Before you begin
Our wallpaper comes in a variety of widths, repeat sizes, and roll styles and we have Illustrated your design’s repeat and layouts in the relevant tear sheet. Please review your tear sheet alongside this hanging guide to determine which of these directions apply to your design.
To work out how many rolls you will need, we recommend you consult your contractor providing them with our tear sheet, these instructions, and a sample of your chosen design. We also recommend that our papers are hung by an expert therefore we have written these guide lines with professionals in mind.
Please note: If you are in any doubt as to the direction of a pattern, please refer to our website. Rolls sometimes are reverse rolled duto manufacturing process so be sure to double check. We also advise that you unroll the whole wallpaper and check for any imperfections and that it is what you ordered. Do not cut the wallpaper unless you fully approve the products design and quality.
Step one – Prepare the walls
1) Clean the surface of the wall with a little detergent.
2) Ensure that your walls are dry, even and firm. Before starting, fill and sand any crack’s or imperfections on your wall.
3) Roughen flat finish painted surfaces using sandpaper.
4) For the best results we recommend walls are cross lined with a good quality lining paper.
5) If the wall is a newly plastered wall, you will need to seal it with primer beforehand to prevent the paste from being absorbed by the plaster which may cause the paper to shrink.
6) We suggest turning the central heating off and ensure the room is well-aired during the application and drying time – otherwise, the wallpaper may shrink and leave visible gaps between pieces. Do your best to wait 48 hours before turning the heating back on.
Step two – Plan and hang
1) For the first length, use a plumb line, mark a point 40 cm in from the far left of the wall (allowing for a 5cm overhand onto the adjacent wall) and draw a vertical straight line with the help of a wallpaper edge cutter.
2) For the best finish, you may wish to paint a rough stripe on the walls at intervals matching the product pieces width using emulsion paint in a hue that matches the base colour of the wallpaper, and allow it to dry. This will ensure that if any wallpaper shrinkage occurs, it won’t be visible.
3) Apply the ready-made paste to the wall sparingly, using a sponge for the edges.
4) Position the first cut peice of wallpaper at the top of the wall (allowing a 5-10 cm overlap onto the ceiling), with its right-hand edge running down the vertically drawn line.
5) Smooth the piece down with a firm, dampened sponge, working in circular motions, take care not to stretch the paper as it becomes very pliable when wet with paste.
6) Position your second piece (taking the design repeat into account), matching the pattern next to the edge of the first piece. Where applicable, i.e. for 70cm and 52cm width wallpapers, butt the joints and use a dampened sponge to smooth down.
7) Repeat the above step, using as many pieces as required.
8) Cut off any excess paper along the top and bottom.
Untrimmed wallcoverings
When hanging superwide, untrimmed wallcoverings, the following applies.
1) Prepare the walls in the normal way and draw up your plumb line marks (see our advice above).
2) Before you cut any pieces, triple check your pattern repeat. Do you need to cut matching lengths , or alternating pieces for an offset pattern repeat?
3) Ensure you have plenty of space to work in, you don’t necessarily need a wallpaper pasting table, a clean flat floor is often the best place to work with wide wallpapers. Be sure not to stand or lean on the paper to avoid pressure marks.
4) Once the first piece is hung, air bubbles removed and the top and bottom trimmed as per standard wallpaper, then you are ready to hang the next piece.
5) Paste the required area & hang the second piece overlapping the edge of the first piece by approx. 20mm, to match the pattern. Secure the rest of the paper as before. This technique is often referred to as double cut hanging, it allows for a perfect join between pieces. Note: The overlap amount will differ between designs so please pay particular attention to the bleed edge of the wallpaper where we overprint more of the design at the edges.
6) Cut through the centre of the overlap with a very sharp blade using a metal edge as a guide.
7) Cut through the centre of the overlap with a very sharp blade using a metal edge as a guide.
8) Pull away the 2 strips of paper, flap back the edges & re-paste. Press edges back into position to form a perfect join. Now trim top & bottom.
8) Pull away the 2 strips of paper, lift the edges and re-paste. Press the edges back into position to form a perfect join before trimming top & bottom.
Grasscloths and natural texture wall coverings
1) Prepare your walls in the normal way.
2) Paste the paper and loosely fold the ends to the centre and allow to soak for a few minutes so the paper becomes supple. Don’t over soak or work more than one length at a time.
3) Use a plumb line to hang the first length and smooth the paper to the wall using a paper hanger’s sponge from the centre to the edge of the length to expel air bubbles. Take care to avoid pulling fibres from the front of grasscloth papers or allowing paste to touch the surface.
4) Hang the first piece and observe the overlap method above.
5) If sufficient paste has been applied to the edges there should be no need to use a seam roller to smooth down edges but if needed, use a felt roller.
6) Trim excess top and bottom with a metal edge and sharp blade. Use a new blade for each cut.
Top Tips
Keep it even
Use a sponge to smooth wallpaper down and never a spatula, which could scratch the design.
Getting it straight
Mark a vertical pencil line on the wall against a plumb line or long spirit level adjacent to where the first length is to hang. Allow the plumb to swing freely until it is at rest before putting a pencil mark down the wall behind the string. Repeat the process on every wall.
Ventilation
We suggest turning central heating off and ensure the room is well-aired during the application and drying time – otherwise, the wallpaper may shrink and leave visible gaps between pieces. Do your best to wait 48 hours before turning the heating back on after installation.
Keep it clean
If you’re wallpapering a bathroom or a very busy area, we suggest applying two coats of Polyvine Decorator’s Varnish in ‘Dead Flat’ over the top of dry wallpaper using a short flock roller. This will help protect against finger marks, stains, and scuffing. We recommend doing a small test as this may affect the colour.
Plug cases
For sockets and switches, once the power is turned off, start by unscrewing and removing the outer casing. Apply the sheet of wallpaper as normal and let it hang over the socket area. Next, use a knife to slice a cross-shaped opening, diagonally from corner to corner across the socket area, then cut away the excess. Smooth the paper down with a sponge or sponge before reattaching the front cover of the socket.
Paste the wall
All our wallpapers are on a non-woven backing and are paste the wall products making them much easier to handle as your wallpaper won’t be wet or sticky. Dampen the back of the wallcovering with clean water using a sponge or water sprayer. We recommend fungicide protected ready mixed ‘tub’ adhesive specifically for paste the wall non-woven papers. Should any paste have been allowed to touch the surface, it should be lightly sponged whilst still moist using a clean damp sponge.
Wallpaper care
Care symbols are provided across our range. Following the advice they offer will help you to extend the life of your paper.
