you’ve never hung wallpaper before, you might be wondering if there’s an easy wallpaper to use. Watch me explain the pros and cons of three different kinds of wallpaper and which one avoids a big headache (both during installation and when you’re ready to remove it) while I hang a custom wallpaper on set at Cityline.
Watch Pros & Cons of Prepasted, Unpasted & Peel and Stick Wallpaper:
If you’ve wondered, “how hard is it to put up wallpaper?” I might be able to help. I’ve worked with all three different types of wallpaper so I have a lot of advice to share with you.
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What is Prepasted Wallpaper?
I’ll start by explaining what prepasted wallpaper means because that’s the only type of wallpaper you can buy from my website – and I think it’s the most easy wallpaper to work with.
So, what is prepasted wallpaper, anyway?
Basically, it already has glue on the back of the paper, so you don’t have to buy extra paste to put onto the wall or onto the back of your wallpaper. Usually you use water to activate the paste. With mine, you dip the wallpaper in a bin of warm water. With some others, you spray water onto it.
It’s a really clean and simple wallpaper to hang, even if you’ve never done it before.
Other Types of Prepasted Wallpaper
With some other prepasted wallpaper, you use a spray bottle to spray water over the back of the paper and then you fold it over onto itself to activate the paste and relax the paper. This is called booking.
When I was in my twenties and first moved out, I tried hanging this kind of prepasted wallpaper.
The issue I ran into was not knowing how much water to spray. I was worried if I used too much water, I’d ruin the print or it would get very delicate and rip.
But by using too little, when I folded the paper over onto itself it dried out and stuck to itself. It was a nightmare pulling it apart.
It also dries more quickly on the wall which can make it a little harder to work with and can shrink more easily, exposing gaps in the seams.
If you go with this kind of prepasted wallpaper, I suggest testing a sample before working with the full panels, to see how much water to use.
What is Unpasted Wallpaper?
So, what is unpasted wallpaper?
It’s when you buy extra wallpaper paste and either apply it to the wall (called “Paste The Wall”) or the back of the wallpaper (called “Paste The Paper”).
It can be tricky to know how much paste to apply, so again, I recommend testing a sample.
If you put too little, the wallpaper can fall off the wall or curl at the seams.
And if you put too much, the glue can seep out of the seams and stain the wallpaper or it could cause mildew problems.
What is Peel and Stick Wallpaper?
Lastly, what is peel and stick wallpaper?
It’s like a sticker where you peel the backing off the wallpaper and stick it to the wall without using water or glue. It’s another easy wallpaper to work with.
So, peel and stick vs prepasted wallpaper? Which one is best?
I used to sell peel and stick wallpaper but I stopped for a few reasons:
- Lots of peel and stick wallpaper is made with vinyl which can have an odour and can be toxic for your air quality. I decided years ago to only sell non-toxic, eco-friendly wallpaper for my own health and the health of my customers.
- It’s harder to get rid of air bubbles under peel and stick wallpaper.
- You have to place it perfectly level on the wall in order to match the patterns up at the seams. If you don’t, you have to peel it off and reposition it until you get it right. Good quality peel and stick wallpaper stays sticky, but some of the cheaper options loose its tack and eventually won’t stick to the wall if you continuously pull it off to reposition. Prepasted wallpaper slides around on the wall for a few minutes so you can easily match the pattern up at the seams.
Test with Wallpaper Samples First
If this is your first time hanging wallpaper (whatever type you choose), I recommend testing a sample before working with the real thing.
You want to get comfortable with the amount of water or paste you need, see how sturdy the print is when you’re working with it and feel how durable or delicate the paper feels during installation.
You can buy a wallpaper sample from my online shop. Just find a pattern you like then click the “Buy a Sample” button (as seen above).
All my wallpaper samples are printed on the same prepasted wallpaper as the full sized version, so just dip it in warm water and place it on the wall to test it out.
How to Hang My Easy Wallpaper
If you like the idea of a prepasted wallpaper, you might want to watch each manufacturer’s installation video before you buy, because there are a couple ways of hanging prepasted wallpaper.
You can watch this How to Hang Wallpaper Video Tutorial to learn how to hang mine. Here’s a quick overview:
- You dip each wallpaper panel into a bucket of water, slowly pull it out and place it on the wall. Simple! Don’t believe me? Buy a sample of any pattern in my online shop and test it out on your wall!
- Your seams look perfect since you can slide each panel into place for several minutes after putting it on the wall.
- The paper is strong and durable so it won’t rip and the design on the front won’t rub off when it gets wet.
- There is already the perfect amount of paste on the back, so you don’t need to use any extra glue.
- The width of each panel is only 18”, so it’s totally manageable for one person to hang – although it’s always more fun getting a friend, spouse or your child to help!
- Don’t worry about the complicated processes called “booking” or “double cutting the seams” when you choose my wallpaper.
- It’s removable when you’re done with it and it’s eco-friendly!
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