Our prepasted wallpaper overlaps at the seams and, once dry, they usually disappear. Sometimes, however, double cutting wallpaper is needed – especially if light from a window or a lamp creates a shadow on the seams.
Watch our tutorial on how to hide overlapping wallpaper seams below OR scroll down for the step by step technique.
How to Double Cut Wallpaper – YouTube Video
What is Double Cutting Wallpaper?
Double cutting wallpaper is when you overlap wallpaper at the seams and then make a vertical cut down the middle, with a knife, through both layers of wallpaper. Once you remove the scraps and smooth the wallpaper back down on the wall, it creates a seamless look.
This photo shows the noticeable difference after double cutting wallpaper seams on a bedroom wall. If you fix overlapping wallpaper seams with this technique, you’ll have a TV ready room like we made for Cityline, Canada’s longest running daytime talk show.
Wallpaper Double Cutting Tools
The wallpaper double cutting tools you need are:
- 9mm Utility Knife
- Straight Edge – we prefer a putty knife (watch the YouTube video to find out why), but you can also use a level or metal ruler
- Adhesive
- Wet rags and sponges
Double Cutting Wallpaper – Step by Step Guide
The first step is to install your prepasted wallpaper (watch our full tutorial), overlapping wallpaper seams by 1/4″. You’ll see the pattern on the edge of the first panel matches the pattern on the second panel by a quarter of an inch. Make sure the design matches as perfectly as you can while hanging.
We get asked all the time, “Is it better to cut wallpaper wet or dry?” With prepasted wallpaper, it’s best to double cut when it’s dry. Once the pre pasted wallpaper is dry, you don’t have to worry about it shrinking or your knife dragging or ripping the wet paper. Just wait a day or more before doing this double cut wallpapering technique.
Next, use a 9mm utility knife and a straight edge to make a vertical cut down the centre of both overlapping seams. Use a lot of pressure so you cut through both layers of wallpaper. If possible, keep the utility knife on the wall at all times (never taking it off the wall) so you get a clean cut line. Snap off a fresh blade from your exacto knife for each and every seam you cut – they dull out fast and you don’t want to rip your paper!
Then pull the trimmed scrap piece of wallcovering off of the wall, from the baseboard to the ceiling.
After removing the scrap piece of wallpaper from overtop of the wallpaper, use a wet sponge to wash off the dried paste. Allow the water to soak the wallpaper, making it more pliable and manageable. After soaking for a couple of minutes, you can peel the top panel off of the wall (just an inch or two) exposing the scrap underneath. Pull that scrap out from under the wallpaper panel and off of the wall.
The last step is to apply wallpaper adhesive onto the wall using a craft paint brush and then smooth the wallpaper back onto the wall using a wet rag. Our wallpaper murals are washable, so you can wipe the wallpaper seams as many times as you need to so that it sticks to the wall.
The water and wallpaper paste will make your edges look dark and noticeable. Allow the wallpaper to dry for 24 hours before the double cut wallpaper seams become invisible.
Now sit back and enjoy the fruits of your DIY project! If you found this “How to Fix Overlapping Wallpaper” manual helpful, remember to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
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