feuz86 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Well I went ahead and splurged on nice dollhouse wallpaper. It wasn't cheap and now I'm even more nervous to wallpaper my laurel than before! I have built dollhouses before, but never I have wallpapered. Does anyone have any advice on wallpapering? any stories? Do's and Do not's? anything would be great, I just need a boost of confidence to get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raspberry Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Use a water-based glue, then, if need be, you can remove the wallpaper w/a spray bottle and a putty knife. I had a horrid experience using Mod-Podge, so I personally will not use it again for wallpapering. Helps to glue the wall and the wallpaper. And many suggest to prime the walls first...then the paper will not yellow overtime and the wood doesn't show through, etc. More Mini's had a wallpaper tutorial on her blog...I'll see if I can find it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 You definitely want to prime the walls first...makes the paper much easier to remove later, should you need to do that, or decide to redecorate. It's too bad you spent all that money on "dollhouse wallpaper" -- much of the paper that is available for scrapbooking is quite suitable..and much cheaper..than what they sell for dollhouses! You need on average about 3 sheets of paper for each room. I usually buy 4, since I am sloppy and waste some! :whistle: I use Aleen's regular glue, watered down, and put glue on both the wall and the paper, before putting the paper in place. I tried wallpaper glue once...never again! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I use regular premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store. Sand your wall, fill any imperfections with spackling compound or drywall mud and let it dry really well and sand it again, wipe off all the dust and give it a coat of primer. I spread paste on the wall and maneuver the wallpaper into place. I use scrapbook paper, dh wallpaper from the five or six Dover Publications books of dollhhouse wallpaper, giftwrap with suitably small designs, shelf liner vinyl with small overall patterns, real life wallpaper with tiny designs, fabric with designs or textures small enough to be in scale, trompe l'oiel painting techniques, decoupage or anything else that does the job. I use a little wooden brayer for wallpaper borders to smooth the paper and remove bubbles. I let it dry for a day or two, or until it's thoroughly dry and use a brand new blade in my utility knife to cut out the door and window openings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrchob Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 As with most things, everyone has their favorites. In addition to the above great suggestions, I use a matte sealer on any wall paper that is not vinyl coated. For pasting, I like to use Mini-Graphics wall paper paste. It is thin enough to brush on. I like to apply to the wall and paper. Be sure there are no dry spots on the paper. If small wrinkles appear while drying, they will usually disappear when paper has thoroughly dried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 The adage "anything goes" pretty much applies to wallpapering! Personally, I like to use rubber cement over a primed wall. It eliminates the problems of bubbling and wrinkling and smearing and waiting for it to dry that are inherent in water based adhesives. It provides the option of being able to peel back the paper (gently roll it back) if necessary to adjust placement on the wall initially and to get to wires or tapewire later on. I put the cement on the wall as well as the paper and let both dry, then press the paper into place beginning at a corner. This is known as a "dry mount" technique. I make a template of the wall and cut the paper to match but don't cut out the windows or doorways. They can be removed later with a sharp eXacto blade. Hint: do the side walls first and leave a quarter to a half inch of paper wrapped around to the back wall. You can match the pattern more easily when cutting the back wall paper. Also, the edge of the back wall paper will be facing into the outside wall so the seam won't been readily seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManateeDream Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 How do you get rid of the stuff at the edge? I overcut the wallpaper (I will NEVER do that again, omg the irritation at trying to slice it off!) and I can't get it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 What "stuff"? I wipe off excess wallpaper paste with a damp rag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feuz86 Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Well I posted the original post nearly 4 moths ago and it's sad to admit, but I still haven't even started to wallpaper my house yet. I am now obessing about pattern and colors. I don't want my house to look like a Magic Eye... (you know those pictures where if you go cross eyed you can see a hidden 3D picture).... I'm concerned that there are too many different floral patterns going on. So, how hard is it to remove wallpaper once it's on? you know, just incase I change my mind once again.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 You could cut the paper to fit the walls and then tack it to the walls with little dabs of poster putty or something similar to audition the colors and patterns. If you don't like it, it's easy enough to remove. If you do like it, take it off and glue it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybrainhurts Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 You could make a template of your wall and then use that to test out paper ideas. That's my plan, anyway. Don't feel bad. I am stuck trying to decide which papers I want to use in which rooms as well. I don't want them to clash and don't want to hate them a month after it's all done!! The rubber cement idea is the one I'm going with in case I decide to put something else up. I scraped enough wallpaper in my teens (summer job) that I never want to do THAT again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Make sure you have primed the walls first. If you change your mind later it will make it easier to remove the paper. It will also keep the acids in the wood from leaching through and staining the paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 It might destroy the paper, but you can always dab it with a solution of white vinegar and water; if you primed your walls it'll peel off, but being wet it might shred in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jas Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Well I posted the original post nearly 4 moths ago and it's sad to admit, but I still haven't even started to wallpaper my house yet. I am now obessing about pattern and colors. I don't want my house to look like a Magic Eye... (you know those pictures where if you go cross eyed you can see a hidden 3D picture).... I'm concerned that there are too many different floral patterns going on. So, how hard is it to remove wallpaper once it's on? you know, just incase I change my mind once again.... For my sake I am glad you waited! I am getting ready to wallpaper also and was going to have to ask the same questions! Now it is right here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrchob Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 How do you get rid of the stuff at the edge? I overcut the wallpaper (I will NEVER do that again, omg the irritation at trying to slice it off!) and I can't get it off. If you mean the wallpaper, I take an xacto knife with a sharp blade, slightly angled away from the paper and trim. Wallpaper needs to be dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManateeDream Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 If you mean the wallpaper, I take an xacto knife with a sharp blade, slightly angled away from the paper and trim. Wallpaper needs to be dry. Got it off. After I stain the floors I'll post pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weberkd Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I am planning to make templates with smooth bristol board, attach my wallpaper to this and attach the bristol board to already primed walls. I was told of this technique by a shop owner and my aunt who's been into minis for 40 years said she does the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 This is a great technique to cover your electrical wiring, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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