Singing Those Wallpaper Blues!
By Bob Alexander

Your wife sweetly asks if you think you could hang a few rolls of wallpaper next weekend. You look away from the Saturday afternoon football game long enough to say "Sure Hon". A week later as you're about to leave the house to play 18 holes on the most gorgeous day of the year, she reminds you of your promise to hang wall paper in the master bedroom.

You quietly die inside because you know that this would be no quick job. Even 9 holes are out of the question. Seeing the determined look on her face quickly derails any argument you may have had about postponing this job until next weekend. She emphasizes the point by retrieving from the hall closet a large plastic bag containing multiple rolls of wallpaper. There is no way to get out of this one!

If you really have to do the job you might as well get started. Here is the simple way that I hang wallpaper:

First Step: Believe you can do it! For some reason the prospect of hanging wallpaper scares most of the male population. No one really knows why; maybe it's all those Three Stooges reruns we watched as a kid.

Second Step: Move the furniture away from the walls and patch any holes you might find. Use spackling paste if you're in a hurry. Use only a small amount on each hole and scraped most of it off with putty knife. Pull nails or picture hangers out of the wall, making sure you don't make a bigger mess by making larger holes. If you want to hang pictures back in the same place, don't fill the holes. After the spackling dries, sand it of with medium grade sandpaper.

Brush any dirt or cob webs you see off the walls. If the area you're going to paper is unusually dirty, wash it down before hanging the paper. Wallpaper hung over dirt and grime will pull loose after it dries.

Measure the length of the walls, add two inches for the top and bottom of the sheet, and then cut the first sheet. Example: Wall is 92 inches from ceiling to baseboard. Add 4 Inches and your wall paper would be 96 inches long. Lay your first sheet face up on the floor. Lay your next sheet next to it, matching the pattern. Cut the second sheet even with the first sheet. See how easy that is!

Fourth Step: Assuming that the wallpaper is pre-pasted, with your water tray filled with water, you're ready to dunk the first sheet. Read the instructions that come with the wallpaper to see how long you should leave the paper submerged; usually 15 -30 seconds. Take the paper out of the water and fold the glue sides together and let it set for 3-4 minutes.

While you're waiting for the paper and glue to cure, set your plumb line. If the paper is 22 inches wide, measure 21 ½ inches from the end of the wall, and make a mark with a pencil. Now with a level on your mark, draw a straight line down the wall. This is your straight line from which you will begin.

Now place the sheet of wet wall paper on the corner side of the pencil mark leaving an inch to ½ inches extra at the top to trim off. Set the wallpaper along the penciled line from top to bottom. Then with a wallpaper brush or sponge, smooth out the paper all the way to the corner with about ¼ inch to ½ inch lapping over to the other wall. When you start working on the other wall, make your pencil mark 22 inches from the wall.

After you have finished that sheet of wallpaper, start working the others in the same way. One important note! Leave the bubbles alone after you have left that sheet. The bubbles will dry out over night. If you keep trying to remove all the little air pockets trapped behind the wall paper, you will stretch the paper and cause all sorts of problems. Remember, paper hanging is easy, don't make it difficult!

Remember to strike your plumb line when you go around corners and when you paper around doors or windows and you will have half of the battle won! After you have hung each strip, trim it out, both top and bottom. Clean off excess paste with a sponge.

That's it! This is my way of hanging wall paper and it works. It also saves a lot of time and money. Almost everyone already has the tools to hang wallpaper. You don't even have to buy a water tray. Use the bathtub the way I do. A box cutter, level, putty knife and spackling paste is all you need to complete the job.

You may not get to play golf this weekend, but chances are you will have done the paper job in one day so you'll have next Saturday free. It'll probably rain!

Bob Alexander is the author and owner of this article. He is well experienced in outdoor cooking, holiday eating and leisure living. Click on his sites at: http://www.bluemarlinbob.com http://www.pompanobob.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Alexander

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Types of Wallpaper Borders
By Peter Emerson

Options may vary when deciding what type of Wallpaper Border you want to install on your wall. There are several types to choose from so it is always advisable to do a little research before making any decisions. Wallpaper Borders can be divided into three main types depending on what and if pre-coated adhesive is used to hang the paper - Self Adhesive, Pre-pasted and Non-pasted Wallpaper borders.

Self Adhesive and Pre-pasted Borders are pre-coated so you don’t need to buy additional glue or adhesive. While Pre-pasted Border needs a commercial activator or liquid to activate the paste, with Self-Adhesive, all you need to do is peel off the plastic covering in the back. Non-pasted wallpaper Borders are not pre-coated so you’ll need additional paste or adhesive to stick it on the wall.

