Mural panels standing on edge are cut, sequenced, staged, and ready to be pasted. The panel lying on the floor will be my last strip, and will need to be measured and trimmed narrower before it’s ready to be pasted or hung. I use several different methods to paste pre-pasted wallpaper, and you can do a Search here to read more. But for today, I’m using the tried-and-true historic method of running the strip quickly through a water tray . At the top of the photo, several strips have already been submerged and pulled through the water, then folded pasted-side-to-pasted-side. This is called booking . Booking allows the adhesive on the back of the wallpaper to absorb the water and become activated. And it allows the wallpaper substrate to absorb moisture, expand, and then contract a little. This method can sometimes get the material a little too wet, which can lead to over-expansion and then bubbles on the wall. That’s why I’ve placed the booked strips at a slant and over the bucket – so excess water can drain off. Usually I paste and book one strip and then paste and book the next strip. While I’m hanging one, the second one is booking and waiting its turn to be hung. But with this water tray method and certain brands of pre-pasted material, such as Anewall , York , or Sure Strip , the paper sometimes gets so wet that it needs more time to dry before attempting to hang. So I’m pasting more strips at a time, so they can be drying out a bit while I hang the first strips. There’s a bit of a risk to this, which is the potential for the paper to over-expand as it sits wet waiting to be hung. Then once it’s on the wall and starts to dry, it can shrink. All wallpaper shrinks when it dries. But if it has expanded too much, then when it dries and shrinks, you can be left with small gaps at the seams. Again, gaps are common with all wallpapers (most all), but can be exaggerated when dealing with over-saturated pre-pasted material as it shrinks. Back to the method … You see the water tray, filled 3/4 full with clean water. I’ve set it on towels, which are in turn set on top of a thick plastic clear shower curtain. And that’s on top of my usual dropcloths, which are absorbent on the top (blue) side and water-proof on the underside. All this keeps any splashed water from getting onto the clients’ floors. I also sometimes set the water tray in a bathtub, with towels set over the edge of the tub and on the floor.
Pre-pasted papers come with a thin layer of adhesive on the back. In the old days, we ran the paper through a water tray or trough to activate the paste. I’ll still do that sometimes these days, and also roll a very thin layer of paste onto the wall before hanging the strip. Alternately, current instructions suggest using a squirt bottle to mist the back side of the paper, wetting enough to activate the paste. That sounds like a whole lot of squeezing and pain in the wrist / hands to me! Additionally, I don’t believe that it will give even coverage of the water. Instead, I’ll take a small amount of paste from my bucket and roll a very light coat onto the back of the paper. The paste isn’t really needed, but I like the extra assurance. It’s important that the manufacturer’s adhesive be wetted sufficiently and become activated, so next I’ll take sponge and used it to drip on clean water from a 1-gallon bucket I have sitting on the edge of my pasting table. I sprinkle the water over the back side of the wallpaper, then use my paste roller to gently spread the water over the surface. This activates the paste, and also allows for the substrate to absorb moisture and fully wet-out . Then the paper is booked (folded pasted-side-to-pasted-side) and set in a plastic trash bag for a few minutes, to allow the paste to become activated and for the paper to expand. If you don’t wait the right amount of time, you will end up with paper expanding on the wall – and that means bubbles and blisters. To speed the install process, you can paste your next strip while the first one is booking in the trash bag.
The homeowner owns some treasured artwork (one painted by her grandfather!) that will really pop when placed against this cute, tight, small-scale geometric print in bright orange.
The wallpaper is by York, one of my favorite companies, in their SureStrip line, which is also a favorite of mine.
This paper comes pre-pasted, so you only need to activate the paste on the back with water. And it is designed to strip off the wall easily and cleanly, when it’s time to redecorate.
As with most rooms, the walls were not straight or plumb, so it was more than a bit of a challenge to make the pattern look straight, while also matching the design when turning corners.
This is one of my all-time favorite wallpaper patterns. It’s just pretty – PRETTY.
I’m told it dates back to the late 1800’s – about the same time the manufacturer founded its company. In fact, the paper is 18.5″ wide, instead of the more standard 20.5″ width, because it is printed on the same rollers and drums that were used back then.
I’ve hung it many times over two decades. But I think this is the first time I’ve done this aqua colorway.
The under-the-stairs powder room is too small for me to get good photographs. But you can see how the paper glows.
This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, one of my favorite brands. If you look closely at the last photo, you can see the “raised ink” used in the printing process. I love that look and feel.
The material is pre-pasted, so all you have to do is wet it to activate the paste. I do also run a light coat of augmentive paste on the wall.
The home is in the Tanglewood area of Houston.
It was bought from my favorite source for good quality, product knowledge, expert service, and competitive price – Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. She is great at helping you find just the perfect paper! Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.
Yesterday’s post was regarding a pre-pasted wallpaper. A lot of my colleagues scoff at pre-pasted papers, because they are lower-priced and because they are targeted to the DIY crowd.
But I like them! As long as they are paper or the newer non-woven materials (and not vinyl, which is horrible low-end stuff!), I think they are fabulous products, as well as much faster to apply. Please read yesterday’s post for more reasons why I like these papers.
In the photo, you see the water tray I use. I roll the strip up and run it through the water to activate the thin layer of paste which the manufacturer has applied to the back. As the paper comes out of the water, I fold the pasted sides together – this is called booking. The paper is set aside for a few minutes so the paste can activate, the paper can absorb moisture and expand, and to let excess water can drain off.
I will often roll on and cut into the edges a very light coat of paste, just to augment the adhesive already on the paper.
Then the paper is applied to the wall. Because a lot of water comes in contact with the surface, it’s important to wipe the surface completely, and to rinse your cloths frequently.
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