Wallpapering Question

[Joel Merrill]

I'm going to hang wall paper for the first time tomorrow (Saturday). I looked up how to do it on the Internet and it says to overlap it a half an inch. That makes sense to me, especially since my walls aren't real straight. The instructions that came with the paper says not to overlap but to butt the edges up. I think the pattern I got will work either way. What should I do?

Thanks, Joel

[David Cash]

If it's old-fashioned paper wallpaper, overlap it. If it's vinyl, butt the edges up. The challenging part is to get the pattern to line up. It's kind of fun once you get onto it. Also, use your roller along the seams, even if they are butted joints instead of overlapped.

Also, when I've helped my mother hang the stuff, she always uses paste, even if it is labeled as prepasted. There's a story in my family somewhere about prepasted wallpaper letting loose.

Do you have a razor knife, a paste brush, the brush for pushing out bubbles, and a roller? If not, they're all invaluable.

It's kind of fun, but it does require nit picky attention to detail. Hope you have a good experience with it.

David Cash

[John Kennedy]

You're doing the easiest part of it now - puttin' it on. The fun really starts when you decide to remove it. Know a guy who used to be in the business - he always charged twice as much to remove it as to hang it.

However, if it's done when you're old enough it becomes one of those things your survivors can deal with. In that case, live it up!

[Jim Monck]

Pray!

I once tried to hang wallpaper with a vertical pattern and when I got to the end of the wall it was horizonal.

That's when I knew I should not quit my day job, PREACHING.

[Joel Merrill]

Pray!

I once tried to hang wallpaper with a vertical pattern and when I got to the end of the wall it was horizonal.

That's when I knew I should not quit my day job, PREACHING.

I was once told that if you can hang wallpaper with your wife and stay married you have a very good marriage. I'm not taking any chances so I'm hanging it with my son-in-law. My wife is going to be the final judge though. It's sure been nice knowing you all.

Joel :cs01

[Joel Merrill]

You're doing the easiest part of it now - puttin' it on. The fun really starts when you decide to remove it. Know a guy who used to be in the business - he always charged twice as much to remove it as to hang it.

However, if it's done when you're old enough it becomes one of those things your survivors can deal with. In that case, live it up!

This house was built in 1911 so of course it still has plaster lath walls. They aren't in very good shape. If Mark Doble lived closer, I'd hire him to come and re-plaster them, but since he doesn't, I'm doing it the easy way. I glued and screwed mahogany underlayment to the walls. Then I mudded up the joints like you would sheet rock. Then I primed it and it is ready for paper. I replaced the windows first so there in no interior trim yet. Once the papering is done, I will put the trim on. It should look neater that way.

As old as this house is, it will probably be bulldozed when we're done with it. But it keeps the weather out and it's home so I try to keep it up. I wish I had the time and the money to strip the walls down to the studs and insulate it better and the sheet rock it. We did that with the kitchen a few years ago but I hired that done.

Joel

[Joel Merrill]

Well, we've started on it and it's not going so well.

Joel :basic04

[David Cash]

Well, we've started on it and it's not going so well.

Joel :basic04

What's happening, Joel?

David Cash

[Joel Merrill]

What's happening, Joel?

David Cash

My son-in-laws did our spare bedroom last summer. I didn't help but they said the brand of paper I bought worked real well. I tried to buy that brand again but every pattern I wanted, they said was no longer available. So I bought a different brand without know anything about it. I also didn't like the pattern as well. We had trouble with the paste that came on the wallpaper right away. So my wife went up town and bought some paste. It was much worse and we wound up not using it. This paper had a pattern that repeated about every foot and a half so we had to cut off several inches of each sheet in order to make the pattern line up. That wasted enough so that we had about 3/4 of a sheet at the end that was a waste. This brand of wallpaper was also a few inches narrower than the first brand. The biggest problem was that I measured wrong and we didn't have enough. I spent $109.00 on three double rolls and I'm going to need five more!!! :basic04

The whole reason I started this project is because I replaced the windows so there is no interior trim on the windows or doors right now. Once I am done with the papering, I have to make the trim, stain and varnish it. Then get a carpet layer in to replace the carpet, then replace the baseboard around the walls. Then move all the furniture back in. I want to be done by Christmas because I have company coming. I'm not going to make it.

