How to Prepare Your Walls for Wallpaper

Home renovation is an exciting experience. Renovation the correct way makes this experience all the more enjoyable. When installing wallpaper, a series protocol needs to be followed to ensure successful application of the paper. A few simple steps for preparing walls for wallpaper will save time and money in the future.

Materials:

• Acrylic Primer

• Paint Brushes/ Rollers

• Paint Tray

• Wall Spackle and Putty Knife

• Sand Paper

• Mold and Mildew Remover or Bleach

• Scrub brush and buckets

• Old Cloth Rags

• Painting Tape

Steps:

1. Clean walls thoroughly. Wallpaper will not hang correctly with dirt and dust stuck to the walls. Check for cobwebs and bugs to remove. Any mold and mildew needs to be cleaned. Covering up fungus is harmful to your health if breathed in after long periods of time. Use store bought cleaner for this or mix bleach with water in a good-sized bucket. Using a brush to scrub the walls would be easier than an old rag. Make sure the room is well ventilated with steady airflow.

2. Remove all hooks and nails from the wall. Fill in any holes and cracks with wall Spackle. Use a putty knife and apply a small amount of Spackle in the wall. Small holes do not require much Spackle. If you need to fix a large hole, purchase plastic mesh from a hardware store. Cut it to the size a little bit larger than the hole and stick it onto the wall. Use Spackle to seal the hole. Wait for the Spackle to dry then use sand paper to sand the area for an even and smooth surface. Wipe off the dust on the wall with a damp rag. It is crucial that the wall is a clean and even surface!

3. Outline the ceiling and windows with painting tape. Getting primer on things you do not want to paint creates more mess and work to do! Paint the wall with a one-step acrylic wall primer. You can use an oil base primer but it will take considerably longer to dry compared to acrylic primers. Use paint rollers and brushes to apply the primer. Make sure you apply an even coat. This allows for a sealed surface to hang the wallpaper to. Do not skip this step!

4. For very uneven surfaces like brick or raised textures apply a heavy duty lining paper. This smoothes over large cracks or bumps that Spackle could not fix. Leave the lining to dry for at least 3 days. Then apply 2 coats of wall primer on top of the lining.

Tips:

• You must remove old wallpaper before you do any thing else! Wallpaper comes off easily when you steam it with a wall steamer. You can find inexpensive steamers at any hardware store. Be sure to address any questions with a store professional!

• When you want to put wallpaper on unpainted drywall, apply 2 coats of oil primer and wait for it to dry. Dry wall is porous and could use the oil in the primer as an extra sealer.

• If there is paneling on the walls, cover the cracks with Spackle then sand it over. Apply 1 coat of acrylic primer paint.

• You might want to consider using gloves and a facemask during the process because of the heavy fumes you are susceptible to. If pregnant, it is not recommended you be exposed to these fumes, so please refrain from this activity if possible!

• Cover flooring and furniture with a tarp to prevent dripping primer on things. Primer is very difficult to remove from furniture and even more difficult to get off of skin. Wear old clothes that you are not afraid to spill on.

• When using Spackle, make sure it is a non-shrinking compound.