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Before you start wallpapering, it is important to make sure that you have completed all the preparatory steps. We have outlined everything you need in our articles, so we recommend that you read them and check yourself.

Selecting glue
If you have decided on the wallpaper, it is time to take a closer look at its packaging to understand what kind of glue you will need. Depending on the type of base, this may be: glue for paper-based wallpaper, special compositions for vinyl and non-woven wallpaper, and even universal glue.

Glue for paper wallpaper is made from modified starch with the addition of antifungal components. It is used for light paper wallpaper of different textures, copes well with smooth, corrugated, washable and ceiling wallpaper.

how to choose wallpaper glue
Special formulations for heavier vinyl and non-woven coverings contain, in addition to modified starch and antifungal additives, methylcellulose.

They differ from each other in that when installing non-woven wallpaper, the glue is applied directly to the wall. You can buy universal glue if you will use different types of wallpaper during the renovation, but when preparing it, it is important to take into account that the proportions of diluting the composition with water differ for different types of wallpaper.

When buying glass fiber wallpaper and paintable wallpaper, you will need specialized glue for glass fiber wallpaper, which has better adhesive properties that can withstand the putty and paint applied later. Most often, it is sold ready to use.

To determine how many packs of glue you will need, count the number of rolls and see how much one pack of the selected glue is designed for. This information is usually indicated on the packaging.

Wallpaper cutting
One of the important stages in working with wallpaper is to measure and cut it correctly. If the material is without a pattern, it is enough to measure the height of the wall with a tape measure. The wallpaper is rolled out on the floor and the measured height of the walls is measured on it. In the right place, the canvas is cut using a stationery knife, a ruler for cutting or other improvised tools.

If the walls are even and the ceiling height is the same, without differences, you can cut several whole strips at once, having calculated their number in advance. If the walls in the apartment are uneven, you need to measure the height for each strip.

As we have already described in the article on how to correctly calculate materials , cut the wallpaper into strips of the correct size, taking into account the rapport for fitting:

Where to start gluing
One of the important questions is where to start gluing the wallpaper.

The best option is from the window towards the door. Some say that the starting point is not so important. But for the first strip, a level reference is needed, since all the other sheets will go from it.

where to start gluing wallpaper
If you glue from the window, then the joint of the first and last panels (which will most likely need to be trimmed in width) will be behind the curtains or tulle and will not be noticeable. In a similar way, you can choose places that after gluing will be behind furniture or a kitchen set.

It is permissible to start gluing the first strip from the corner of the wall or the door slope. It is convenient to draw a diagram of the room in advance and consider different options. It is important to distribute the sheets so that there are no too narrow strips, especially in a visible place.

This issue needs to be approached even more seriously if you have chosen wallpaper with a pattern or more than one type of wallpaper. In this case, you need to think in advance where and in which direction to start gluing.

Applying glue
To apply the adhesive, use a paint roller or a wide brush. It is best to use a roller with medium pile length and a width of about 20-25 cm. Instead of a roller, you can use a brush. For additional coating of the joints of the canvases, use narrow brushes with a width of about 2 cm.

Auxiliary tool
To make the pasting work easier, use a special auxiliary tool:

Trimming ruler
It will help to cut the canvas evenly and levelly. Most often, the cutting ruler is produced with a length of 60 and 120 cm, which corresponds to the width of the wallpaper panels and makes working with them comfortable.

Narrow pressure roller
It will help to press the joints of the wallpaper when pasting and make the place where two sheets are joined better. There are 2 types of such rollers:

Soft – for sensitive wallpapers;
Hard – for thick wallpaper.
Wide pressure roller

With its help you can smooth out the canvas, squeezing out excess glue, without damaging the wallpaper.