Paperhanging: Foundation & Plain Paper

F1 KE 11Presentation prepared by John Conlin

Aims

• By the end of this session you will be familiar with the skills involved in preparing surfaces for paperhanging and the techniques and tools required for pasting and applying basic wallpapers

Objectives

• By the end of this session you will be know how to

• Select, Use, Maintain and store, Materials and equipment

• Prepare un-papered and previously papered wall surfaces for paperhanging

• Prepare and hang foundation and plain papers

What is Foundation & Plain Papers

Lining Paper

Anaglypta

woodchip

Tools and equipment

Four Fold Rule

Measuring Tape

These should be used to measure Wall surface and Length Of Wallpaper to be used

A Metal Metre Rule can also be used for this

Plastic bucket

These can be used as paste buckets and for holding clean water to be used for rinsing a sponge

Paste Table

Used to support coverings during preparation, cutting and pasting

The Paste table should be kept clean during and after use

Scrapper

For Use in removing wallpaper from surfaceTo be decorated

Paste Brush

Used to apply Glue size to prepared surfaces, Adhesive to wallpaper and water to wallpaper to be removed from surface Should be washed in soapy water and hung to dry

Plumb Bob

A weight attached to string or twine used to produceA vertical line

This ensures that wall paper is hung straight

Cutting Equipment

Scissors Trimming Knife

Scissors: are used for cutting or trimming wall coverings, MakeSure they are kept clean and dry to prevent rusting. Theymust be kept sharp or damage to wall coverings will occur.

Trimming Knife: Can be used as an alternative to scissors but is most effective when used with a straight edge of some kind

Paper Hanging Brush

Can also been known as a sweep and is used to remove allair bubbles between the wall covering and the surface toWhich it is being applied

After use the brush should be washed in soapy water andhung to dry

Spirit Level

Can be used as a straight edge and can also be useful When marking Horizontal and vertical lines.

Seam Roller

Used to roll down joints in wall coverings during hanging

Steam Stripper

An efficient way of removing surface coverings from wallsAnd ceilings, However care must be taken when using thisMethod.

Over application of steam may damage the surfaceBurns and scalds to the person using the equipment

Orbital wallpaper scourers

Pencil

Sand paper

Good Practice in Preparing Surfaces

• The following general good practice should be followed when preparing a surface for Wallpapers.

• Ensure the surface is sound, clean, dry and free from grease. Wallpaper will not stick to grease and dirt.

• Surfaces must be in good condition, flaking paint should be rubbed down with a medium sandpaper back to a firm surface, then sealed and filled.

• Gloss or eggshell surfaces should be roughened with abrasive paper to provide a ‘KEY’ for the wallpaper.

• Bare Plaster Surfaces: Should be sized with a purpose made size or wallpaper adhesive, Sizing is essential as it evens out the ‘POROSITY’ of the bare plaster and lessens the possibility of ‘SNATCH’.

• Plaster Board Surfaces: Over soaking either by hand or steam stripper can badly damage the paper surface of plasterboard to avoid this surfaces can be sized with an oil/ resin paint which will make the surface waterproof and less likely to damage

• When removing wallpaper from surface all traces of old paste and small pieces of wallpaper should be removed by water and paste brush

• The Correct procedure for preparation of a plaster wall after stripping is Wash Down, Fill any holes or cracks and apply a coat of size.

Roll Calculation

Use a roll of wall paper as a width guide to measure the number of full

Lengths required. Mark where the joints will appear along the wall or

Ceiling, then measure the length of the ceiling or the height of the wall to discover how many lengths can be cut from one roll.

Then simply divide the amount of lengths required by the amount you can get from a roll. For example. You need 15

lengths and you can get 3 lengths from each roll. Divide 15 by 3 = 5 rolls

Adhesives

• Starch Adhesive: Good adhesive properties, suitable for hanging heavy textured papers, contains fungicide so can be used with vinyl papers.

