I’m trying to redo and upgrade my horribly ugly bathroom that was last renovated in the early '70s. I was thinking of painting, but since taking off the old, incredibly ugly wallpaper, the walls are all bumpy and rough. I’ve been stripping off the old glue, but it will still take some major work to get the walls smooth enough to paint. So I started thinking that it would be easier to just put up some nice and pretty wallpaper, which would cover the imperfections of the wall texture.
But I’ve never hung wallpaper before. It doesn’t seem that hard, but am I missing something? Is it hard that it seems? Any tips or advice?
Hanging wallpaper on a bumpy wall looks worse than paint. A lot worse.
Hanging wallpaper isn’t “hard”, especially if you have two people working on it. But it’s not easy to do a good quaility job of it. You have to plan it out so the patterns match correctly, the seams have to be just so after the glue dries and there is a lot of cutting at the top, bottom and around objects.
Last time I wallpapered the bathroom I called my wife in to have a look after I’d finished. She told me I had to move the light fixture over 3 inches becasue she couldn’t stand it being centered on the sink, it had to be centered on … something else, I still don’t understand. Decide this stuff beforehand.
And if the two people are married, it is the ultimate test of the strength of marriage. If you can survive wallpapering together, you can survive anything.
When I lived in Germany, it seemed everybody put wallpaper on their walls (and would then paint it). As they all had lots of experience, they could slap it up there in no time and it looked perfect!
So I tried it.
Never again.
There is so much you have to know - how to mix that glop paste, how to apply it, how to get the rolls of paper to line up evenly, how long to hold it, making sure you have the right tools…let’s just say it didn’t look pretty when I was done, much to the great amusement of my German friends when they came to my place.
Oh, and with bumpy walls? Even I know that is a very bad idea.
There are a couple of types of wallpaper. One type just need to be moistened to activate the adhesive, while another type needs you to mix up wallpaper paste and to apply it to the back of the paper. The first type is easier.
We were convinced by the store knucklehead to use “activator” as paste rather than just wetting the back (which would have worked just fine), and that was our undoing. The activator was very thick and lumpy and to get it all out after applying the paper to the wall we sort of had to squeegee it out with a plastic edger/thingy, but we were using textured paper, and in squeegeeing it we basically pressed all the texture out of the paper.
Also, you will have to prepare the walls for paper as much as you would need to for paint- otherwise you’ll just have bumpy wallpaper which will be very visible- so you’re not gaining anything there.
Some thinner/designer papers stretch when you’re trying to fine-tune their position on the wall, which means the next piece will be nigh on impossible to apply with everything lined up properly.
There is a sort of wallpaper that’s just a plain heavy paper and is intended for covering walls with defects. You can also use a wallpaper with a heavy texture to obscure the defects in the wall.
I have tried it before and it’s not easy. I think the pattern and shape of the wall play a lot into it. It’s not worth it in my opinion. Hire someone or paint
I’ve done the type that you just have to get wet to activate. It can be difficult, especially lining up a pattern. And then getting the bubbles out, ugh. If you don’t have a lot of patience, I’d think twice.
And I’m saying this knowing that I am probably going to do some paper hanging myself in the near future. I’ve done it before though so I know what to expect. And even then, I’m keeping it to a small area. It’s time consuming.
You must know my wife - this is exactly what she says. We survived this 25 years ago and are still married. In our current house we just redecorated - and our contractor chose to paint over the wallpaper in the hall, because taking it off and redoing it would be such a mess. Came out great, actually.
Don’t do it. Just keep scraping that glue off - you’ll be much happier with paint than wallpaper. Wallpaper is what Satan decorates with. I got done scraping six (6!) layers of wallpaper off a bedroom’s walls, and if I can do it, a poorly-behaved monkey could do it.
Hallboy and I have wallpapered three rooms. We’ve used the prepasted wallpaper every time and, like any other job, it is much easier if you have the right tools. Hallboy does a much better job at lining up the patterns that I do, so that’s what he does, along with the trimming. I am usually in charge of the soaking, timing, and telling him how fantastic it looks.
Okay, so maybe Hallboy is better at hanging wallpaper than I am. He should–he started it when he was 14.
I’d say if you want to wallpaper, get prepasted. (I cannot imagine using paste.) Go to your local home improvement store and purchase the right tools. You don’t have to spend a ton of money, but when you’re trying to smooth out a bubble, or adhere the seams together, you want the right tool. Then, do one wall. If you like it, do the others.
Geesh, it’s only wallpaper. If you don’t like it, rip it off.
RealityChuck and Voyager, you are so correct. The first (and second to last) argument I ever saw my parents have was over hanging wallpaper. Possibly the OP’s wallpaper, if it was metallic rust and gold striped paper, hung on a diagonal.
Palo Verde, texture-effect paint can minimize bumps, but is really out of style. Stenciling a wallpaper-like pattern can tone down irregularities and is a really popular look. A test section would be good; to see if you could stand to do the whole wall and enjoy the way it looks.
My experience has been the opposite – it’s easier for me to do it myself, with no help. Maybe I don’t give or take direction very well, but that’s how it is.
Totally agree with phall0106 – get the right tools and equipment. And you’ll need lots and lots of razor blades. That stuff isn’t expensive though.
My only mistake was ordering paper from a design store without first asking what it would cost. I figured it couldn’t cost much more than Home Depot. Wrong. I could have said no when I picked it up and paid, but would have had to pay a re-stocking charge.
Hanging paper is easy, it’s the bit about getting it to look good that’s hard.
I happen to like the look of wallpaper, but I’d never dream of doing it myself. I think that this is one of those things where it’s cost effective to hire a pro.
Tip for getting paste off of rough walls relatively easily - use aBBQ scrubberlike this. A scraper won’t get into the indents on a rough or textured wall but this will. Home Depot has them for a couple of bucks. Use spray bottle to apply whatever solution you’re using to remove the glue, scrub a section, rinse with wet towel, repeat. Best to prime walls with solvent-based primer before painting. Some glues will crackle the paint as it cures, which looks horrible and is a pain to fix.
Some faux/glazing techniques don’t require much skill at all and can make a rough wall look pretty cool, depending on the look you’re going for.
If using paint, choose flat or matte because it’ll disguise flaws or bumpy surfaces better.
Wallpaper isn’t that hard to put up depending on the design and the shape of your walls, but the above will certainly be cheaper and overall, probably less time-consuming.
