Requirements:

• Pasting table
• Wallpaper paste
• Bucket
• Carpenter’s level
• Paste brush
• Wallpaper smoothing brush
• Utility knife
• Pencil
• Seam roller

Measuring
Before you start wallpapering, it is very important to measure and cut carefully. That is why you always start by measuring the room. When taking measurements, it is important to measure the length of the wall. A roll of wallpaper is about 53 cm wide. If you calculate two strips per meter, you will know exactly how many strips are needed. When measuring the height, it is important to add at least 10 cm to the length of the strips. You will need it at a later stage, so you can trim the wallpaper accurately. With patterned wallpaper, you need to take into account the pattern of the previous segment when cutting the next segment.

Paste
Different kinds of wallpaper also require different kinds of paste. It is important to get the proper paste for your wallpaper. With paste, it is mostly about the material and weight; this information is indicated on the packaging. When preparing the paste, it is important to patiently add the powder gradually and keep stirring it in. When the paste is thoroughly stirred through and the lumps are dissolved, you need to let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Applying wallpaper
After cutting it on a pasting table, you lay down the wallpaper back side up. This way you can easily apply the paste over the length of the wallpaper. It is important to take the soaking time into account. If you wait too long, there is a chance air pockets might form, because the paste loses its adhesive properties. If you do not wait long enough, you will eventually wind up with gaps. 

If there are power sockets on the wall, it is best to remove the wall plates before wallpapering. Please make sure that the electricity is off before doing that, by shutting off the power in the fusebox. After you have wallpapered over the socket, you can trim off the excess wallpaper with a utility knife.

There are various ways to start wallpapering. One way is to draw a plumb line on the wall using a carpenter’s level. If you have a door or window in the wall you intend to wallpaper, it is best to use that as a plumb line. 

Ensure that the wallpaper has a slight overlap at the top near the ceiling. If the wallpaper hangs just the right way at the top, roll it down slowly. If there is a window frame, fold the wallpaper slightly inward. Next, press the wallpaper with a wallpaper smoothing brush. Do exactly the same with the next section, making sure that the strip lines up exactly with the edges of the previous strip. The seams between the two strips of wallpaper are then rolled with the seam roller.


If some paste is squeezed out between the seams, it is best to remove it immediately with a cloth.

It is important that you don’t let the wallpaper dry too fast. Check if there aren’t any windows open or if a heater is left on somewhere. If some small air pockets are left under the wallpaper when you’re done, they are usually pushed out as the paste dries. If a bigger air pocket forms, cut into it with a utility knife. After that, press the wallpaper down with a wallpaper smoothing brush where the air pocket had formed.

Nonwoven wallpaper
When using nonwoven (membrane) wallpaper, the method is more or less the same, but you apply the paste directly to the wall instead of putting it on the wallpaper first. This makes this type of wallpapering a lot easier. Keep in mind that you need special paste for nonwoven wallpaper.