DO NOT JUST START CUTTING STRIPS. Then we measured out our first piece and made sure to cut it an inch or 2 bigger just to be safe.

Installing Wallpaper: Step 2

Next, make sure it is good and wet.  My kitchen sink worked perfectly to soak my wallpaper. You can also use a bathtub or they have bins you can buy at the store for wallpaper.  After everything was good and wet we took it out and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes.  It is important to let the wallpaper sit the allotted time because it expands after it is wet and then shrinks back, so hanging it before it relaxes back can cause problems with your seams and how it fits.  While it sat we didn’t want the edges dry out.  If the edges had dried out while sitting we could have ended up with seams coming up. The way to avoid the seams drying out is to book fold your wallpaper.

After we pulled the wallpaper out of the water, we laid the design face down with the glue up.  We then took one  edge and folded it to the center and then took the other edge and folded it to the center- glue sides together.  This will keep the glue from drying out while it sits.

Installing Wallpaper: Step 3

After it has sat for 3 to 5 minutes it was time to put up the first piece!  If you look close you can see it is too big on the top and on the bottom…that is a good thing.  Better too long then too short.

Installing Wallpaper: Step 4

Smooth out the bubbles with a warm wet rag. Start in the center and push the air bubbles out to the seams. Do this before you cut off the extra.

Installing Wallpaper: Step 5

Before we got our next pieces of wallpaper wet, we made sure the seams would match up correctly.

Here is a close up of our seams…can you see where they join?  Pretty awesome, right?  Clairebella Studio’s wallpaper was great to work with which made matching seams much easier.

The MOST important thing for installing wallpaper is to take your time.  Don’t rush putting it up and double check everything! You can view many more beautiful designs in Clairebella studios here

Happy wallpapering!

Brooke

*This is a sponsored post but all the opinions are my own!