So exciting day, bought wallpaper for the dining room. Never wallpapered before but how hard can it be?

[NickNacks]

Really?

DH has done a bit before with my dad helping but I've never even stripped the old stuff off. Will also be taking paint off the woodwork in prep to repaint it all and also laying some lovely oak laminate flooring.

Any tips or anyone want to tell us how deluded we are at tackling our first DIY project? :)

It's not difficult if you take your time and do it properly. Don't try and take short cuts.

I hate wallpapering, depending on what you've bought. I've done it several times and the things I hate are:
matching patterns (ugh)
making up my own paste (never got the strength quite right)

Tips (possibly too late):
Buy pre-pasted paper without a pattern that needs matching
Failing that, buy readymade paste. might be more expensive but at least your paper won't fall off when it dries.

Stripping paper is fun though!

I second the pattern matching business. If you have picked one with a big pattern, be prepared to waste quite a lot when you are matching the patterns up.

Also what is the state of the walls? If they are naff, do lining paper first.

Ah that's interesting. We have bought a pattern that needs matching but it's a short repeat, approx 40cm so hopefully not too much wasted. We've also bought a packet paste which needs mixing so maybe I'll change that.

This is great, keep them coming.

helpful advice here

IMO the main thing is not to try and fold paper round a corner. Trim it to go an inch round the corner and then start with a new clean length on the next wall, overlapping slightly.

It goes best with two people who are not inclined to argue

I have only ever done lining paper so have no idea about pattern matching.

It's very satisfying to go from a scruffy bare room to lovely paper - good luck

Oh and we don't know the state of the walls as this is the first time we've decorated it since moving in. (lame I know!)

at 'it goes best with two people who aren't inclined to argue'

This may be the reason we are only just attempting this for the first time! Putting together furniture for example usually leads to threats of divorce

OK - further advice on paper stripping then.

A steam stripper will make your life much easier; but be very careful not to leave it in one place too long or it may soften the plaster behind the paper. You need a tool to score the old paper as well, to allow the steam to get through. If the steam stripper is either too scary or you can't afford to hire one, then hot water in a bucket with a sponge will do almost as well (you still need to score the paper).

If the old paper is woodchip, be careful - it really is actual woodchips between 2 layers of paper and you can get splinters from it.
Woodchip and anaglypta papers are chosen to hide wall defects, so be prepared for the plaster underneath to be a bit ropey, if that's the sort of paper already on your wall.

If any plaster does come off, there is stuff called Polyskim (or there used to be, anyway) which is pre-mixed polyfilla and can do a good DIY job of replastering on small areas. It will need sanding before you paper over it.

I love papering (sad)!!!

My tips:

As above about not papering round corners.
Plumbob (dangly weight thing on string) to make sure you are getting the pieces straight.

Paste a piece and let the paste soak in for a couple of minutes (don't worry about how wet it looks on the other side) this helps prevent wrinkles and bubbles.

Pencil and Tape measure for the obvious.

Seam Roller - amazing how useful they are. line up your pattern to last peice, and use seam roller to get the edge right. Once you have this correctly, the rest of the paper follows pretty easily. Use this also for pushing paper into skirting and cornice edge.

Use scissors for cutting sections of paper, but I use a very sharp craft knife for cutting in. Must keep changing the blade to keep your edges immaculate.

Use soft cloth for putting paper onto the wall, rubbing over from the centre outward to get rid of bubbles, obviously from top to bottom.

Clean of excess paste with a damp sponge from paintwork.

Papering is fun! Don't be scared of making a mistake, you become very resourceful at rectifying them. And these are just my way of doing it, you will find your own!

So, thats it, but my main one is don't be scared of it.

Good Luck!

P.S. I like decorating on my own, with the radio....

We're going to borrow Bil's steam stripper so will bear in mind the point about not leaving it on too long. It's not woodchip or anagliptic paper but I suspect the plaster is quite old so will be careful not to damage it, maybe even get some of that filler in just in case.

That link you posted fossil was very useful. :)