Install Wallpaper

Take a look at those stark white walls in your home—what a wonderful opportunity for expressing your personal style and creativity. Wallpaper and fabrics in myriad patterns can transform an entire room or a small area into a warm, inviting space that makes a statement. Replacing a tired wall covering or a pattern that has outgrown its usefulness can change or enhance the entire décor of your home.

Hang Wallpaper that Meets the Needs of Each Room
Hang wallpaper to reflect the desired feel for the room and its adjoining spaces. Printed wallpaper in delicate patterns of pastels, for example, create a cozy feel for a bedroom. Bolder and larger patterns can make an over-sized room more intimate. Many choices have more light themes suggesting the rooms in which they will hang, such as wallpaper patterned in fruits for the dining area.

Remember that types of wallpaper installations can determine the mood of room and reflect the person who uses the space, such as in a child's or a teen's bedroom or playroom. Flocked papers suggest a dressier and highly feminine look, and relief papers, those with embossed design, have a textured style. Coverings of grass cloth/burlap and cork-faced coverings lend an airy, more casual style and are often used in a den or bar area. Foil coverings can be jazzy, with a modern air to liven up a small space or an entire wall. Vinyl coated and solid vinyl paper is particularly useful in spaces such as kitchens and dining nooks.

Hang Wallpaper that Matches Your Décor
Both paper-backed and unbacked fabric wallcoverings are marvelous ways for "upholstering" your walls to provide a dramatic backdrop for your furnishings and personal objects. They may coordinate with drapes and furniture upholstery or may bring out a pattern to complement other fabrics in the same room. These wallpapers and coverings can be used for the entire wall, and they may also be applied with borders to break up the pattern on a large wall. Whether it's a Colonial or regional touch, country look or modern, sleek style you want, there's a pattern to suit your needs.

Wallpaper Installation
To install wallpaper, you'll need to take the same first step as so many home improvement projects—surface preparation. Fix holes, cracks, and loose or chipped paint on your walls. You'll probably also need to clean your walls and allow them to dry. Depending on the wall surface where you intend to hang wallpaper, you may need to prime it as well. You'll need a level and a pencil and mark the wall as you go along to ensure neat, well-aligned wallpaper. Next, you'll need a utility knife to cut lengths of wallpaper and a putty knife to smooth the wallpaper and press out the bubbles. Finally, you'll need seam roller to create flat, discreet seams. Be sure not to push out all the adhesive during this process. While hanging wallpaper doesn't require a lot of technical skill, it does require a good deal of meticulous installation. Imagine trying to fold large sheets of construction paper for hours on end and getting the corners to match every time. By the end, you'll just want to be finished, and this can lead to sloppy work. With a little trial and error, you'll be able to create a quality wallpaper installation, but many homeowners find paying a little extra for professional installation is well-worth the headaches it saves.