Wallpaper Installation & Care

While we recommend that you hire a professional installer, you can install the wallpaper yourself but great care must be used with our non-woven uncoated matte wallpaper. It is important to work clean. Avoid getting any paste on the face of the wallpaper during installation. This can happen as you try to smooth the wallpaper if too much paste is used and is squeezed out at the seams. Every installation is different and can present various obstacles to your install (i.e. windows, doors, plumbing, etc.) Do not use any abrasive tools on the uncoated matte wallpaper or you risk damaging it with rubbing or scrubbing. Testing your skills with a 1 yard sample may be a good way to become familiar with the paper and the process. Our wallpapers are trimmed with a butt-join seam making it easy to match and align the paper.

We like Roman 838 for our non-woven uncoated matte wallpaper. It’s lower moisture content makes it the preferred paste for wallpaper installers and a safer paste for this type of wallpaper.

You’ll need:

• Wallpaper
• Wallpaper paste
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Paint roller, paint tray and paint brush (Mohair paint roller if possible)
• Drop cloth
• Soft sponge
• Bucket of clean water
• Straight edge
• Pencil
• Level or Plumb-bob
• Craft knife (with ample blades)
• Seam roller (if available)

Preparing a wall for wallpaper is like laying good foundations for a beautiful home. It needs to be done methodically, and thoroughly. So find the perfectionist within you and follow these steps:

• You want the wall as clean as possible, so remove all traces of dirt, old wallpaper, and flaking paint.
• With a suitable filler, even out cracks and irregularities to achieve a satisfyingly smooth surface.
• Once you’ve smoothed, filled, and sanded your wall, make sure all surfaces are clean and dry.
• Remove electrical coverings.

Primer acts as a protectant/sealer that prevents the paste from being absorbed into a unpainted wall and allows it to grip to slick surfaces. It is highly recommended that you prime a wall before hanging wallpaper because it creates an even surface for the wallpaper to adhere to as well as makes the wallpaper removal process much easier should you ever decide to update the wallpaper.

Sizing a wall refers to a diluted coat of paste you apply to the wall prior to wallpapering. It is typically recommended for untreated/unpainted porous plaster walls or drywall. Sizing  creates a uniform surface for the wallpaper to adhere providing for grip and slippage when installing. Be sure the sizing is evenly applied and fully dry before installing the wallpaper. Take care that there are no streaks that may dry as raised bumps that will show through the wallpaper. In most cases, like a painted wall, a primer will be enough to prepare your wall.

Yes we recommend you do. Inspect every roll to ensure that all rolls are in good condition, with no variations in shade, and that no other faults are present. In the unlikely event that there is a manufacturing error with your product, it’s much easier to rectify the issue prior to installing it. The company cannot accept liability for defects that are apparent at the time of hanging, nor can the company be responsible for any consequential loss. After hanging 2 or 3 lengths we strongly recommend that you carefully inspect the results again.

Please refer to our detailed Hanging Instructions.
After following the normal inspections of the paper, drawing a plumb line follow these 3 easy steps:

Step 1: Paste the wall rather than the paper. This is the quickest, cleanest and easiest way to wallpaper as unlike conventional wallpaper you can paste the wall rather than the paper, meaning no soak time and no pasting table, cutting decorating time in half.

Step 2: Hang dry straight from the roll, because ‘Paste-the-wall’ products are dimensionally stable when wet there is no need to soak them. This means the product can be hung dry from the roll, with less mess.

Step 3: Trim for perfect finish. Because it is hung dry ‘Paste-the-wall’ is easier to trim either with a knife or by running the back of your scissors along the edge of the wallpaper. This will leave a visible crease on the front and back of the wallpaper, cut along this crease and brush back into place for a perfect finish. Plus: It is easy to remove. ‘Paste-the-wall’ is easy to remove when you fancy a change – simply lift a corner and peel upwards to remove.

Most people find that papering straight from the roll cuts decorating time in half, plus, because the pasting table process is eliminated, it not only means you don’t need as much space but it’s a lot cleaner and less messy too.

Don’t paste the entire wall before starting to hang your wallpaper. Simply paste one drop at a time and work around the room methodically.

Prepare your walls in the same manner you would if you were applying wallpaper. By filling and sanding any imperfections on your wall and clean the wall with detergent or sugar soap.

We find it much easier if you lay your complete mural out on the floor so you can see it in its entirety prior to installing. This is also a good time to check for any manufacturing faults.

Your mural is manufactured in panels. Each panel is marked with its order number. Measure 600mm out from your starting point and use a plumb like to draw a vertical line. This gives you a straight edge to line the right hand edge of your first panel. Starting with Panel 1, line the right hand edge up to your plump line; working from left to right. When you are happy with the position, smooth down and trim the excess top and bottom. Continue to cut and paste each section as you go.

Our non-woven matte wallpaper is an uncoated luxury product with a refined sophisticated look that requires special care when cleaning. Do not vigorously rub or scrub the wallpaper or you risk removing the color and damaging the integrity of the wallpaper.

For dusting, a dry soft cloth or feather duster can be used to gently brush away dust particles.

For removing dirt or stains, use a slightly damp (not fully saturated) soft sponge or soft damp paper towel to dab and gently wipe the area. Avoid any repetitive back and forth rubbing. A gentle soap applied to the soft sponge may assist the cleaning process but you should avoid any harsh soaps or cleaning chemicals otherwise your wallpaper may be permanently damaged. You may consider consulting a professional installer for any repairs or the use of matching color pencils to color over stains rather than try to remove them. Milton & King accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur from cleaning or improper use.

Yes it is! Paste-the-wall wallpapers are designed to be dimensionally stable when installing and dry strippable making for easy removal. They peel off easily when it’s time to change, so there’s no need for steaming or soaking. Simply lift a corner at the base of the wall and peel upwards!

Small tears in your wallpaper are repairable! Wallpaper scraps can be used as a patch. Begin by removing any rough edges around the tear with a utility knife. Then cut a piece of wallpaper slightly bigger than the area you are trying to repair, make sure the pattern matches exactly, and cover the torn area with the patch. Use your knife to cut out a shape through the patch piece and the wallpaper underneath. The shape should be larger than the torn area. Now remove the underneath wallpaper that was cut out by your new shape. Apply paste to or activate the adhesive on the patch and fit it into the shape cut out of the wallpaper. Wipe away excess adhesive and smooth the wallpaper surface.

To get the best out of your wallpaper, please take the following points into consideration:

While our papers can be hung in bathrooms and kitchens, they are not suitable for high humidity areas. If planning to paper a humid room, please fully consider the general environment of the room and potential implications before you proceed.

Local conditions will differ from room to room depending on size, extraction, and general humidity, all of which give varying levels of condensation. As such, we cannot guarantee our papers’ suitability across all situations.

Please ensure sufficient ventilation; whilst our papers are wipe-able, they are not waterproof.

Air the room! Remember never to shut up a room of newly-hung wallpaper, but leave to air and maintain a normal room temperature to ensure the wallpaper dries properly. The room and wall should be kept at a minimum of +64°F (+18 °C).

Raised edges, blistering and gaps? These common problems are not due to the wallpaper, but rather to the amount of adhesive used, the surface and the method of wallpapering. Damaged materials are replaced with a defect-free version on production of an order. Milton & King is not responsible for painting and re-wallpapering costs or costs associated with loss of time or any other indirect damage.