When it comes to decorating the rooms in your house, a lot of people take the easy way out and simply put a couple of coats of paint on the walls. But for those who are looking for something a little more interesting and stylish, there's an endless choice of wallpaper that will make sure you get the look you're after. However good you might think you are at DIY though, when it comes to wallpapering, there are a one or two things you need to bear in mind.
You don't need much more than a brush and a roller when you're painting your walls, but if you're wallpapering them instead, you want to make sure you've got all the tools that will make the task easier, and the finished result as good as it can be. From the paste table to the seam roller, make sure you've got everything you need.
When you're buying your wallpaper, it's always a good idea to make sure the rolls all come from the same batch. Different batches could have slight variations in color or pattern, which you definitely want to avoid. Also, when you are measuring the room to decide how many rolls you will need, it's generally best to overestimate. Don't deduct the windows and doors; and add at least 100mm onto each length if you're going to need to match up the patterns on the paper - you don't want to risk running out.
As with most things, if you want your wallpapering to look good, the key is preparation. It's worth spending a bit of time on this as all the effort you put in will definitely be worth it in the end. Strip any existing wall paper, as papering over the top of it is likely to make both layers fall off onto the floor; and sand painted walls to provide a key for the paste and to get rid of any minor imperfections - anything more extensive can be covered up with lining paper. Newly plaster walls need to be sealed before being papered, but painting on some diluted wallpaper paste will do the trick.
Once everything is ready, the last thing you need to do before you start hanging the paper, is decide where to start. In a room that doesn't have a fireplace or any type of feature, you can start on any wall, using a plumb line or spirit level to mark out a line on the wall to ensure the first piece, and all the subsequent pieces, are straight. If there is a feature in the room, use the same technique to get a straight line to start from, but make it central to the feature to ensure a symmetrical look.
Painting your walls might seem a lot easier than papering them, but if you really want your house to look good, these tips will help make wallpapering your rooms much simpler.
You don't need much more than a brush and a roller when you're painting your walls, but if you're wallpapering them instead, you want to make sure you've got all the tools that will make the task easier, and the finished result as good as it can be. From the paste table to the seam roller, make sure you've got everything you need.
When you're buying your wallpaper, it's always a good idea to make sure the rolls all come from the same batch. Different batches could have slight variations in color or pattern, which you definitely want to avoid. Also, when you are measuring the room to decide how many rolls you will need, it's generally best to overestimate. Don't deduct the windows and doors; and add at least 100mm onto each length if you're going to need to match up the patterns on the paper - you don't want to risk running out.
As with most things, if you want your wallpapering to look good, the key is preparation. It's worth spending a bit of time on this as all the effort you put in will definitely be worth it in the end. Strip any existing wall paper, as papering over the top of it is likely to make both layers fall off onto the floor; and sand painted walls to provide a key for the paste and to get rid of any minor imperfections - anything more extensive can be covered up with lining paper. Newly plaster walls need to be sealed before being papered, but painting on some diluted wallpaper paste will do the trick.
Once everything is ready, the last thing you need to do before you start hanging the paper, is decide where to start. In a room that doesn't have a fireplace or any type of feature, you can start on any wall, using a plumb line or spirit level to mark out a line on the wall to ensure the first piece, and all the subsequent pieces, are straight. If there is a feature in the room, use the same technique to get a straight line to start from, but make it central to the feature to ensure a symmetrical look.
Painting your walls might seem a lot easier than papering them, but if you really want your house to look good, these tips will help make wallpapering your rooms much simpler.
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