Installing: Water Activated Wallpaper

Tools you will need:

Have the necessary tools lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration. As long as you have a Sponge, Utility Knife and some kind of wallpaper smoother and a large tub, you should be fine, but this is the whole list:

• Level
• Paint roller
• Scissors
• Straightedge
• Tape measure
• Taping knife
• Utility knife
• Sponge (natural)
• Wallpaper roller (optional)
• Wallpaper smoother
• Minimum 24” wide tub (storage containers work very well)
• Most importantly: LADDER

Prep the wall -

Before hanging the wallpaper it’s good to check that the wall surface is dry, clean and smooth. Water Activated paper is very forgiving so as long as it’s not a popcorn wall, you should be ok, never install wallpaper on popcorn walls.

Prep the space -

Put a tarp or some something that wont leak water on the floor, because it will drip. 

Important tips before you start:

• Always start your project on the leftist corner or the left part of the space you are wallcovering. Installation should go left to right.
• The following steps should be followed through per panel before moving on to the next panel.
• Set your ladder in the position where you are mounting your panel so it is ready.

Wet the wallpaper -

Fill your container with water, does not have to be too much, just enough to submerge the roll. Take one roll and dip the top of it in the water while holding the corner and pull the paper through the water. It does not need to soak, it just needs to run through water. Once it is wet you have to book the paper.

Book the paper before hanging-

Booking is the process of folding the paper in on itself. It allows time for the paste to activate and the paper to soften. Fold the paper so that when you unfold it, you’ll be working with two-thirds of the panel. Keep the panel booked for about 30 seconds and then unravel and attach the roll to the top leftist part/corner of your wall to start. 

***We suggest having one person holding the top of the panel and one person holding the bottom once flushed with the wall, together, you can make sure the paper follows straight to the floor.***

 

Gently smooth out the wallpaper -

Once the panel is on the wall, take a sponge and gently sponge the paper smooth, trying to remove any bubbles that have formed. Small bubbles will eventually dissipate once dried because the paper does shrink a little, but if you still see them a hot blow dryer should do the trick. 

Overlap 

All water activated wall paper has a quarter inch overlap making for an easy installation, so the way this works is you lap one panel over the other to get the best alignment. This helps avoid any white breaks between panels.

Use a scissors for obstructions -

Use a scissors instead of a knife to avoid accidentally cutting into wood trim and other obstacles. 

When you’re up against trim or other obstacles, you’ll need to make a relief cut before trimming the paper. You could make the cut with a knife, but scissors are better to avoid scratching the trim.