Putting up wallpaper is a task which very few people enjoy. Aside from the obvious mess, it can take an extraordinary amount of time and preparation. There are a couple of tricks or techniques to avoid a challenging mess. However, before a finger is even lifted to open a roll of wallpaper or border, choosing the pattern, color and theme can take some length of time.
The selections available for the various patterns, themes and colors of wallpaper and wallpaper borders are astounding. Big block home improvement stores almost always have a very limited stock available. The most popular designs are kids’ themed or flowery types. Settling for what is in stock is never a good idea. Ask the clerk for a catalogue or other samples. Better yet, visit a shop specializing in wallpaper, paint and home d?cor. It will be far easier to match up color palettes so that clashing does not occur.
If the home owner is decorating from scratch, it will be much easier to pick the main colors to be used from swatches and coordinate wallpaper with those swatches. Should the walls already have a main paint color or wallpaper applied to the walls, try to find the original piece of wallpaper or paint to create a swatch. Sometimes this just will not be possible. In this case carefully remove a small obscured piece of the existing wall decor, if possible, from the wall to use as a sample.
Once the wallpaper or border has been purchased and the home owner is ready to begin applying the wallpaper, there are a couple of tricks to take advantage of in order to maintain the neatest work area possible. Having a large open surface, such as a countertop or dining room table in or near the room to be decorated, is a must. If none is available, an inexpensive 4′ by 4′ folding table will serve to set the water trough on used for submerging the wallpaper. Having the trough elevated near waist height will save a good amount of back pain and stiffness later. The worst case scenario is using a bathtub which is clean from any cleaning chemical residue or a wide plank of wood.
A very sturdy foot stool in prime condition will usually be easier to maneuver than even the smallest step ladder. If the room being decorated has cathedral type ceilings the home owner may not have this choice. It is vitally important not to step on the top or the second ladder rung from the top. Over extending one’s reach while standing on a foot stool or ladder is also the most common cause for ladder injury. It is almost guaranteed that the individual will fall. DO NOT DO THIS!
It is always recommended to have a helper nearby when hanging full rolls of wallpaper and sometimes borders. Not only will this speed up the process, but will also be easier for the decorator. There is a well kept secret “trick”, however, which even many professionals are not yet aware.
There is a specialized tool designed to make applying a wallpaper border quite simple and fast without a second wallpapering or border buddy. The tool allows an individual to spool out the border, with only one hand and temporarily and quickly secure itself to the wall while the user slides the foot stool over to continue spooling the border out. What can easily take two people a couple of hours to apply a border to just one average room; the average person with this tool can do it in perhaps a half-hour.
