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How to Hang Wallpaper
April 26, 2018
Regardless of whether you choose to make a statement with something loud and bold or opt for a neutral design, wallpaper is back, and it looks like it’s here to stay! Here’s what you need to know about choosing and hanging it the right way.
Choosing Your Wallpaper
Ultimately, choosing wallpaper for your home is a very personal thing. Forget about obsessing too much around current design trends and select something that really speaks to you – something that makes you feel happy and at home. For more tips on choosing the right wallpaper, take a look at our previous blog post here.
Things to Remember when Hanging Your Wallpaper
While hanging wallpaper is not as daunting as you think, it’s worth considering that it’s not a completely straightforward process. If not done correctly, the paper can start to lift, bubble and peel soon after it has been applied.
Here are some things to remember in order to avoid this and to be able to enjoy your chosen design for many years to come.
Clean the Wall First
The first step is to give the wall on which you intend to hang your wallpaper a thorough clean. This will make it easier for the wallpaper to adhere more strongly when applied. Use a soft sponge and some luke-warm, clean water – don’t forget the corners.
It is also essential that the wall surface is as close to perfectly smooth as possible. If it isn’t, it’s time to get sanding!
You will need
Wallpaper and Wallpaper adhesive, a wooden batten (to stop the paper from rolling up when you apply the adhesive), a plumb line and spirit level, smoothing brush, tape measure, pencil, paste brush or roller and a drop cloth.
Make Sure that You Choose the Right Adhesive
Wallpaper paste might seem like the obvious choice, however, there are instances when another adhesive may perform better, especially if the ‘wallpaper’ that you think you’re hanging is, in fact, vinyl. Check the label beforehand to avoid any costly mistakes.
Order Extra
You’ll probably think that you’re saving money by measuring the exact amount of wallpaper that you’ll need. However, whether you’re a professional or not, you can be pretty certain that mistakes will happen during the hanging process. Therefore, it pays to round up your measurements, or even to buy an extra roll or two, in order to account for this.
Once you have measured the width of all the walls that you want to cover, divide the total width by 53cm – this is the standard width of most wallpaper rolls, although you should check your chosen wallpaper width first! This will give you the number of drops you need. Then measure the height of your room and multiply this figure by the number of drops from the previous calculation, which will give you your total meterage. Remember to add 10% more for wastage and other mishaps…
Plan Ahead
Do you know exactly where your seams are going to be? If you don’t, your pattern is going to end up mismatched slap-bang in the middle of the wall. Plan strategically before you start the process to avoid disappointment and nasty surprises later on.
If your wallpaper has any sort of pattern work away from the window area into the darkest corners of the room. If it’s a heavy pattern choose a central point such as a fireplace, or a central point between two windows.
Know How to Troubleshoot
Prep your paper by cutting enough lengths to cover one wall, put them onto your pasting table and carefully apply your paste working from one end to the other. Fold each length loosely – but don’t crease them. Unfold your first length and press it gently against the top of the wall. As you hang the rest, be sure that the pattern matches up before you smooth them down.
Don’t freak out if you notice a few bubbles here and there. The chances are good that they’ll disappear once the adhesive dries and the wallpaper settles. If not, it’s quite easy to make them less noticeable by puncturing them with a pin, gently flattening them and pressing the air out.
If it all seems like too much trouble and effort to hang wallpaper yourself, hire an affordable interior design company like Darkie Designs to lend a hand. Contact us today to learn more.
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Back in March of 2020, Bianca and Jana were dusting off their Fez’s and grabbing the pashminas out of storage in preparation to Rock the Casbah! However, as we all know and vividly remember - with March, came the eventual Covid shutdown, and instead of frolicking down the Moroccan streets, we all shut ourselves inside and watched the days tick by… 3 Years later, and now we can finally say - with conviction - that they’re going to Morocco at the start of September! This blog, filled with excitement and curiosity about all the weird and wonderful curios they might find, and endless sourcing they’ll do, stays as a reminder that sometimes plans change, things go awry and there’s not much you can do about it other than persevere - and that we did! So, here’s Bianca and Jana’s innermost thoughts about the trip, 3 years before it came to fruition, enjoy :) We've got our passports out and Jana has already picked out what she's going to wear each day… Come March [September] we'll be heading north with Air France to the Kingdom of Morocco, bright eyed and bushy tailed as we make our base in the ancient city of Marrakesh (also known as Marrakech to the French, but we're not French, so we'll go with the English version until all that fuss about Brexit is sorted out) - This turned into a year long negotiations trade, and now us outsiders would pay nearly double what we used to if we visit the UK - thankfully our flight is direct!! We'll be looking for inspiration and will be investigating what's there that we could possibly bring back to The Hoed. We can't wait to experience the atmosphere and afro-arabic influences of this amazing place as we visit the celebrated souks and off-the-beaten track artists and craftsmen that make Marrakesh so special. We're desperate to see the beautifully hand-crafted furniture, textiles, fabrics, rugs, carpets, objets d'art, accessories, lighting… anything that catches our eye and could possibly be brought back south. Berber mats and rugs are definitely on our list, as are the kind of furnishings you might find in a gorgeous Bedouin tent. If you think about it, the Bedouin refined the art of "glamping" into an artform - fabulous carpets on the ground, soft, billowing fabrics hung here and there, plump cushions spread on the ground, intricate leatherwork and carved wood, patinated metal… Total Glamping vibes! We just love all of it and will be tracking as much of it down as we can. We'll also have an eye or three out for wonderful ceramics and glassware and wonderful lamps that give off soft, filtered light. For us it's about workmanship, so we'll hopefully be finding the people who make furniture and ceramics using techniques that have been passed down over countless generations meaning that everything we look at will have its own, and its own special story. Our mission is to share those stories with you and, if it's feasible, bring some of that special workmanship home to the Rainbow Nation. We're most definitely inspired and are sure this is going to be a truly special trip! Counting the sleeps till then! Less than a month to go now - we will be keeping the updates going on our social channels as well as another few blog posts to explain in detail our wild adventures - Stay tuned!
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