How to Hang Ceiling Paper

If you are going to hang ceiling paper, do the ceilings first, then the walls. Work across the width of the ceiling rather than the length, since shorter strips are easier to handle. Measure ½" less than the width of the wallcovering from the corner of the room and insert a thumbtack. Do the same along the other wall. Use these tacks to hold your plumb line and snap a chalk line. Cut strips 4" longer than the length of the ceiling, paste, fold and book the paper. Use a broom or mop to hold the wallcovering in place along the plumb line while a partner smoothes it into place. Work with only half the sheet un-booked at a time.

When installing ceiling paper, any run to the pattern should face you as you look toward the main wall. The trick is to match the pattern at the junction of the wall and ceiling papers. You can sometimes match distinctive patterns from the ceiling to one of the walls, but it's impossible to match them at all four. While it's much easier to hang a plain ceiling paper or one with no distinct pattern, if you must have a pattern, choose one with a small design.

Definitely avoid cheap, thin wallcovering that could stretch and tear when it's wet with paste. Conversely, heavy, embossed paper is difficult to handle overhead. Your best option is a medium-weight wallcovering.

Project Basics

Preparing the Ceiling
To prepare the ceiling, remove flaking paint, sand uneven areas, and spackle large cracks. But don't worry about hairline cracks that will be hidden by the wallcovering. If the ceiling is newly plastered, treat it with a generous coat of size (watered-down wallpaper paste). Note: Before papering a ceiling that has a ceiling fixture, turn off the electricity at the main switch. Remove the shade and bulb, and unscrew the fixture cover. Disconnect the wires, labeling them so you can rewire them correctly later. Then, to shield the wiring from wet paste, screw the fixture cover back on before papering. (For how to paper a ceiling light fixture, see the tip at the end of the following steps.)

1) Mark a Guideline
Decide where you're going to start. Then, at both ends of the wall you'll be working from, measure out into the ceiling a distance of 1 to 2 inch(es). less than the width of the wallcovering. This guideline will ensure a 1- to 2-inch overlap onto the wall.

Mark both points on the ceiling with a pencil. Coat a length of string with colored chalk. Pin it to the pencil marks, and snap it against the ceiling. Remove the string. (Fig. 1)

2) Cut the Wallpaper Lengths
Measure from wall to wall and cut the first length, allowing an extra three inches at each end (6 inches, total) for trimming the wallcovering.

Cut all the other lengths. If the wallcovering has a pattern, match each new length with the previous one, numbering and marking the back of each piece so it's hung in the right order and in the right direction.

3) Soak Prepasted Wallcovering
If your wallpaper is prepasted, soak it in a wallpaper tray of water for the time suggested by the manufacturer, then let it "relax" in folds, as below, for 5 to 10 minutes before applying it to the wall.

4) Or, Paste Unpasted Wallcovering
First, mix adhesive according to the manufacturer's instructions. Lay the first length face down on a table and paste an area almost as long as the table. Then, fold the length into a series of pleats about 18 inches wide, keeping the pasted surface inside each fold.

Move the folded(booked) wallpaper along the table, and paste and fold the rest of it in the same way. When you reach the far end of the length, turn the last fold back on itself to ensure that you don't get paste on the front of the wallpaper.

Some wallpapers must be left for a few minutes for the paste to soak in; if they're not allowed to expand with the wet paste, they'll wrinkle once hung. The manufacturer's instructions on the roll label will explain what your paper needs. Meanwhile, lay this folded length to one side and paste the next one.

5) Paste the Ceiling's Edge
When you're ready to hang the wallpaper, apply some adhesive to the ceiling's edge just at the start of each length so that it won't come unstuck as you work.

6) Prepare to Apply the Paper
If you're working on your own, the best way to hang ceiling paper is this: hold a length of wallpaper horizontally in one hand, while brushing it into place with your other hand. Make sure you hold the folded length as close to the ceiling as possible — this can be tiring, but if you let your arm drop, the weight of the folds may drag the newly pasted covering away from the ceiling. If you have a helper, this person can feed strips up to the ceiling across the top of a broom as you align their edges. The broom will support the wallpaper as you work. (Fig. 2)

7) Hang the First Length
To hang the first length, start in one corner, facing the wall you're working from. Peel back the last fold you made, line it up with the chalk line and brush the wallcovering firmly into the angles between wall and ceiling. Remember to leave enough for trimming.

Moving back along the work platform, gradually unfold the wallcovering and brush it out to remove any air bubbles.

8) Trim the Edges
If you plan to paper the walls next, overlap the walls by 1/2-inch (Fig. 3). Otherwise, to trim the paper flush with molding or a painted wall, crease the paper into the ceiling/wall intersection with the back of a scissors blade. Peel back the paper, cut along the crease, and brush the paper back down. Finish by wiping off any paste smears with a damp rag or sponge.

9) Hang the Remaining Lengths
Working away from the wall, hang subsequent lengths in exactly the same way as the first. Butt the edges neatly together, and match the pattern, if any. Use a seam roller and wipe off any extra paste with a damp rag or sponge.

The last length probably will be less than a full width. Measure and cut it to size before pasting and hanging, allowing 2 inches extra width for trimming the long side edge against the wall.

10) Press Seams with a Seam Roller
When all the lengths are hung, go over the seams with a seam roller to make sure that the edges of each length are well stuck down. Place a piece of paper under the roller so that it doesn't mark the newly pasted wallcovering.

Do not roll relief or embossed papers — instead, dab the seams firmly with the ends of the hanging brush or a soft cloth.

Tip: Papering Around Fixtures
After preparing the fixture as described in Preparing the Ceiling, paper lightly over it. Pierce the paper and make several cuts outward from the hole to reveal the fixture cover. Partly unscrew the cover, brush the wallcovering around it, and trim until there is just enough left to tuck behind the cover. Press the wallcovering firmly to the ceiling, then continue hanging the rest of the length. Finish by rewiring the fixture and restoring its power.

Copyright 2000 Creative Homeowner