Wallpaper Installation near you

The type of wallcovering decides how it's hung, how it handles moisture and how hard it will be to remove later. Ask the installer to look at the product before you order, since some specialty papers need techniques or adhesives that not every painter uses.

Wallpaper needs a wall that's smooth, sound, clean and evenly sealed. The right primer matters more than many owners expect: a primer designed for wallcoverings helps the paste grab, lets the installer slide strips into position and makes the next removal far easier, because the paper comes off without tearing the drywall's paper face.

Patterned paper has a repeat, the distance before the design starts over, and a match type that sets how neighbouring strips line up. A straight match lines up at the same height across strips; a drop match shifts every other strip, which uses more paper. Both are printed on the roll label, along with the batch or lot number.

Because every strip has to start at the same point in the pattern, large repeats create more offcuts, and a room broken up by windows, doors and corners wastes more than one long, plain wall. A good installer measures the room, factors in the repeat and gives you a roll count rather than a simple area. Order everything from one batch, since colour can differ between print runs, and keep a spare roll for repairs.

Steam is wallpaper's main enemy. In a bathroom that fills with moisture, seams can lift, paste can soften and mould can grow behind the paper where nobody sees it. Choose a vinyl or other product the maker recommends for humid rooms, use a mildew-resistant paste if the manufacturer calls for one, and keep paper away from direct splashes around tubs, showers and sinks, where tile or paint are better suited.

Ventilation matters as much as the product: an exhaust fan that works, run during and after showers, protects both the paper and the wall behind it. Seasonal humidity plays a part too in Canadian homes, where dry, heated winter air and humid summers make paper and walls move slightly. Hanging in stable indoor conditions, and letting the rolls sit in the room beforehand if the maker advises it, reduces seams that open later.

Papering over old wallpaper is tempting but rarely wise: the new paste can loosen the old layer, seams show through and the problem is simply handed to the next owner. Removal is usually part of the job, and how easily it goes depends on the paper and on whether the wall was primed before it was first papered.

Removing old wallpaper in an older home often means scraping, sanding and patching the wall underneath, and that's where the risk lies. Health Canada lists cement and plaster, paint, drywall and spackling among the home materials that may contain asbestos, and notes that asbestos was mainly used in homes before 1990. Very old wall coverings can sit directly on those materials.

Health Canada says materials left undisturbed pose no significant health risk, and advises having a professional test for asbestos before renovating, then hiring a qualified asbestos removal specialist if it's found. So before steaming, scraping or sanding walls from that era, have samples analyzed. In a home built before 1960, the painted walls under the paper may also hide lead-based paint, another reason not to sand before testing.

Many painters hang straightforward papers well, and they're a natural fit when the job also involves repairs, priming and painting the trim. A specialist paperhanger works with wallcoverings every day and is the safer choice for costly, hand-printed or delicate papers, large repeats, grasscloth, murals, stairwells and ceilings. Whoever you hire, the same questions apply.