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How to Hang Wallpaper- One Room Challenge Week 3

Psssst... this post *might* contain affiliate links: see my disclosure here.

October 18, 2017

Hanging Wallpaper

Today’s One Room Challenge update comes with ALL the enthusiasm and heart eyes I have in my arsenal because…. WALLPAPER!

What a difference wallpaper can make!

Disclosure: I’m super grateful that Spoonflower sent me the wallpaper I needed to transform this room. I chose the large Flight of Fancy pattern by the artist Micklyn.

I’ve put up wallpaper half  a dozen times which means I’m no expert but I have an opinion about installing it! I prefer a pasted wallpaper to adhesive wallpaper because I find it to be more forgiving. I like being able to slide the paper into place when matching the pattern, I think the pasted is easier to maneuver around corners. That said… it’s definitely messier and requires a little bit more to set up.

Step 1. Prep the walls.

Remove towel bars, switch plate covers, etc. Fill any nail holes with spackle. (Note: I’ve never done it, but technically wallpaper is best applied to a fresh coat of paint.)

prep walls for wallpaper

Step 2. Draw a guide line.

Draw a straight line, using a level, to use as a guide for your first strip of wallpaper.

draw a guide line for the wallpaper

Step 3. Booking.

For prepasted wallpaper, use a sponge to wet or quickly dunk the paper under water to activate the paste. With the pasted side facing up, fold each end towards the middle (pasted sides against each other). This is called booking. Not only does this make it easier to move your long strip of wallpaper, but it also helps the paste to work best.

activate paste and fold over wallpaper... booking wallpaper

Step 4. Smooth on wallpaper.

Using the vertical guideline I drew earlier, carefully smooth the first strip onto the wall and use both a sponge and a wallpaper squeegee to smooth out air bubbles. Make sure the paper overlaps the top and the bottom edge of the wall by an inch or so.

smooth on wallpaper

Step 5. Trim edges.

With a brand new razor blade (sharp is KEY), carefully trim the top and bottom edges of the paper. I typically use a straight edge to help guide my cut.

trim top and bottom edge

Step 6. Repeat!

Reach for a second strip of wallpaper, activate the paste and align with the pattern of the strip already on the wall.

Materials Used

(Affiliate links included for your convenience.)

  • Plastic table
  • Plastic tub for soaking the paper
  • sponge
  • wallpaper squeegee
  • razor blades

I could not be happier with this pattern and the way it’s  brightened and transformed this space! I haven’t set up a LICK of furniture and the room is a bajillion percent better!

wallpaper hung in the bathroom

If it’s easier to see a little bit of it in action, here’s a short video I made…. (full disclosure, it wasn’t meant to be super short, but then I recorded everything and realized that my microphone battery was dead… microphone FAIL.)

Next week? Floors and accessories! Make sure to head over to Calling It Home to visit all the other amazing rooms linking up to this round of the One Room Challenge!

Week 1 post / Week 2 post

pin-me-pin-me

how to hang wallpaper

ORC week 3 graphic

XO Charlotte

14 Comments · Household 1, One Room Challenge

Comments

  1. tim@designmaze says

    October 19, 2017 at 1:10 am

    trooper! I have never attempted to hang wallpaper myself but maybe I will have to try it at my next project! fabulous pattern you have choice … looking forward to seeing it all coming together in 3 weeks!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      October 19, 2017 at 10:22 am

      Thank you! There’s a definitely learning curve but if you have a simple flat wall… SUPER easy! Save yourself some $$$ and give it a whirl! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Susie says

    October 19, 2017 at 9:30 am

    Great colors in this wallpaper! It really does make the space come alive.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      October 19, 2017 at 10:22 am

      Thanks! SUCH a difference for a tiny room like that!

      Reply
  3. mary says

    October 19, 2017 at 11:54 am

    That wallpaper is amaze-balls!

    Reply
  4. Morgan says

    October 19, 2017 at 8:39 pm

    This wallPAper is incredible! I love the colors and the bold, fun pattern!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      October 20, 2017 at 9:02 pm

      Thanks, Morgan! The pattern is even prettier once I got it up on the walls!

      Reply
  5. Maggie @ Maggie Overby Studios says

    October 20, 2017 at 6:33 am

    Cute wallpaper, I took the easy way out with peel and stick but I am loving the results! This little room is going to be a jewel box when your done!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      October 20, 2017 at 9:03 pm

      🙂 I still haven’t quite mastered the peel and stick! Thanks, Maggie!

      Reply
  6. Delia Gibbs says

    October 22, 2017 at 12:02 pm

    Great jo Charlotte! Your wallpaper looks amazing! I am using the peel and stick version but mine does not look as dreamy…lol. Best of luck.

    Reply
  7. colleen pastoor says

    October 27, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    beautiful wallpaper choice! We had wallpaper in our last place and I totally loved it- but I didn’t dare hang it myself. I let my dad mastermind that since he’s hung so much of it over the years.

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      October 28, 2017 at 10:25 pm

      Gah! I WISH my dad were a wallpaper hanger. I’m getting better at it, but I still have a long way to go!

      Reply
  8. nicola o. says

    November 11, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    I looooooooooooooooove this wallpaper! wow!!!

    Reply
    • Charlotte Smith says

      November 15, 2017 at 6:13 pm

      THank you!!!! I’m THRILLED with it!!!!

      Reply

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Lover of color, wrangler of chaos, thrifter of all the things.

head-shot-1 Hi, I'm Charlotte! I'm fixing up our 100 year old house and artfully hoarding armchairs in the garage. I love color. I love flea markets. I love a little mess. My days are spent writing, painting, sanding, laughing and negotiating with our 5 kids. You can read more about us here
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