Installation is easy with SBC Décor Wallpaper products. Our wallpaper can be installed permanently by a professional installer or, if you prefer, you can install your wallpaper by yourself. If you’re opting to install your wallpaper yourself, here’s how you can do it:
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR DIY WALLPAPER INSTALLATION
- A ladder
- A level with a straight edge
- A pencil
- A wallpaper brush
- Scissors
- A drywall taping knife
- A utility blade
- A roller brush
- A sponge
- A seam roller
- (Highly Recommended) A helper
- (Optional) Spackle and sandpaper
- (Optional) Painter’s tarp (to catch excess adhesive and/or to prepare your wallpaper with glue)
- (Optional) Painter’s tape
DIY WALLPAPER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepping Your Surface(s)
Right off the bat, you’ll need to make a keen inspection of your surfaces. Your walls should be completely smooth before applying wallpaper. Any dents, dings, holes, or pocks can show up when the wallpaper is applies (plus wallpaper can tear when applied over these wall blemishes). If you have dents and holes, grab some spackle and apply it to smooth the surface of your wall. Sand away any excess spackle after is has dried. If there are protrusions coming out of our wall, use sandpaper to level these bumps. Do you have any nails or screws hanging around you wall? Now’s the time to take them out too.
- Mark Your Wall
Next, it’s time to mark your wall as a guide while you install your wallpaper. You can start from the corner of the room to align the vertical edge of your wallpaper, or, if you prefer, you can start anywhere along the wall by utilizing a level. It’s easiest to work from one side of a wall to the other. It’s OK to have wallpaper sections wrap around corners (both interior corner and exterior corners), although it may be easier to have wallpaper overlap on interior corners.
- Prepping Your Wallpaper
Cut your wallpaper strips to cover the vertical length of your wall(s). With each strip that you cut, be sure to leave an extra 4 inches of excess wallpaper for the top and bottom of the sheet. These portions will be cut once the wallpaper is mounted. If you have pre-pasted wallpaper, you’ll have to moisten the adhesive to activate the glue. Follow the instructions included with your particular wallpaper.
- Place Your Paper
Finally, it’s time to start putting up wallpaper. Be especially cautious with your first strip of wallpaper. It’s crucial that the first piece is perfectly straight, since all of the following pieces cascade off of the original. It’s best to have at least one helper to keep the wallpaper in line. Place a wallpaper section on the wall, and utilize a wallpaper brush to brush out bubbles and apply pressure to the adhesive. After the first swath of wallpaper, start each swath at eye level. This will ensure that the continuity of your wallpaper design is its best at eye level; minor mistakes will only occur near the ceiling or floor of your wall. Once your paper is positioned correctly on the wall, you can begin to cut the edges with a utility blade and/or scissors. Since the adhesive won’t dry for a few minutes, you can adjust your wallpaper while it is on the wall – just know that the adhesive won’t stay fluid forever! Also, be cautious not to shift the wallpaper as you make cuts. You can utilize a seam roller to make sure that your seams are… well… seamless.\
- Corners, Outlets, Windows, Doors, Etc.
With interior corners, you can utilize your wallpaper brush to press the wallpaper into the corner. It may be best to cut wallpaper an inch or two past the corner (after adhering the paper to the wall), and then overlap a bit of the last section (around a foot or so) with a new wallpaper segment. This will help you to keep your pattern straight and your corner tight.
When it comes to outlets, light switches, and the like, be sure that you turn off your power. Remove the outlet cover prior to placing a wallpaper segment. Then, feel for the corner edges of the cavity. Mark these corners, and then cut from corner to corner. Once you’ve cut a hole that’s just as big as the cavity within your wall, adhere the wallpaper, and make sure that there is no loose paper near electrical lines (that’s a fire hazard!). When you reinstall an outlet or light switch cover, it should nicely conceal the cut edges of your wallpaper.
When it comes to windows and doors, brush the wallpaper right up to the edge of the frame. You can use scissors to cut the wallpaper close to the size and shape of the frame. Then use a drywall taping knife and your utility blade to cut these edges perfectly at the corner of the frame. Make sure these edges are pressed firmly into the frame corner to ensure adhesion.
- Clean Up
You’ve done it! Clean up, and then it’s on to phase seven, our personal favorite…
- Celebrate
Cheers! You’re all set! Sit back, crack open a cola, and bask in the glory that is your new SBC Décor Wallpaper wall. Now that wasn’t so hard was it?
PRO TIPS:
It’s easiest to make accurate cuts with sharp scissors and brand-new utility blades. When using a utility blade against a wall, you won’t need much pressure at all. Using too much pressure can easily gauge the wall.
Also, make sure that you’re using a level to plan your sections. Wallpaper can quickly turn askew if you don’t start right and maintain precision across the entirety of your walls.
An assistant can be a major help. You’ll save time, be more accurate, and you’ll have someone to talk/argue with. When placing a sheet on the wall, one person should be on the ladder, while the other person aligns the lower segment of the wallpaper.
Use slow smooth motions when brushing the wallpaper against the wall. Otherwise, you can create folds, or you might shift the wallpaper as you’re trying to adhere it. If you get a bubble behind your wallpaper, don’t panic. You should be able to “iron out” those pesky bubbles by gently brushing a bubble towards the edge of its wallpaper section.
You can use painter’s tape to keep adhesive from landing where you don’t want it. Place painter’s tape on the edges around your home, and use it to cover light switches and outlets (again, make sure the power is off).
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