However it’s difficult to mix, may stain wallpaper. It’s more expensive than Cellulose

adhesive and will only last a day or so

Cellulose Adhesive: Has the highest water content of Any paste aand comes in powder form which is mixed With water, used for

Lightweight papers such as vinyl And lining paper

Its inexpensive, little risk of staining paper, easy to apply. However can cause paper to over

expand causing

Wrinkling or mismatch

Other Adhesives & Glue size

• Ready mixed

• Border Adhesive

• Overlap Adhesive

• Glue Size: Is used to reduce the porosity of the surface and improve adhesion before paperhanging. It is soaked in cold water, add boiling water and stir until size powder is dissolved

Pasting and soaking

• When pasting paper edges of the paper should be lifted to avoid paste contaminating both the paste table and the front of the wallpaper.

Wallpaper should be allowed to soak after pasting to allow the paper to expand before hanging

Failure to allow adequate soaking will cause the paper to blister

It is important that you read the label attached to the paper for advice on soaking times and other relevant

information

How to Identify Types of Wallpaper

Wastage

• To ensure you get the right quantity of wall paper you need to allow for wastage. This is usually 15 to 20 percent depending on the type of pattern, shape and height of the room. To be on the safe side a decorator should work on a 20% wastage.

• When cutting lengths it is important to cut your paper slightly longer than the height/ length of the surface, to allow for trimming

• For example: For a wall 2 metres high we should cut lengths of paper 2.050 metres

Folds

Where to start

• Rule of thumb suggests that wallpaper should be hung away from the main source of light for the area to be decorated, i.e. a window.

• To hang your first length you should set an appropriate plumb line on the wall and hang your paper to it, with all subsequent lengths hung with butt joints to hide edges.

• The Wallpaper should be offered up to the plumb line with the longest fold opened and placed on the wall. You should be able to slide the paper accurately towards the plumb line. Smooth the paper down with the brush, working from the centre towards the edges, when all the air is smoothed out, fold down the bottom fold and apply it to the wall

Exceptions to the rule of thumb

When papering a staircase always start with the longest drop (length) after applying this first length,

work from either side of it

Chimney Breast

The chimney breast is a focal point of a room and can be the place to start papering if the whole room

is to be papered in the same patterned paper

If your room does not have a chimney breast but there is still a feature wall, start hanging from the

centre of the wall to ensure the pattern is centralised

Hanging paper around a window

• Firstly, hang the paper on one side of the window (No1) making a cut that allows some of the paper to be folded around the reveal. Next, hang paper above and below the window ensuring that they are plumb (2&3). You can now patch the underside reveal in the corner(4). Allow approximately 10mm of paper to overlap ( see doted lines). Repeat on the other side

Hanging Paper around a window

How to Trim around a Light switch or socket

• Papering around a socket or light switch can seem an awkward task, but it is actually fairly straight forward.Ensure the Power is isolated at the main

fuse boxWhen you hang the length where the socket is

located poke the scissors through the paper roughly in the middle of the socket, then cut from

the hole outwards to each corner

• Smooth the paper on to the wall and then mark the paper tightly into the corner where the switch and wall meet then trim the paper.

• Alternatively trim the paper leaving it overlapping the socket by about 1cm, loosen the screws enough to push the paper behind the socket.

• Finish the drop and then tighten the screws and you should be left with a perfect finish.

• Clean any paste off the socket and allow the paper to dry before switching the power back on

Papering a Ceiling

• Make a chalk line on the ceiling to work from, which should ensure that the first length is straight.

• Always use a concertina fold, after soaking offer up the first length to the ceiling against the line that allows for 1 20 mm overlap at the wall edge.

• The concertina folds should be around 350mm per fold.• Apply one fold to the ceiling whilst supporting the

unopened folds• Smooth out the first fold then open one more fold and

repeat. Do not try to apply more than one fold at a time• When free from air pockets and creases paper should be

trimmed out to both walls

Papering a ceiling