1. What type of wallpaper do I choose? Can I remove it in the future without redoing the walls?

2.  When should you prime walls before wallpapering?

By far, this is the most common question with many variations like: Should I prime on plaster?, Should I prime on new sheet rock? or,  Do I need to prime when the wall is already painted? Priming is the most important step in any wallpaper job-- whether it is a professional or amateur job. There are instances where priming the wall is not necessary but those instances are rare. It really takes the experience of a professional paperhanger to know when to prime and when not to prime

3.  How do I remove wallpaper paste from the wall?

Wallpaper paste is removed with hot sudsy water, a scraper, and time to let the water work and soften the old paste. A steamer is really not necessary; a pump-up 2 gallon water sprayer does just fine. Chemicals are not necessary to soften starch either. Starch is the main ingredient of all wallpaper pastes and it softens after a soak time of from 15 to 30 minutes. Sometimes white vinegar helps to speed up the job. Some people think that you should use sandpaper to remove the paste but that really doesn't do the job --you simply end up sanding off the flaky bits of paste but you don't remove the paste glaze that is on the wall. That paste glaze can interfere with later priming. Washing the wall squeaky clean is still the best way to go.

4.  How do I remove old, dried wallpaper paste that is on the wallpaper surface?

The best way to deal with wallpaper paste on wallcovering is to not get it on the surface in the first place. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, make sure to wipe down the wallpaper sheets several times with clear water during the hanging process. If you (or a careless paperhanger) got paste on the surface you should place a paper towel over the dried paste and spray the towel with Windex. (Do not let the Windex drip down the wall from that spot.) Let it soak for 10 minutes or so and carefully dab the spot after the paste has softened. Be advised that some wallcoverings, particularly dark papers, will "burnish" or leave a shine mark if you rub. The best way to proceed with this type of cleaning is to get a test piece if possible before you attempt to clean a surface.

5.  My prepasted wallpaper doesn't stick what should I do?

This question has other related questions like, "Should I add paste to my pre-pasted wallcovering?"  Manufacturers have gotten much better at putting pre-pasted adhesive on the back of their wallcovering. Years ago it was not uncommon to have long sections in a roll of pre-pasted wallpaper that had no paste on it at all. For that reason paper hangers got into the habit of adding paste to pre-pasted wallcovering. If you are having trouble making your wallcovering stick to the wall, go to the paint store and get a premixed wallcovering adhesive. Thin it down to the consistency of V-8 Juice and apply it to the back of your wallpaper.

6.  How long does it take wallpaper to dry in Bathrooms: Can we shower soon?

There are many different types of wallcoverings and there are many different types of walls, so there is no single answer to this question. Generally speaking, most wallpapers dry overnight. However, in the case of older buildings that have multiple coats of glossy paint on the walls, the drying process can actually take weeks. The important thing for customers to remember is that while wallpaper is wet it can rip more easily, so care should be taken with furniture and wall hangings as you move everything back into place. In the bath, you can shower immediately with almost any type of wallcovering-- just make sure to use the exhaust fan or leave the door open. Don't allow steam condensation to build up in the room while wallpaper is drying.

7.  Can I hang wallpaper on new plaster?

Nowadays when people say "new plaster" what they really mean is new joint compound or some other gypsum-type patching compound. Old-fashioned lime plaster is rare, but whatever the patching material is, the most important thing is the thickness of the material. Deep areas of patching or deep whole-wall skim coating contain a lot of water and it takes a long time for the water to completely dissipate even though the surface feels dry to the touch. For thick patching compounds, the best way to tell if the water has dissipated is to buy or rent a moisture meter.

8.  Can I prime over old paste?

It is not a good idea to prime over old paste and then hang new wallpaper on that surface. Most of the time the old paste will come off with hot sudsy water and elbow grease anyway... especially if the wall was well-primed before the wall paper was put up. When the wall was not well-primed before the old wallpaper was put up, you will notice that the old paste has usually become combined with the latex paint on the wall. If the paste will not wash off the old latex paint by scrubbing with a plastic pot scrubber and hot water then you are dealing with a combination of dried paste and paint and, yes, you can prime over that surface.

9.  Can I paint over old paste/glue?

If your intentions are to remove old wallpaper and paint the wall a color or possibly faux finish the wall, then painting over old paste is a bad idea. Before I go on let me say that if you hate wallpaper because it was impossible to remove don't blame the wallpaper. The likely cause was a nitwit "paperhanger" or amateur without any regard for future removal or someone who had zero knowledge about the art of wallpapering and should have had a restraining order from approaching wallpapering equipment.

