How to Hang a Wallpaper Covering

Preparation

• 1

  Identify the wall that serves as the room's focal point. You should start hanging the wallpaper on this wall first to ensure that your first strip is perfectly plumb. As you work around the room, you may have some wallpaper that isn't perfectly straight, especially if you're a beginner, so it's better to have these imperfections on less-prominent walls.

• 2

  Measure the wall both horizontally and vertically, and mark the middle point of the wall with a pencil.

• 3

  Cut a small strip of wallpaper and place it over the mid-point of the wall. Place the level on the leading edge of the wallpaper, and draw a vertical line on the wall with a pencil. Using a level will ensure that you have a perfectly plumb line. Do not rely on a chalk line, because if it is off by even a small margin, you will have wallpaper that's off center.

• 4

  Work your way around the room with another strip of paper, placing the left edge on the vertical line and then drawing another vertical line on the wall on the right side. Once you've worked your way around the entire room, you will see that you've mapped out where each strip of wallpaper will go.

• 5

  Measure the height of the wall from floor to ceiling with the tape measure, adding one inch at the top and bottom for overhang. This is the length of wallpaper you will need for each row.

Hanging the Wallpaper

• 6

  Roll out the wallpaper on a table, with the pattern side down.

• 7

  Measure out the length of wallpaper you will need, and cut it with a utility knife.

• 8

  Apply wallpaper paste to the back of the wallpaper if you've bought wallpaper that isn't pre-pasted. To do so, apply a generous coat of paste with a 3/8-inch-nap paint roller, and then fold over the wallpaper so that both sides of the backing are touching, being careful not to form a crease. Let the wallpaper sit for three to five minutes, which will allow the paste to set up. If the paper is pre-pasted, dip it in a trough of water until the paper is completely wet, and then fold the back sides together without forming a crease. Let it sit for three to five minutes while the paste sets up. Do not let the wallpaper sit for more than five minutes, because the pasted sides of the wallpaper will stick together.

• 9

  Unfold the top half of the wallpaper, and align it with the line on the wall. Hang it from the top, leaving one inch of overhang at the ceiling.

• 10

  Use a wet sponge to smooth out the wallpaper, and work out any air bubbles.

• 11

  Gently pull the wallpaper smoother across the wallpaper to work out any wrinkles. This will also help the wallpaper bond to the wall.

• 12

  Unfold the lower half of the wallpaper, being careful to not pull too hard, and affix to the wall.

• 13

  Smooth out the lower half, using the same technique that you used on the top half.

• 14

  Trim the top and bottom portions of the wallpaper where it meets the ceiling and baseboard. To do so, place a 6-inch putty knife at the corner where the ceiling meets the wall, and trim the wallpaper. Repeat at the baseboard.

• 15

  Wipe off any excess glue from the wallpaper with a wet sponge.

• 16

  Work your way around the entire room until all of the wallpaper is hung.