How to Hang Wallpaper Borders

Hanging wallpaper is a great way to make a room beautiful, but to add a special or distinctive touch you may want to consider adding a wallpaper border. It's not exactly easy to hang wallpaper borders, but if you follow the step by step guide here you will find that it is not as hard as it seems. So add that finishing touch to your room and hang a wallpaper border.

How to hang wallpaper borders: preparation

To hang wallpaper borders you will need the same tools we used when we decided to hang wallpaper . To hang wallpaper borders you will need a tape measure, a 4-foot level, a 4-inch flexible putty knife, a paint roller and roller pan, a 2-inch paint brush, a step ladder, a razor knife, a smoothing brush and a large table or flat working surface. In addition to this I found a really useful tool for hanging pre-pasted wallpaper borders called " The Border Buddie " but this tool is not as essential as the others.

Choosing the border you are going to hang is a critical part of the process. Discount borders are available everywhere, but you really do get what you pay for. It may be better to pay a few extra dollars to get a quality border that won't fall apart as you try to hang it. Wallpaper borders come in various widths ranging from 6" to 21" and the length is generally between 20ft and 30ft. Some wallpaper borders come pre-pasted, but in my experience the adhesive used in these wallpaper borders is not the highest quality. If you want your wallpaper border to last for years make sure you choose a high quality wallpaper border adhesive. So choose the design, quality and width of border you need and make sure you have enough wallpaper border and adhesive before you start.

As with hanging wallpaper, preparing the surface you will be hanging the border on is very important. It is best to lightly sand the area you are going to be hanging the border on, even if the surface is wallpapered. Make sure the surface is smooth, clean and free from dust or the wallpaper border will not stick correctly.

How to hang wallpaper borders: Measuring and Leveling

If you are applying the wallpaper border in the middle of the room it is important to get the border horizontally level. Take your 4ft level and a make a pencil line all the way across the first wall. Continue this process all around the room making sure that the line matches when it comes back to your starting point. If you are applying the border on the top or bottom of the room this step is not necessary as you can just follow the ceiling or floorboard lines.

How to hang wallpaper borders: hanging the border

Once you have chosen your wallpaper border, mixed your adhesive and prepared your wall it is time to apply the border. Starting in one corner of the room, measure the full length of the wall (remember to add 1/2" on each end to wrap around the corners). Cut the wallpaper border to the length you require and unroll 2/3 of the length on your work surface. Using the paint roller and pan, paste this part of the border then fold so the pasted sides come together. Paste the remaining 1/3 of the border length and again fold until the pasted sides come together in the middle. It is important to "book" the border as we did with the wallpaper. "Booking" involves allowing the border to sit for 5 minutes once pasted. This will allow the adhesive to penetrate the border and gain the correct consistency to adhere the wallpaper border to the wall. As the first piece of wallpaper border is "booking" you can prepare the second length and set this aside to "book."

Once the wallpaper border is "booked" it is time to hang it on the wall. Carry the pasted border carefully to avoid tearing the delicate paper (this is one reason for using quality borders). Unfold the top 1/3 of the border and starting in the corner we chose, wrap the wallpaper border 1/2 around. Then using the smoothing brush gently smooth the border onto the wall. Continue along the wall checking constantly for air bubbles and lumps. If you get air bubbles, gently smooth them out with your brush or gently pull the border from the wall and re-apply. Continue this process around the room until you get back to the starting point. At the starting point don't overlap the border, cut the border so it fits snug into the starting corner.

If your border is going around windows and doors then there is only one thing different than above. When measuring the window or door allow an overlap equivalent to the width of the wallpaper border. This will ensure that the wallpaper border is even and has no ridges. Paste and apply the border as instructed in the previous paragraph making sure it is plumb. Once the wallpaper border is applied then you can go around and trim as required.

How to hang wallpaper borders: choosing your border

There are literally thousands of wallpaper borders to choose from and to get a good idea of the choices you have you can visit wallpaperborders.com. As I mentioned before it is better to choose a better quality wallpaper border, but with the amount of borders available it is easy to add a colorful and individual touch to your room. Have fun decorating your room and I hope this guide helped you to hang your wallpaper border correctly.

sources

personal experience

http://www.askthebuilder.com