When we moved to our new house, one of the things I was really looking forward to was using some of my own wallpaper designs in the house. I wanted to create an accent wall in the entrance, something that would instantly set the tone and welcome anyone coming in the front door.
I experimented with printing with linoprint directly onto white rolls of wallpaper, but wasn’t very happy with the result, so I scanned a few of my linoprint designs and ordered proofs in order to see the way the colours print, the scale and to feel the different kinds of wallpaper (the designs I sell on wallpaper through spoonflower are available as peel and stick removable wallpaper and water-activated paper wallpaper).
While we were working on painting and renovating in the rest of the house, I hung the samples in different places to see how they looked and how they held out. Then I chose one of the designs and worked on the digital file to clean up the lines, change the scale and colour (to match the paint in the hall), while still keeping the original linoprint look.
The wallpaper is sold through spoonflower, and is water-activated and removable. What I really like about ordering (besides the fact that the wallpaper is printed on FSC certified paper with eco-friendly ink), is that I could calculate exactly the amount and then only order as much as I needed. And then the wallpaper came and it was time to hang it! Here I’m going to share a step by step tutorial of how I did it, if you’re planning to do it yourself, you can also find detailed hanging instructions on the spoonflower website.
Step 1: As I mentioned above, you can order a custom amount including custom lengths, so when I had calculated how much I needed, I ordered four rolls of the exact height of the wall.
Step 2: Just admiring the beautiful rolls
Step 3: Before you start, gather all the tools you need, I used a big brush for making the wallpaper wet, a roller for smoothing, as well as (not pictured), a spirit level to make sure I was hanging straight, scissors, a wallpaper-hanging ruler, also for smoothing out the roll once it was hanging, an exacto knife and a small roller for rolling the edges to get rid of air bubbles.
Step 4: Once you start hanging you’ll need to work fast, so make sure you either know what you’re doing, or read all the instructions carefully before you start. This instruction leaflet comes with every roll.
Step 5: I used a spirit level and pencil to draw a line on the wall where the edge of the paper was going to go.
Step 6: Then, using an exacto knife and a ruler, cut the pieces exactly to size, I had a door opening I needed to wallpaper around, so that needed a bit of measuring and calculating. Do all of the cutting and measuring before you start hanging!
Step 7: This paper is water-activated, but do make sure you get it good and wet for the glue to be activated. I used a big brush especially for wallpapering and a bucket of water.
Step 8: You will need to fold the paper like a book and let it sit for 5 minutes, I had a timer going so I could hang, glue and book fold without letting it sit too long (and dry out) or too short (and not stick).
Step 9: The actual hanging needed both hands (and ideally some extra helping hands) so no picture of that! Start on the left of the wall, make sure its hanging straight (use your pencil line to line it up) and then smooth it from top to bottom. I found this ruler helpful for creating a smooth finish. Get all the air pockets out now, before the glue dries.
Step 10: I had a light socket, which I removed, then carefully cut a hole in the wallpaper (just after I had hung it) and then smoothed down the edges with a small roller. Later when I put the socket cover back on, the edges were covered for a perfectly smooth finish.
Step 11: When I got to the door, I had an inch of overhang, so I used my exacto knife and the metal ruler to trim the wallpaper exactly. The same applies for the bottom of the wall, where I had a skirting board that I could tuck the ends of the wallpaper into.
Step 12: This little roller is for the seams and edges. You’ll need to work fast before the glue dries, so as you go, roll over the seams where the paper overlaps and around the edges. I did a little bit of cleanup work afterwards: adding a bit of water where things weren’t quite sticking and then pressing it down, but it wasn’t too much. I did do this alone, but would recommend having someone to help!
And that’s it! Its an incredibly satisfying project and the wall still makes me smile. I’m now dreaming of which other walls I can wallpaper and which designs to choose. If you’d like to try it yourself, the wallpaper is available here (also as a peel and stick version).
