Basic terms when decorating with wallpaper will give you some simple ideas on different terminology used in wallpaper projects.

Have you ever started a wallpaper project and the nightmare begins of removing old paper only to find another layer of wallpaper, and then another layer and another?

Another one I have experienced is removing wallpaper and the walls were not primed properly. As you begin to remove the paper, you also start removing your wallboard, and before you know it, your walls have dents, more dents and holes all over. Now you have to go through the process of filling the dents in with spackling compound and this becomes more frustrating as the project unfolds. You look in the mirror and see your first gray hair or more gray hair evolving, and your budget for this project goes out the window. There are some simple terms and descriptions that can be used to understand different aspects of wallpaper that could prevent you from headaches, heartburn, and allow you to stay within your budget for your interior decorating projects.

Having worked in interior design and in retail, worked with other designers, professional wallpaper hangers, and also planned, removed and installed varieties of wallpaper myself, there are some basic terms to identify and know before beginning any project using wallpaper. Here are some a few items that come to mind when I think of wallpapering.

1. Removing old wallpaper
2. Prepare your walls before papering
3. Papering over textured walls, panel, or cement
4. Proper way to hang paper and borders
5. Options in painting top half of wall, and paper bottom half, or the other way around
6. Options in papering just one wall
7. Picking out the right paper for your room or rooms
8. Using accents and accessories with your new wallpaper

This page will give you some basic terms for planning, prepping, and installing wallpaper. I will be writing pages in the near future on each of these steps, as this might help you in deciding if wallpaper is the right for your room or rooms.

When decorating inside or outside, it is important to know basic interior and also landscape terms. Here are a few simple terms that may help you with your wallpaper needs.

1. Pre-pasted or non pasted liner - there are two different types of liner that can go walls in the preparation stage. The liners can be used to go over existing walls, textured walls, paneling, (I have done this) and cement walls. The pre-pasted liner already comes will paste on the backside. The non-paste liner does not.



2. There is pre-pasted and non-paste wallpaper also, and both are the same as the liner. There are different types of wallpaper such as vinyl, textured, and commercial.



3. Wallpaper borders are the same as they come in pre-paste, non-paste and also self adhesive.



4. There are primers available today that will prepare your walls properly. There are also products out that will help eliminate the mess of trying to remove layers of wallpaper on existing walls. In a future article, I will be talking about different products you can use such as a clear primer compared to a white pigment base primer, and the advantages and disadvantages.



5. When wallpapering, basic tools are used to prepare and install the liner, paper, and border. One of the problem some people run into is their walls are not level. Using a level to install wallpaper will help you put each strip of wallpaper straight. You will need to smooth out each piece of paper you put up, and also make sure you have no gaps in the seam. There are tools that will help you smooth each piece, and I actually use different size putty knifes. A small seam roller works wonders in smoothing and buttoning up each seam.



6. Knowing the different styles and types of wallpaper available today is very important. As you may know, there are thousands of different textures and patterns available. Together we will work through deciding what paper and pattern would work best for you.

This paper is actually from my own house. About ten years or so, one of my nieces moved down to South Carolina from New York City. She stayed with us a couple of years, before returning to her love of a big city, where she now resides in Washington D.C. One of her passions is old time movies. We have a guest room and while she was with us, we surprised her one Christmas with the room decorated in the old time movie theme.

If you look at the photo, the top part of the room is wallpaper, with a border in the middle and a complimentary wallpaper on the bottom half. The accents of a few black floor lamps, the bathroom done in the same paper, with accents in the black, off white, gray and a little brown tones compliment the paper. This is a great theme base room. You can actually see the bottom paper has some tan tones which I used a solid tan comforter to bring out this secondary color. We have enjoyed this theme and wallpaper, and have decided to leave it up.

Understanding the basic terms in wallpapering is the first step to beginning your indoor project. As we go through the different basic steps, we can also help each other brainstorm different designs that will fit your interior needs. Wallpapering is just one avenue to take in decorating a room or two in your living space. In the future, I will be having interaction so we can pool our thoughts together. This is a great way to help each other develop some basic tools in interior design.