Wallpaper Basics - The Tools

So you’ve decided to hang wallpaper, let’s take a look at the tools you’ll need to do a clean, professional job!

• Table - A nice sized flat table for pasting and planning your sheets. I use three 1”x12”x6’ Poplar boards arranged on a set of trestles. Feel free to use a folding table, 1'“x12”’s on sawhorses or even a dining room table. Don’t worry, paste cleans up well, but i wouldn’t suggest using an antique table that has been in the family for generations.

• Paint roller cage w/ 3/8”-1/2” roller cover - Any 9” paint roller will do. This is how you’ll apply the paste.

• 5 Gallon buckets - I use 3 of them. One for clean water and my sponge, a full paste bucket with a lid and an empty bucket to put some paste in that goes on top of the full paste bucket. It’s easier to transfer paste to the sheet when it’s higher.

• Sponge and microfiber towels - Use the sponge to keep your hands and your wallpaper clean, use the microfiber to dry everything off.

• A good razor knife - I cannot stress this one enough. Don’t go with a cheap knife, I use the Olfa Silver SV-2, but they make another version that Sherwin-Williams and I believe, Home Depot, carry. Also, invest in a box of the black snap-off blades (Olfa designates them as ABB).

• Smoothers - I like the zinsser smoothers. I also have some made out of Lexan, but for some applications you may need a smoothing brush, we’ll go further into detail on that later. Different materials call for different smoothers.

• Paintbrush and another roller setup - This is for applying wallcovering primer.

• A 4’ Ladder - A necessity to reach the ceiling line. I’m partial to the gorilla brand as it has a little tray on top.

• 6” Broad knife - This is your everyday knife for applying joint compound, we use it as a guide to make cuts along the ceiling, baseboard and other obstacles.

• Dropcloths - Installing paper is a fairly clean process but just in case, have some dropcloths at the ready.

Now you’ve got some tools to work with, we’ll move on to types of wallpaper in the next post, coming soon!