Wallpapering The Right Way – Part 6

Last time we talked about some of the tricks and techniques of hanging wallpaper onto your walls. However, rooms generally have four sides which means corners, gulp! Not to mention the dreaded light socket! Here is how to deal with the trickier parts of wallpapering your room.

Corners

Corners and other awkward places need special treatment. Never try to paper around the corner – corners are seldom truly vertical. Always paper in from one side and overlap, plumb a line on the far side and paper back into the corner, then trim.

On internal corners, take measurements at several points from the last complete length of hung paper to the corner. To the largest measurements, add on 20mm for an overlap. Transfer this figure to the next length and cut to width after you have pasted and folded it. Hang and crease the paper tight into the corner using the brush and scissors, then turn the overlap around it and smooth.

Now plumb a line on the other side of the corner, the width of a length minus 50mm away from it. Hang your next length against this, press the overlap into the corner over that of the previous length and trim off.

Use a similar procedure on external corners. Take several measurements to the corner, add 20mm to the largest and cut the first strip. Hang and trim in the normal fashion, turning the overlap around the corner. Then hang the second strip against a line plumbed around the corner and trim the free edge against the corner itself.

Light switches and sockets

Before papering around a light switch or socket, turn the electricity off at the mains – remember that paste contains water. Start applying the paper in the normal way from the top of the wall. Once you reach the fitting, press the wallpaper over the fitting to mark out its location. This will leave outline on the paper. You can then pierce a hole on the middle.

With square fittings, make four diagonal cuts to just beyond the corners. Use the scissors to crease the flaps where they meet the fitting. Trim off along the creases and smooth around the fitting. With round fittings, make a series of cuts to form a star shape, the crease and trim in the same way.

Recesses and reveals

Recesses are always difficult to paper well. To paper the sides of the recess, you can simply follow the same procedure and for external corners, take one side at a time. But never try to fold the paper over to cover the top of the recess as well.

To paper the top of the recess, measure its depth, add 40mm and cut a piece of paper to this length. Trim the back overlap but turn the front one around the lip of the recess and onto the vertical wall. The strip of paper directly above the recess should be trimmed flush to the lip.

You should now have a much better idea on how to wall paper the rooms in your house. Remember people, measure twice, cut once.