Are you looking for a cost-effective way to improve the appearance of your home or business? Look no further as wall coverings are your answer.
Wall coverings improve the aesthetics of your space, there is a wide range of wall covering options that can suit every decor style. They can also be used for a long time saving you frequent replacement costs. Additionally, they are easy to clean and maintain.
Contrary to what many people think, installing wall coverings is a simple process. You can do it yourself or get a professional to do it.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install wall coverings.
Equipment and Materials Needed
- Wall coverings
- Wall coverings primer
- Wall coverings paste
- Tape measure
- Wall coverings cutter/utility knife/razor
- Smoothing tool
- Pencil
- Ladder (for high walls)
1. Prepare Your Wall(s)
Clean your walls and ensure that they are not covered with dust. Remove the old wallpaper if you are doing a replacement. Next, check the walls for holes or bumps. If they are present, fill the holes and even the bumps for a smooth level wall.
You can then use an oil primer to prime the walls before applying the coat of wall-covering primer as recommended by most interior design experts. However, wall-covering prime also works well alone.
Applying wall covering primer makes it easy to install the wall covering. It will also be easy to remove it when the time comes.
2. Measure and Cut the Wall Covering
Before setting out to buy your wall covering from the home you already have decided which walls you want to cover. Measure your wall coverings to ensure they fit the wall you wish to apply them onto.
It is also important to have a layout of the seams, matching seams should be on opposite walls to create a pattern. Once you have planned out the wall covering and the room you can cut the wall covering.
Leave an extra three inches of wall covering at the bottom and top for easier installation. The extra length of the wall covering makes it easy to trim after hanging. Use a wall-covering cutter or razor to avoid jagged edges.
3. Ensure Your Cut Wall Covering Strips are Straight
Once the walls are primed and the wall coverings are cut properly, the next step is ensuring that each cut piece of wall covering is straightly hung.
Draw a straight vertical line on your wall from the top to the bottom using a pencil. The markings will guide you on where to hang your wall coverings. Pick a side either left or right, and start marking. Create several lines on your walls to make the wall-covering hangings uniform.
4. Apply Wall Covering Paste
There are many ways of applying wall-covering paste or adhesive but it is best to first check out the manufacturer's guide on the same.
Non-peel and stick wall coverings need to go through a process called booking. Booking involves applying the paste on the cut wall covering and folding it so that the pasted sides face each other.
After doing that, leave it like that for a while to allow the paste to soak into the fabric of the wall covering. Peel and stick wall coverings do not have to go through the booking process, paste the wall and hang it.
Alternatively, you can apply the wall covering paste on the wall first and you will not have to do the booking. Cover the walls with paste and hang the wall covering.
However, if you are installing water-activated adhesive you do not have to use the wall-covering paste. Soak the wall covering in water, book it then hang it on your wall.
5. Hang the Wall Covering
After applying the wall-covering paste, give it a few minutes to soak into the wall-covering fabric. You can then hang your wall covering.
Start at a corner of the wall and place the first wall covering strip using the vertical lines as a guide. The lines will help keep your wall coverings straight. Press the wall covering gently onto the wall.
For wall coverings that do not require booking, paste the wall and hang the wall covering on it before the paste dries out.
6. Remove Air Bubbles and Smooth Out Wrinkles
After hanging the wall covering, remove any air bubbles stuck between the wall and the wall covering with a smoothing tool. Alternatively, a squeegee can perform the same role. Do this for all the cut pieces of wall coverings.
Smoothen from the centre of the wall going outwards to push the bubbles out. Do this gently so as not to ruin your wall covering.
While smoothing, you also remove any wrinkles that may have formed while hanging the wall coverings.
Repeat process 1-6 for every strip of wall coverings cut.
7. Trim the Edges of Your Wall Coverings
Once you have smoothed the wall coverings and removed the air bubbles and wrinkles, use the wall covering cutter/ utility knife /razor to trim the excess wall coverings.
Cut both at the base and top of the wall. Ensure you use the right tool and not scissors to avoid leaving your wall coverings with jagged edges. Cut along the floor and the ceiling to ensure the edges remain level.
8. Allow the Wall Coverings to Dry and Clean Up
Ensure you clean any excess wall-covering paste using a wet sponge. Also, clean your work area as you cannot leave the room strewn with cut pieces of wall coverings.
After cleaning, give the wallpaper enough time to dry before hanging paintings and returning light fixtures on the wall. Hold off on rearranging furniture or appliances that might touch the wall.
Final Thoughts
A lot of people want to purchase wall coverings but they refrain from doing so because of qualms on their installation. The extra cost of hiring a professional to do the installation causes a lot of people to hold off on buying wall coverings.
But that should not be the case as they can do the installations themselves and avoid the extra costs. Reach out to us if you have any questions on how to install our quality wall coverings.
