Wallpapering 101

Lesson 4: Tips, Tricks, and Things to Remember

This lesson is where you learn some of the little tricks of the trade that makes the paperhanger’s life a little easier. It contains special instructions for successful bathroom wallpapering and some tips about dealing with electrical light switch and receptacle covers.

Rips, Tears, and Air Bubbles

“People who don’t make mistakes, don’t do anything.” This is a good saying to remember, because when you apply wallpaper, you are going to make a mistake somewhere along the line, especially if you are a novice at it. Even the pros make mistakes, so don’t worry about it.

Wallpaper is very delicate when it’s wet for hanging. When cutting around window sills and casings, or cutting excess around corners, it’s not uncommon to end up with a small tear or a chunk missing out of the paper. This is nothing to get really excited about, and it’s also no reason to tear the sheet down and waste it.

If you have a bad tear where the wall shows through the paper, or a chunk missing out of the paper, you may be able to repair it. All you have to do is to find a piece of the paper that matches the pattern where the error has occurred, and place the matching piece behind the paper and roll it out with your seam roller. Gently pull the paper away from the wall vertically where the error is and place the wet repair piece on the wall where it will match up with the pattern where the error is. Then put the sheet back in place over the repair and gently roll it with a seam roller. I use the seam roller because there are usually frayed edges that can be damaged further with a brush or plastic scraper. If it’s up next to a casing or in a corner area it won’t be noticeable when the paper dries. Errors don’t usually occur in open areas that are really noticeable because the paper is easy to hang in these areas.

When the paper dries there will be times when bubbles will seem to occur out of no where. These bubbles usually contain air or chemical gases, and can easily be taken care of with a minimal amount of noticeable damage to the finished product. It’s hard to say where they come from or why they occur. Sometimes they are created as a small amount of gas is produced from chemical reactions caused when the wet paste softens painted walls.

To repair these bubbles, you usually need a small container of wallpaper paste and a small paint brush. You may also use a syringe that can be purchased at farm or animal supply stores that sell medicines for large farm animals. I purchased my syringe with a variety of needle sizes from Agway. I believe you can also purchase them from Tractor Supply Co. A lot of what you are going to do to repair the bubble depends on the size of the bubble. If you are dealing with a large bubble, you can take a razor blade and cut an X in the bubble. Open up the paper where you cut the X and gently take a small brush and apply a small amount of paste evenly to the wall, then cover the paper back over the hole and go over the area gently with a seam roller.

If you are dealing with a small bubble, you can put some lightweight paste into your syringe and enter the bubble with the needle, pumping some paste inside of the bubble. You can work the paste around inside of the bubble by gently applying pressure with your fingers on the outside, as the air in the bubble will escape through the needle hole. When you have completed this, you can also gently go over the area with a seam roller. If you don’t have a syringe and can’t locate one, you can make a tiny slit with a razor blade and work some paste into the area with a toothpick.

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