Walls should be clean and dry, with no splinters or sanding dust. Seal bare wood or MDF with a primer such as gesso or satin-finish paint. When dry, check for any rough areas and sand smooth. Clean away sanding dust.

 

Most room boxes or dollhouse rooms have one back wall and two side walls, and you can achieve neat interior corners whether you cover the sides first or the back wall first. Both methods are similar, but my preference is to cover the back wall first. 

 

The trick to avoid visible seams is to wrap a small (1/4" or so) amount of the paper onto the adjoining wall, which will be covered when you paper that wall.

 

 

It may not be possible to get a perfect pattern match at both corners, so plan the best match where it will show most. If there will be something like a door frame or tall furniture in one corner, that will conceal a poor match. Plan the pattern match for the actual corner, not the edge of the paper that wraps onto the next wall.

 

If using the "back-wall-first" method, cut the paper slightly less than the height of the wall (any gaps will be covered by molding) but ½" longer than the width (allowing ¼" to wrap onto each side wall). Fold the wrap allowances toward the face of the paper and crease.

 

Glue options include Grandmother Stover's Glue, Yes! Glue (very similar), actual wallpaper paste, spray adhesive and others. Whatever glue you use needs to apply smoothly, remain "open" for a reasonable working time and be just moist enough to work well without making the paper too damp. Damp paper tears easily and can stretch enough to ruin a pattern match.

 

For smoothing, something like an old credit card works well; it should be a fairly stiff plastic with smooth, rounded edges (sand if necessary) and no sharp corners.To get into corners, try a plastic "j-roller" from the wallpaper section of paint stores, hardware or home improvement stores (the roller is attached to the handle at only one side and is not a seam roller, although they are similar).

 

 

Another good smoothing tool is a hard rubber brayer (roller) designed for linoleum block printing; it's available at art supply stores.

 

 

 

If using spray glue, spray the back of the paper (away from the work area) and carefully fit it into place. With your fingers, smooth gently from the center toward the outside edges. On sealed wood you have a little time to make sure the paper is straight on the wall and push the folds into the corners. Use the smoothing tool or brayer and apply more pressure to remove any bubbles and adhere the paper firmly to the wall. Don't over work it. Use the j-roller at the floor and ceiling line and in the corners, and a soft dry cloth for the final smoothing.

 

If using Grandmother Stover's Glue (or similar), use another old credit card, cut to size as needed, to stir and apply the glue. This glue is a very thick paste, and should be stirred before applying to "loosen" it to a softer consistency. Use the card to apply a very thin coat directly to the wall, avoiding areas that will not be papered right now. It is shiny on the wall, so it's easy to see and correct any missed areas. Remove any lumps and proceed as above. As a last step, use a very slightly damp cloth to remove any excess glue.

 

 

Always working from the center out and being careful not to stretch or scratch the paper.

  

  

 

 

For the side-walls-first method, leave the ¼" allowance to wrap onto the back wall and apply the paper as above. Either way, cut the remaining paper pieces the exact width of the wall.

 

It's OK to work on an opposite wall right away, but allow paper to dry before moving to an adjacent wall. Any small bubbles or wrinkles should disapppear as it dries. When the paper is dry, use a sharp craft knife to cut out the window/door openings.

 

We hope that these tips and hints will be of some help to you during your next wallpapering project. As always, if you have any questions or input regarding wallpapering your miniature projects (or anything else!), please don't hesitate to email us!

 

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