Applying a paint over an old wallpaper paste constitutes "hanging over an unsound surface." ALL paints stipulate that surfaces must be "clean, dry and sound" before paint application. Wallpaper paste is extremely sensitive to water since it is mostly starch. When the house has higher levels of humidity and then lower levels, the old paste swells and then shinks and cracks. This heaving process is the worst in shower baths and kitchens but happens everywhere in a house. When the paste shrinks it cracks or "crazes" leaving the wall looking like a micro dried riverbed. There is a product called Gardz made by Zinsser/Rustoleum which claims it "seals old wallpaper paste." But then the can also says "surfaces must be clean, dry and sound" which means that you are on the horns of a dilemma. Let me just tell you: Stop wondering if you should take the chance, the product maker will not come to your rescue when it fails. DO NOT PAINT OVER DIRECTLY OVER OLD PASTE. Do your best to remove it.

10.  Can you hang new paper over old?

Many years ago wallpaper was routinely hung over old wallpaper. But in recent decades most wallpapers have a vinyl coating or are sheet vinyls which makes them a vapor barrier. Attempts to cover one vinyl material with another vinyl material will likely result in mildew forming between the two layers. Also many newer wallcoverings are not completely opaque so the underlying pattern could show through.  Other times the underlying wallcovering will bubble.  Hanging over an old material is a gamble.  All wallcovering instructions say to remove any old paper so if you have a problem you are on your own.

11.  Why do seams shrink?

A lot of time could be spent on this question and we would still not cover everything. What I can tell you is that many times seam shrinkage is caused by the over application of wallpaper adhesive. Many paperhangers think that more is more when they should be thinking that less is more. Another cause of seam shrinkage is improper booking time of wallpaper sheets. Unfortunately the proper booking time is determined by material and adhesive type and this is an area of expertise that requires some years of experience. Another common cause of seam shrinkage is when a wallpaper installer rolls the seams too soon. This early rolling action forces paste away from the seams because the paste is still viscous and squeezes out from the seam area. You should wait at least 2 hours before attempting to roll seams, many times more than 2 hours.

12.  Why do I get white seams when using dark wallcoverings?

Many manufacturers make their dark wallcoverings on white ground paper. When you look at the edge of the dark paper from a sharp angle you see a white edge-- even if the seams are well joined. Most professional paperhangers color the seam edges in some way. There are many different techniques for this process. Personally I prefer to color the seams after the wallpaper has been hung and the seams are dry. Or just prime the walls in a dark color

13.  What effect does humidity have on a wallpaper job?

Humidity has an effect on most wallcoverings, primers and adhesives. There has been much concern in recent years over the growth of mildew behind wallcoverings. The news media in many cases have become hysterical about the issue. But the problem of mildew growth is mainly a problem of a very small area of the United States-- the Gulf Coast. Even in that small area the problem of mildew growth can be overcome with breathable type wallcoverings, not solid-vinyl sheets. The best type of wallcovering for high humidity areas remains fabric backed wallcovering. By high humidity areas I am referring to the source of the humidity being inside the house. Fabric backed wallcovering has the ability to withstand extended periods of shower moisture over the years and it is the most scrubbable and the least prone to exhibit seams splitting or seam loosening under high humidity conditions.

14.  How do you remove wallpaper?

The game of golf consists of hitting a ball in a hole and act of removing wallpaper means ripping off wallpaper from a wall. What could be simpler? But the truth is that there are many techniques for removing all the different types of wallpaper materials. Sometimes the job is very easy as it usually is with fabric backed vinyl. However there are instances where someone put up wallpaper on an unprimed wall and even the most seasoned wallpaper remover will start cursing. Generally speaking, fabric-backed wallcovering and non-woven wallcovering gets pulled from the wall while it is dry. With paperbacked vinyl, the vinyl part gets pulled off the wall and the paper backing gets soaked with water and then scraped. All other types of materials like paper, lightly vinylized paper, grasscloth, and other natural fibers must be soaked with water and then scraped.

15.  Can grasscloth be used in a bathroom?

If it is a small bathroom where a lot of humidity builds up the answer is "no." If it is a full-length powder room or bathroom where the grasscloth is close to a toilet bowl I would definitely say the answer is "no." Grasscloth is absorbent and cannot be cleaned with any type of standard bathroom cleaner. Most instructions that come with grasscloth advise that all you can do to clean it is to use a vacuum cleaner. However, if you're referring to a very large bathroom often found in today's extremely large houses where moisture never builds up and the walls are never touched, you could probably get away with putting grasscloth in a bathroom if you keep the room dry.Don't forget that there are some companies that are making "fabulous fakes". i.e. vinyl wallcovering that really looks a lot like real grasscloth. Phillip Jeffries "Natural Illusions" collection would be a good place to start for a faux grass.