There are also other numerous types of Wallpaper Borders. For example, Laminated Wallpaper borders - those that have decorative surfaces attached to a fabric or paper backing. They may or may not be pre-coated. Subtypes include Grasscloth, Cloth-backed Vinyl and Solid Sheet Vinyl. Laminated Wallpaper Borders can be very expensive.

Semi-transparent wallpaper Borders have light background colors which can be useful for rooms with lesser lighting. Scrubbable wallpaper borders have vinyl or solid vinyl surfaces so that they can be cleaned more vigorously, advisably with mild soap.

Wallpaper Borders can also be categorized depending on removal methods. For instance, peelable or strippable wallpaper borders can be easily removed from the wall by stripping away the front and middle layers exposing the backing material. The exposed backing is then soaked with warm water or commercial activator and then scraped from the wall.

Wallpaper Borders provides detailed information about wallpaper borders, discount wallpaper borders, kids' wallpaper borders, and more. Wallpaper Borders is affiliated with Discount Kitchen Cabinets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Emerson

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Making the Right Wallpaper Style Choice
By George Anderson

Sometimes, too much diversity can be overwhelming, and you often feel this when you are looking for wallpaper. Millions of online resources offer you hundreds of thousands of wallpaper styles, patterns, colors and textures. Books and video tutorials also cover this topic very well. However, you also need to make the process as efficient as possible. Here are a few tips that will help you choose your wallpaper accurately and without spending too much time shopping around.

One of the best moves is to ask for help directly from the store. You might be looking for a particular pattern or wallpaper motif, and the seller will have catalogs where he or she will help you find the right choice. Most good stores have complete index books with thousands of wallpaper styles and colors, so it is very likely that what you are looking for will be found. It also helps to know beforehand what kind of wallpaper category you want to purchase. You can get a classical wallpaper or one for the kitchen, kid’s room, textured wallpaper and so on. Obtain the main categories from the seller, and you will be able to easily browse through them in the index books.

In order to match wallpaper colors with the other elements in the room, it helps to be able either to take a piece of fabric similar to your carpet to the store so that you can compare and contrast colors on the spot, or to take an indexing book back home and make the decision there. Remember that your wallpaper will cover the largest area of the room, often around 60% or 70% of the entire room surface, so your choice is vital for the overall visual aspect of the room. Make sure that your chosen color and texture also fits with the carpet, tiling and furniture.

The single most important element in choosing a wallpaper for your home is to determine the color. As you know, color symbolism is a powerful tool for creating a certain mood. Green, for example, is the most relaxing color for our eyes, thus producing an overall effect of calmness and peace. Of course, different hues of green can trigger different emotions – a florescent green is not refreshing for the eyes, but it might look good in the kids’ room. Unless you have light colored furniture, dark wallpaper colors are not recommended. They tend to be more practical, since they don’t show dirt as easily as light colored ones, but they also tend to make the room darker and give it a museum-like feel.

Once you have decided on the color and texture, it is time to request samples of that particular wallpaper material. Never make the purchase on the spot. Instead, take the samples home and test them under different lighting conditions. A color that looks amazing in sunlight might be terrible under neon or artificial light. If you are really careful about choosing your wallpaper style and decorating your home, such picky tests are necessary.

George Anderson understands the myriad of wallpaper choices and enjoys clearing up the confusion for shoppers. See his website at http://www.seewallpaper.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Anderson

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Wallpapering Tips

The decision to wallpaper, if done well, can make your home more attractive and add value too. Even if this is a project that you are looking to hire a contractor for, it still allows for an abundance of home owner involvement.  Keep these points in mind while undertaking a wallpapering project:

• While it might be tempting to choose a bold and trendy wallpaper design, remember,  like fashion, decorating trends are usually short lived and fickle.
  
  
• On average wallpaper lasts 15 to 20 years, so be sure that you are happy with what you select.
  
  
• The repeat frequency of the pattern on the wallpaper will effect the feel that it gives the room. If the wallpaper repeats every 6 inches it will seem more crowded than one that repeats every 12 inches.
  
  
• Always be sure to properly prepare the walls before papering. Never apply paper to drywall that has not been primed.
  
  
• Wallpapering can cover up any imperfections of the wall or architecture of the home.
  
  
• Light colors can open up a room, while dark colors can help make it feel smaller.
  
  
• Make sure you have properly measured so that you have enough wallpaper for the project. Subtract 10 square feet for every door and window in the measurements.
  
  
• Keep any extra wallpaper that is left over in case you need to make any touch-ups later.
  
  

Contractors that do this may also provide the following services:

• Handyman
• Interior Decorating
• Interior Painting

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