Choose vinyl-based wallpaper for the bathroom.
Fresh wallpaper can give your bathroom a whole new look and feel. Today's wall covering options offer a wide range of colors and designs to choose from. With the right tools, a good eye and a steady hand, you can hang new wallpaper in in a weekend. It helps to have an assistant if you will be installing the wallpaper on the entire length of the wall.
Instructions
1. Choose your wallpaper, keeping in mind the moisture and humidity levels in the bathroom. Special wallpaper, manufactured just for bathrooms, offers a vinyl-base that resists warping, peeling and damage from moisture (see Resources below).
2. Strip all old wallpaper and prepare the bare wall for papering. Avoid papering over old wallpaper as it will bubble and create an uneven surface. Scrape, sand and fill small holes with wall spackle. The wall should be smooth and free from any debris or old nails and screws. In addition, roll sizing on the walls in a thick layer, allowing it to dry before you begin. This ensures easy paper removal later.
3. Begin in the middle of the longest wall. Using the plumb bob, make a mark at the top of the wall and one at the bottom. Pop a between the two marks. This gives you a perfectly vertical line. Measure the amount of wallpaper you need for the first piece and cut a section at least 4 inches longer.
4. Spread wallpaper paste thickly on the back of your first piece if your wallpaper is not pre-pasted. If it is pre-pasted, you can skip this step and roll the piece loosely right side out and place it in the water tray. If you don't have a tray, the bathtub, filled with a few inches of lukewarm water, will suffice. Let the paper soak for 30 minutes and then carefully pull it out of the tray.
5. Fold the wet paper so the glue-side sticks together. Set it aside. Allow the wet wallpaper to "book." This process allows the glue to soften, making manipulation of the paper easier when it's on the wall.
6. Unfold the paper and hang it from the top edge, making sure the edge of the paper lines up with the chalk line on the wall. Use the wallpaper smoother to brush any bubbles out with long soft strokes, working from the middle of the paper outwards. Match any pattern lines at this time.
7. Check the alignment of the paper again. Wet paper is movable for a few minutes, allowing you to adjust it. Try to work out most of the bubbles. If a few tiny ones remain, carefully stick a straight pin into the bubble and press the air out.
8. Repeat this process, working your way around the room. When you come to a corner, cut the wallpaper strip so only 2 inches wrap around the corner. Apply this piece and then use the plumb bob again to hang the next piece right in the corner. The new piece will overlap the old piece. This gives the corner a finished look. Spread extra paste on top of the 2-inch strip.
9. Leave the bottom and top excess on until you hang three or four pieces, then go back, hold the straight edge along the ceiling and the baseboard, and carefully cut the excess off with the utility knife. If the wallpaper buckles, wait a few more minutes.
Tags: chalk line, first piece, This gives, your bathroom, your wallpaper