HO HO HO, Joel

:cs01

[Jim Franklin]

I'm sure the windows are none other than Pella Window, right? Best wishes on your papering job. I feel for you but just can't quite reach you.

[Joel Merrill]

I'm sure the windows are none other than Pella Window, right? Best wishes on your papering job. I feel for you but just can't quite reach you.

Thanks. Yep, Pella Windows :) After looking at our competitors windows, I don't think I would buy them even if I didn't work for Pella. I put in our Pro-Line Windows. That line of windows is our least expensive window but it was designed to compete with Anderson Windows. :basic05 Anderson is the biggest window company in the world and we are second but between us we only hold about 8% of the market. There are lots and lots of little window companies. Marvin Windows used to be a big player but they had a big recall a few years ago that really hurt them. I think they are coming out of it but now the housing industry isn't very good. Anderson is having a big layoff. We have never had a layoff.

Joel :fav18

[David Cash]

Hope you keep that no-layoff record, Joel. Looks like the sag we're seeing in the building materials industry locally must be more widespread.

About that project. For some reason, I've been involved in too many home-improvement projects that suddenly grew once I got started. It's expensinve and it's very trying in terms of filling evenings and weekends with work.

David Cash

[Joel Merrill]

For the money I have wasted on wallpaper, I could have stripped the walls to the studs, insulated and sheet rocked them and had a better end result. I'm not going to be done by Christmas anyway.

Joel

[Joel Merrill]

The disaster continues :basic04 I ordered on line because I didn't have time to run to Des Moines. First all of the patterns I liked from the brand I liked were not available. It took them at least a week to tell me that. So I ordered a different brand. I told them that I would pay to have them rush it. After several days, I didn't hear anything from them so I called them. They hadn't got to my rush order yet. I finally got it, weeks after the original order. That brand didn't cover as many square feet as the original brand I wanted. The way the pattern repeated, we had to waste several inches from every sheet we cut and we had almost a whole sheet left that we couldn't use because it was too short. So we ran out. I rush ordered some more with of course no chance of getting the same batch number. I got a call from them today. That pattern is back ordered from 4 to 6 weeks. I wanted to have this done by Christmas. I canceled the order and drove to Des Moines and got some at Mennards. I should have done that in the first place. Don't ever order from USA Wallpaper.

Joel :gen11

[Diane Likens]

The disaster continues :basic04 I ordered on line because I didn't have time to run to Des Moines. First all of the patterns I liked from the brand I liked were not available. It took them at least a week to tell me that. So I ordered a different brand. I told them that I would pay to have them rush it. After several days, I didn't hear anything from them so I called them. They hadn't got to my rush order yet. I finally got it, weeks after the original order. That brand didn't cover as many square feet as the original brand I wanted. The way the pattern repeated, we had to waste several inches from every sheet we cut and we had almost a whole sheet left that we couldn't use because it was too short. So we ran out. I rush ordered some more with of course no chance of getting the same batch number. I got a call from them today. That pattern is back ordered from 4 to 6 weeks. I wanted to have this done by Christmas. I canceled the order and drove to Des Moines and got some at Mennards. I should have done that in the first place. Don't ever order from USA Wallpaper.

Joel :gen11

You POOR thing! What a nightmare this is turning out to be for you!

Having done some recent remodeling on this 1920's bungalow, my heart's right there with you!

[Joel Merrill]

We finally got the room papered today. It went pretty well considering how crooked the walls are. The corners were hard. It looks good though. I had to pull off all of that new paper I got on line because this paper didn't go well with it. I was afraid it wouldn't but it was kind of hard to pull off $109.00 worth of new wall paper and throw it in the trash. I felt like sending USA Wallpaper a bill. With service like that, I'm sure they will be out of business soon.

Joel