Wallpaper looks better and will have fewer wrinkles and relief cuts , plus there will be fewer cut edges to come loose, when it goes behind objects like switch plates and this thermostat. Here it was a matter of gently pulling off the glass front of the Nest thermostat, then removing two screws on the mounting bracket. I left it connected to the wires in the wall, but pulled the wires out further from the wall so there was more play to work around. I was able to place the wallpaper over this area, cut an “X” where the thermostat was, and then pull both the thermostat and the back plate through the wallpaper. Note: I wrapped the thermostat in plastic before starting, to protect it from wallpaper paste / adhesive . Then put the backplate in place, reattach the thermostat, and then replace the glass front. Smooth the wallpaper into place. All looks perfect!
This is the mounting bracket for a sconce / light fixture . The fixture itself is exactly the same size as the bracket. So it’s unfortunate that the electrician used an electrical box that is too large . As you can see, the blue box shows on both the left and right sides of the light fixture. (I will also add that I think this light fixture is narrower than most – I suspect it was made overseas where boxes and codes are different from here.) In addition, the blue box juts out from the wall and will create a bump under the wallpaper , plus prevent the paper from adhering tightly to the wall . The jaggedly cut drywall will leave impressions under the paper, too. Here the plastic electrical box is recessed better into the wall. But there are still gaps on the left and right sides of the bracket. To get the wallpaper around the brackets without gaps showing , I removed the brackets, and then brought the wallpaper in to cover the electrical junction boxes by about 1.” (no photo) If the electrician needs more space for his wires , he can always trim the wallpaper back a little. In the instance of the box in the top photo, there will still be wallpaper that can’t sit tight to the drywall , but once the sconce is replaced you really won’t notice. I also had the option of leaving the mounting brackets in place and then placing the wallpaper over the metal plates. But first of all, I think this is against building Codes. And second, if the sconces are changed out later, or if someone needs to access the electrical connections, removing the mounting plates would most surely tear the wallpaper in the process. So, best to have the wallpaper behind the plates, rather than pasted on top of them.
I hung this wallpaper back in 1996, and was back this week to update it with new ‘ grown-up ‘ wallpaper. You are looking at the mounting bracket for the towel bar. For some reason, I didn’t remove the bracket like I usually do today, nor did I cut around it. Instead, I cut the paper so that the towel bar would be able to grip onto the bracket, but left some of the paper intact. The cover plate is off the light switch. Here I cut the paper very tightly to the electrical switch. I didn’t cut out for the screw holes, but, when the cover plate was replaced, I let the screw drive itself right through the wallpaper.
In the top photo, I am using an allen wrench to remove the tiny set screw that is holding a toilet paper holder to its mounting bracket. Turning the screw causes the wrench to rub against the wall, and the metal is leaving a dark mark on the wallpaper primer. You wouldn’t want this to happen once the new wallpaper is up!
To prevent this, you could put a piece of scrap paper in between the wrench and the new paper. Or you can make tiny, 1/4 turns, so that the large end of the wrench does not come in contact with the wall.
Or, better, use a smaller wrench with a narrower profile. These are usually included in the box when you buy fixtures like this. As you can see in the second photo, there is plenty of clearance, and no damage to the new wallpaper.
I always take the light fixture down, so the wallpaper can go behind it, leaving a seamless look, and no chance of any wallpaper peeling up.
But, with certain types of fixtures, I will usually take it one step further, and remove the mounting bracket, too. This way, I can be sure the wallpaper goes well behind the bracket and the fixture, and no wall or gaps will show.
This is important, because some light fixtures (like this one) fit really tightly around the mounting bracket, and you want to see wallpaper around the fixture, not wall or gaps.
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