One of the biggest problem areas in a room is a big blank wall that stares back at you when you walk in. These walls create a sense of emptiness within a room and sometimes act to disrupt the flow of color and design that is already in place – or fail to fulfill their potential to create visual impact in a room.
Wallpaper is an inexpensive and popular way to decorate walls and bring them to life. Depending on the size of the wall, its coverage and the image you want to represent, wallpapers add versatility to a room and allow for creativity.
Working with wallpaper is easy when you know how to do it, and here are some tips.
Prepare a room for wallpapering
Wallpaper disasters happen because proper wall preparation is not taken seriously. Just like painting a wall or reupholstering a sofa, a significant amount of time must be spent preparing a wall. This extra time will save you time and trouble in the long run.
Measure your wall and buy wallpaper that covers the entire surface of the wall (allowing for error and pattern matching). Cut the wallpaper into manageable-sized strips when you’re ready to use them.
To prepare the wall for wallpapering, remove the switch plates, wall accessories, and outlet covers. Thoroughly clean the wall to remove dirt and/or mold and allow to dry completely. Look for holes, depressions, or bulges in the wall surface – these can be repaired with drywall compound or putty compound. Apply the compound, smooth it as much as possible and allow it to dry completely. Sanding is then required to smooth the surface to make it as easy as possible for the wallpaper to adhere to the wall. Then prime your wall with an acrylic adhesive recommended by a wallpaper expert.
The act of wallpapering
Once you’ve prepared the wall with the adhesive, decide how you want to hang the wallpaper. Go in the direction (from right to left or vice versa) that is easiest for you. Cut the wallpaper strips to match the patterns, leaving a small amount of scrap at the bottom. Starting at the top, apply the wallpaper to the wall. You may want to pre-cut holes for switches, other openings, etc. (being very exact with the measurements to avoid errors) or cut them as you proceed to hang the wallpaper (the easiest way). Either way you have to be precise!
Hobbyists often end up with the problem of small air bubbles under the wallpaper or uneven fixing to the wall. Resist the temptation to use a plastic squeegee, as it can tear wallpaper or leave marks if used with improper pressure. Instead, use a clean, soft cloth and apply gentle hand pressure, or a light, flexible rubber flapper, much like you would use to clean windows.
Designing with that wallpaper
Wallpaper provides an opportunity to incorporate colors and patterns into a design. The look of a large wall can be enhanced by patterned or striped wallpaper to break up its overwhelming size. Use vertical stripes to add height to the room and horizontal stripes to create the illusion of a larger space. Another option is to incorporate a dual design: use a striped pattern on the top half of the wall and a solid or floral print on the bottom to create interest.
Use borders near the ceiling to create visual interest and give the illusion of height to the room by drawing attention to the ceiling.
By using wallpaper in more than one room in the house, you have the option of creating flow between two rooms without having to use the same wallpaper. Fluidity can be achieved by keeping different shades of the same colors, contrasting colors, or similar patterns.
Building the room from wallpaper
When designing an entire room, wallpaper creates a beautiful visual palette to work with. Wallpapers, because they provide various colors and patterns in their designs, can create a central atmosphere in the room (formal, informal, etc.); the source of a color scheme (of wallpaper colors); and even a pattern that will flow throughout the room (floral patterns, stripes, or dots).
Wallpaper provides a great opportunity for design ingenuity. Don’t be afraid to use the wall to its full potential, whether it’s to enhance the room’s design or build an entire room around it.
