Dark Line Showing Under Wallpaper

This wallpaper was put up by another installer. In the bottom half of the photo, you see a dark line at the seam. At first, I thought this was “staining,” an unpredictable phenomenon that happens with some pastes soak partly through some papers, and create what look like wet areas.

But when I started to strip off the paper, as you see in the upper left of the photo, it was clear that what was showing through was the other installer’s pencil marks and plumb line.

I write on the walls and draw plumb lines in pencil, too, and also mark on the back of the wallpaper. This is a good reminder to always write lightly, especially if the paper is thin or light colored. Note that, even if marks show through the paper when it’s wet, usually once it’s dried, the marks do not show.

The previous installer was not so lucky. After I stripped off the paper, I rolled on a white primer, which both hid his lines and better prepared the surface for wallpaper.

This pattern is by Sanitas, and is a pre-pasted, non-woven, breathable, easy to remove material.

Tags: plumb line, sanitas, wallpaper