Renewing environments, expressing your personality, your style and also your creative flair. Decorating house with wallpaper is an engaging experience, from the design personalization, the choice of the finish, to the installation . Wallpapers today are resistant coverings, easier to apply than traditional upholstery, with modern and characterized designs, able to meet the aesthetic tastes and technical requirements of different interiors. For these reasons, thanks to innovations in materials and advanced digital technologies, wallpaper is increasingly considered a creative, customizable and highly aesthetic decorative element .
How to hang the wallpaper: first of all the material
The selection of Ambientha proposes CE certified materials for use in all interiors , residential, public and commercial interiors. The non-woven backside, a mix of polyester and paper that distinguishes both Wallpaper Living breathable line and Wallpaper Pro vinyls , allows the use of wallpaper in professional and residential interiors with an ease of installation suitable even in areas of DIY.
It is precisely the non-woven backside that represents the difference with the traditional upholstery that we remember in the old residences, it allows us to apply the glue directly on the wall instead of under each sheet. This simplifies the application of wallpaper, which is therefore within the reach of even the less expert hands, albeit with care, precision and knowledge of the work phases.
The installer handbook and the tools of the trade for a professional installing
Before starting it is important to check that the wall is completely smooth and free of debris, and above all, white or uniform in colour (very light). This is because the LIVING and PRO supports, as well as the fibreglass wallpaper ( the solution for decorating the bathroom walls ), are all slightly transparent on the surface. Once the necessary considerations have been made, and possibly given a coat of white, it is important to organize the specific tools for applying the wallpaper so as not to be unprepared during the work phases. But what are the essential tools?
- Ruler
- Primer
- Plumb line
- Bucket
- Glue for wallpaper
- Roller or brush
- Cutter
- Soft spatula or roller for wallpapers
- Soft cloth
And therefore, it is always necessary to make sure that the glue is the right adhesive solution indicated for wallpapers (in the wallpaper installation guide you will find our advices regarding glue). Once the suitable product has been selected, particular attention must be paid to the bucket used: large enough to contain the adhesive preparation necessary for the size of its wall, clean and free of rust. It is always better to consult the instructions given by the manufacturer on the packaging of the adhesive solutions to find out the correct quantity to use to apply your own wallpaper.
The spatula , as the wallpaper roll , are the tools needed to let adhere the wallpaper, while for what concerns the brush to use: choose it with short hair, or possibly with medium hair, it will benefit the laying of the glue avoiding to spread splashes on the wall.
As the foundations for a house: prepare the wall before starting the application, for a solid and guaranteed start
A step to be reckoned to understand how to hang the wallpaper. The wall of the house, office or shop must be clean and free of defects in the wall. The soft cloth is the tool to clean the surface in the best way during this phase. In case there are holes, debris or cracks it will be necessary to repair them using the grout, so as to make it perfectly smooth for laying . There are different types on the market, ready-to-use fillers or powder to mix with water, it is important to choose the one best suits your needs. The viscous cloth in this case will be used to remove the polishing residues after having sanded the excess grout.
Once the wall has been cleaned, it is time to prepare the background. In most of the cases the best solution in order to get the surface homogeneous is using a primer , of which the majority is white. Coloring the wall with a light one is the best starting point so that there is no interference with the wallpaper’s color.
The attention to detail is not a detail. How to hang wallpaper and find out a job, well done by you
For a satisfying DIY result, thanks to your own precision and accuracy. When the primer on the wall is dry, it’s time to start the
preventive process with the plumb line
.
The plumb line, what is it used for?
To detect the trend of the wall and be sure that the
final result
is
perfectly in line
.
The plumb line
is a simple flessible line tied at one end with a weight. In this way, by passing the line on the thumb and letting it slide vertically, trying to keep a steady hand, you will have the right position to follow for the application of the first wallpaper.
How to use the plumb line to apply the first sheet, that actually is the second
The craft advice is to start the installation of the wallpaper always from the left corner of the wall, starting with laying the second sheet. The most efficient way to start the job is to take the first sheet of wallpaper and lay it down on the wall in order to mark on the surface, softly with a pencil, the point where its right end get to, knowing in this way the right measure of the sheet. In this passage is always a good idea to keep in mind the expected abundances on the long side of the first sheet: Ambientha creates the first sheet with 5 cm of excess on the left side. This is extremely useful, especially when the walls are not exactly perpendicular, to avoid drawbacks. Now it is possible to use the plumb line for the detection along the sign just marked on the wall, so that you can start with the laying of the second sheet that will ensure the aligned result.
Preparing the glue, how?
After having chosen the adhesive for wallpaper and coverings, you can proceed to the preparation. Every glue needs to be strongly shaken in order to avoid lumps in the mixture. When the preparation is done, the glue has to be spread evenly, by using a roller or brush, starting from the portion of wall that concerns the second sheet, the first that needs to be installed.
And finally how to apply the sheets of wallpapers
Before installing the sheets of wallpapers you should check their sequence , especially in the case of an exclusive design such as the wallpapers Ambientha and not the ones of a decorative pattern. After having prepared the sheets in order, from the first to the last one, it is the moment to apply them, one at the time managing them carefully. Every sheet comes with some cm of excess, and this is what Ambientha provides: for the first and the last sheet of the decoration 5 cm of abundance on the long side, and for all the others 5 cm on the ceiling side and 5 cm on the floor side. The reason is easy: most of the walls are not perfectly aligned with the adjacent surfaces and, with the abundances, it will be possible to refine the decoration for any eventuality .
The laying of the first sheet always starts from the left side of the wall: after having taken the measure of the first sheet and marked, with the plumb line, where to start applying the second sheet, unroll the wallpaper towards the floor.
How to lay every sheet at the best?
It is necessary to keep the hands on the long sides and trying not to touch the glue already applied on the wall. In this way you need to stick the wallpaper to the surface, by using a soft spatula or a roller, through a regular vertical movement (starting from the top) from the inside of the sheet to the outside .
Now, after another last meticulous check at the first sheet applied to make sure that it is perfectly plumb, you can proceed with the installation of the entire decoration of wallpaper.
And then finish off the excess of every sheet laid
It is important to cut off the abundances of every single sheet, after their laying on the wall. With a ruler or a clean spatula it is pretty easy to squeeze the borders, both the upper and the lower ones, of each sheet in order to finish off carefully the wallpaper in excess by using a cutter. In the same way finish off the excess on the long side of the first and the last sheet of wallpaper.
Softly dab the glue in excess
Softly dabbing the decoration with a soft sponge or a cloth, slightly soaked in water, any eventual residue of glue between the sheets will be removed. It is advised to promptly proceed after the laying of the single sheet because it will allow you to get the best result since the glue won’t be totally dry yet and it will be then removed easily.
What to do in case of bubbles or lumps of glue?
It could happen to find some small lumps of glue under the already laid wallpaper; they can be removed using the spatula, with a movement from the inside of the sheet to the outside. In this way the glue will move on the wall, where it will be more easily removed. A different method but still effective is the one to use in case of bubbles: making softly some small holes on the wallpaper, the bubbles will easily disappear.
How to find the professional decorator?
A high level of dexterity is certainly necessary to install a wallpaper decoration, in order not to risk errors or unexpected events. If you do not want to dedicate yourself to the application or it is a public / professional place that requires high skills, it is important to choose a professional service. Don’t have a trusted decorator? You can contact us at Ambientha , tell us about your project and ask for suggestions, we are committed to informing you of the accredited installation services closest to you.
