CasaSugar

Have You Ever Removed Wallpaper?

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00:51 -0700

Wallpaper has grown in popularity over the past few years. Putting it up is a big enough job in itself, but have you ever had to remove wallpaper as well?

Source: Flickr User Clav

Primer: Hang Wallpaper Like a Pro, Part II

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:57:00 -0700

Wallpaper is back in a big way, but I'm still very intimidated by the idea of hanging it. But after reading some great tips in Blueprint and online at This Old House and Lowe's how-to section, I'm feeling up to the task. Earlier today, I gave you my pre-installation pointers, and now, we're ready to hang. Here's Part II of my wallpaper primer: installation. If you have more tips, please tell me in the comments!

The Installation

Cut strips of wallpaper about four inches longer than the height of your walls, then lay the pieces on the floor to make sure the patterns match up.
Flip the pieces over, so the back is facing up. Fill a paint tray with wallpaper glue. Using a paint roller, apply it quickly and comprehensively to the back of the paper, all the way to the edges.

For the rest of the pointers, read more

Using a stepladder, hold once piece of wallpaper at the top of the wall and have someone hold the bottom so it's straight.
Starting at the top and working outwards from the center, pull (don't push) an 8-inch plastic smoothing tool to press the paper against the wall.
Holding a razor knife nearly parallel to the wall, trim the excess paper off the bottom, and wipe any adhesive off of the paper with a wet sponge.
Hang each subsequent strip, making sure the pattern matches up and that the edges of the paper butt up against each other, rather than overlap. Corners are the only place where strips should overlap slightly.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each strip.

Source

Primer: Hang Wallpaper Like a Pro, Part I

CasaSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 06:00:25 -0700

Wallpaper is back in a big way, but the idea of hanging it is still pretty intimidating to most people. So, after reading some great tips in Blueprint and online at This Old House and Lowe's how-to section, I've decided to put together a Primer on how to hang wallpaper like a pro. Here's Part I on pre-hanging preparation, and tune in later today for Part II: installation.

The Preparation

First, you'll need to determine how much wallpaper to buy. Just enter your room's dimensions into this handy wallpaper calculator, and get an extra roll just to be safe.
Start the prep work a day in advance. Turn off the electrical source and remove the outlet covers and switchplates for the wall you want to paper.

For more great tips, read more

Get rid of any old wallpaper, then spackle or sandpaper cracks and other flaws in the wall.
Clean the wall with a 1-to-4 mixture of ammonia and water, then coat the surface wallpaper primer. Allow 24 hours for drying.
Lay down a plastic painter's tarp to protect your floors.
Check to make sure that the lot numbers on all of the wallpaper rolls match, and save the packaging in case you need to buy more paper.

Now you're ready to hang! Tune in later today for the installation process, and if you have some to share, please tell me in the comments.

Source

Casa Beta: Graham & Brown Paste the Wall Wallpaper

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:15:12 -0700

Even if you know how to hang wallpaper like a pro, it's still a bit of an intimidating task. And removing it — be it by the soak-and-scrape method or with a steamer — is always a big ole, time-intensive pain in the butt. Or, it was, until the Graham & Brown Paste the Wall wallpaper came around.I came across this novel wallpaper technology, which claimed to make "wallpapering simple, clean, and quick for even the novice decorator," because it peels off in full sheets, requiring no steaming or scraping, and because you paste the wall itself rather than the paper when hanging. Could this be love? I was a little skeptical, so I asked Graham & Brown to send me a roll, so I could try it out myself. To hear my analysis, read more.

