How to Install Prepasted Wallpaper
Wallpapering once meant applying thick glue to the back of wallpaper strips; the process could be messy and time consuming. With pre-pasted wallpaper, the adhesive is integrated into the paper, eliminating the need to apply paste to strips of wallpaper. The installation process--actually hanging the paper--is much the same as hanging non-pasted wallpaper. It is the activation process that differs. You can hang paper without applying sticky adhesives. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Read the manufacturer's directions carefully on the wallpaper package. Manufacturers use different types of adhesives and manufacturing methods. The type of material--vinyl, foil, paper or fabric--also influences the activation period which may vary from 1 minute to 10 minutes.
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Set up the water box. The water box is a long rectangular waterproof box that allows you to dip your strips of wallpaper to activate the paste. Use room-temperature water and fill the water box, leaving 3 to 4 inches from the top.
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Roll a cut strip of wallpaper into a loose roll with the patterned side turned in. The paste side should be on the outside. Sink the rolled strip into the water box. Use a dowel rod to weight it at the bottom, if necessary. After the time indicated by the manufacturer, lift the roll out of the water box and lay it on the surface of a table. Slowly unroll the wallpaper.
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"Book" the wallpaper to finish activating the paste. With the pasted side facing upward, bring the ends of the strip to meet in the middle, taking care not to crease the paper. Then fold 1/2 over the other and let rest 5 minutes.
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Unfold the strip and take it over to the wall. With a partner holding 1 end off the floor, take the top of the strip and place it against the wall at the ceiling, leaving 2 extra inches so you can make a straight cut, just as you would with non-pasted paper.
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Use a smoothing brush to smooth down the strip of wallpaper. Starting at the top of the wallpaper, use short, smooth strokes to press the paper to the wall with the brush from top to bottom. Remove air bubbles by brushing from the center outward along the strip from top to bottom. Use a straight edge and a razor to cut the excess from the top and the bottom of the strip.
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Repeat the process with the next strip. You can be hanging 1 strip while the next is in the activation process, but do not try to activate several strips and then hang them. The paste will dry out and you may not be able to re-activate it.
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