This document provides information on tools, materials, and techniques for preparing surfaces and hanging foundation and plain wallpapers. It discusses: - Tools used for measuring, cutting, pasting, and hanging wallpaper - Proper preparation of surfaces like plaster, plasterboard, and previously papered walls - Hanging techniques such as starting points, hanging around windows and lights, trimming, and hanging on ceilings - Types of adhesives and their appropriate uses

1. Paperhanging: Foundation & Plain Paper
F1 KE 11
Presentation prepared by John Conlin

2. 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

3. 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

4. What is Foundation & Plain Papers
Lining Paper
Anaglypta
woodchip

5. 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

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

7. Paste Table
Used to support coverings during preparation,
cutting and pasting
The Paste table should be kept clean during and after use

8. Scrapper
For Use in removing wallpaper from surface
To be decorated

9. 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

10. Plumb Bob
A weight attached to string or twine used to produce
A vertical line
This ensures that wall paper is hung straight

11. Cutting Equipment
Scissors Trimming Knife
Scissors: are used for cutting or trimming wall coverings, Make
Sure they are kept clean and dry to prevent rusting. They
must 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

12. Paper Hanging Brush
Can also been known as a sweep and is used to remove all
air bubbles between the wall covering and the surface to
Which it is being applied
After use the brush should be washed in soapy water and
hung to dry

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

14. Seam Roller
Used to roll down joints in wall coverings during hanging

15. Steam Stripper
An efficient way of removing surface coverings from walls
And ceilings, However care must be taken when using this
Method.
Over application of steam may damage the surface
Burns and scalds to the person using the equipment

16. Orbital wallpaper scourers
Pencil
Sand paper

17. 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.

18. • 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

19. • 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.

20. 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

21. 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 a
and 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. How to Identify Types of Wallpaper

25. 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

26. Folds

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. Hanging Paper around a window

32. 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 box
When 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

33. • 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

34. 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

35. Papering a ceiling