Hanging. Like any wallpaper, you still need to do your measurements, and line up the patterns correctly. I was working with a small area that had a built-in niche, so it was a little hard to manage, but that simply came with the territory. Pasting the wall rather than the paper made the process a lot less messy and time-consuming. No paste all over my fingers, no wallpaper sticking to itself. No muss, no fuss. After mixing the paste, I globbed it onto the wall and then lined up the top of the roll. It stayed on the wall while I lined up the rest of the sheet, and I had a few minutes to get it into place and smooth out bubbles before it dried. When there were areas that needed a little touching up at the base, I was able to peel the sheet up, realign, and then apply some more paste. I'd say it was the least intimidating and streamlined wallpapering experience I've ever had — and I wouldn't call myself a pro.
Removing. I did actually want to keep my wallpaper in place, so I tested the removal process in another area of my home. Just as described, the wallpaper peeled off in full sheets. I found that removal worked best when I peeled slowly but steadily. But honestly, the directions were quite to the point: "To remove, lift a bottom corner and peel steadily up." Then, I washed off the wheat paste with a good sponge-down of soapy water. This facile removal process makes wallpapering a great option for renters, who up until now, wouldn't be able to get away with making that sort of semipermanent change to their homes.
Selection. I'm pretty darn impressed with the Paste the Wall selection. There are 195 wallpapers in a variety of beautiful patterns for both modern and traditional homes. Pattern isn't your thing? There are even grasscloths and frescos available in a handful of subdued tones. I chose the Tempting-Turquoise paper ($60/double roll) by Linda Barker. It has a large-scale chrysanthemum design with a feminine palette of soft, apple green, turquoise, and shimmery gold on a grayish-brown background; it goes perfectly with the green paint in the next room.
Price. At $60 a double roll, I think Graham & Brown offers a great price for a designer roll. To give you an idea, papers by Ferm Living, which do not even use this technology, go for around $94, and even Pottery Barn's only paper, which does pull off in full sheets, will cost you $84. Some of Graham & Brown's other wallpapers cost only $10 less.

I'm impressed on many levels with Paste the Wall, and would certainly consider (and actually am considering) using it again in my home. I highly recommend it. If you think wallpapering a whole room would be a little overwhelming, consider wallpapering a nook or the ceiling.

From the Archives: How to Hang Wallpaper, Part One

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:00:45 -0700

For Dress Your Walls month, I thought I'd repost some bright ideas I had earlier in the year that relate to this month's theme. It's sometimes hard to dig these up from the archives on your own, so I'm finding the best ones for you to save you the trouble. When I find any archived posts that are particularly helpful for this month's theme, I'll run them in addition to the regular posts I'm putting up each day. And since we're running the amazing ferm LIVING wallpaper giveaway this month, reviewing wallpaper-hanging techniques is a must!

The Preparation

First, you'll need to determine how much wallpaper to buy. Just enter your room's dimensions into this handy wallpaper calculator, and get an extra roll just to be safe.
Start the prep work a day in advance. Turn off the electrical source and remove the outlet covers and switchplates for the wall you want to paper.

For more great tips, read more

Get rid of any old wallpaper, then spackle or sandpaper cracks and other flaws in the wall.
Clean the wall with a 1-to-4 mixture of ammonia and water, then coat the surface wallpaper primer. Allow 24 hours for drying.
Lay down a plastic painter's tarp to protect your floors.
Check to make sure that the lot numbers on all of the wallpaper rolls match, and save the packaging in case you need to buy more paper.

Now you're ready to hang! Tune in later today for the installation process, and if you have some to share, please tell me in the comments.

Source

Casa Quickie: Removing Wheat Paste

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:00:03 -0700

Once you've hung wallpaper like a pro, there may come a time when you think it's time to say sayonara to the paper you'd chosen. If your wallpaper pulls off in full sheets, like Graham & Brown Paste the Wall, it'll make the removal process a lot easier. But, either way, you'll still have to deal with washing off the wheat paste you used to hang it. It's fairly simple though, so there's no need for intimidation! All you have to do is give your wall a good soaking of water with a spray bottle, and let it soak in for a few minutes. Then, scrap off the paste with a tool with about a 4-inch blade, like a trowel or a putty knife. Sponge off what's left with soapy water.
Source

Have You Ever Hung Wallpaper in Your House?

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:20:12 -0700

When I taught you how to hang wallpaper like a pro, you guys seemed very divided on the wallpaper vs. paint issue. So I'm wondering how many of you have ever decorated with it.

Source

Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

CasaSugar — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 08:47:54 -0700

Don't miss my must-haves for the month of August.
Hit this week's baseball-themed Casa Craving challenge out of the park.
Got an old blender? Make it into a lamp.
Learn to hang wallpaper like a pro, from preparation to installation.
Get this: Shoppers in Norway can now sleep over at Ikea.
CasaSugar reader Retail_Therapy makes her homeroom into a home.
Moroccan style is everywhere. Here's how to get the look.