HOW TO WALLPAPER A CEILING - Hanging wallpaper is easy enough but what about wallpapering your ceiling? How difficult can that be? In this guide we provide you with practical advice on how to wallpaper a ceiling.
Step 1
Remove all furniture from the room and lay dust sheets over your floor coverings.
Step 2
Remove any existing wallpaper you may have on your ceiling. It is not a good idea to apply wallpaper onto other wallpaper as it may not, in most cases, adhere properly and will soon begin to peel off and look awful.
Step 3
Clean your ceiling and fill any holes or cracks. Good preparation is always the key to producing a really professional finish, so do take your time to ensure that the ceiling is well prepped before you start hanging wallpaper.
Step 4
Measure the full length of the ceiling and cut strips that are 4″ longer than the measurement. This will allow for an overhang of 2″ at either end for trimming. If you are using a patterned wallpaper then allow for the pattern to match.
Step 5
Because you will be dealing with very long strips of wallpaper it is best if you have a friend to help you. Wallpapering a ceiling is difficult as you are working with very large strips of wallpaper and at a strange angle, so don’t try and attempt this by yourself.
Step 6
Set up your pasting table and mix a quantity of wallpaper paste by following the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Step 7
Paste your first piece generously and allow the paste to soak into the paper. While it’s soaking paste another strip.
Step 8
Take your paste brush and paste adhesive on the edges of your ceiling to help the paper stick.
Step 9
Unfold sections of wallpaper at a time and with a soft wide broom brush work slowly across the ceiling. You will also need to remove any air bubbles with a decorators’ wallpaper smoothing brush.
Step 10
Once you have fitted your first strip take a pair of scissors and with the back blade score a line between the wall and the ceiling of the overhang.
Step 11
Peel the overhang away gently and cut along the line. Apply a little more paste to the edges and replace and smooth with your brush – repeat this for both ends of the room.
Step 12
Repeat these steps for the remaining of the wallpapering and use your thumbnail or seam roller to smooth out the seams between each piece.
Step 13
When you reach the light fittings, cut slot with a craft knife in a crisscross and the with scissors cut away the excess.
