When the house needs a bit of a refresh, you can choose to put up new wallpaper. It offers all the possibilities of interior decoration as the models are varied and there is something for all budgets. For many owners and tenants, wallpapering is a real pleasure. But if you don’t want to take off the old paper, calculate the number of rolls needed, or install the new wallpaper, you can entrust the work to a craftsman after asking for quotes.
Wallpaper: before installation, take-off is essential
Layering dozens of layers of wallpaper over a lifetime isn’t the best idea. So, who says wallpapering generally says taking off the old tapestry. The task is not without interest since it makes it possible to check the condition of the support wall and, if necessary, to detect any traces of humidity which must be treated. In the same way, we take advantage of this repair work to intervene on the roughness in order to have an impeccable wall.
Peeling off wallpaper: the methods
Peeling off the paper does not pose an insurmountable difficulty. To do this, there are three solutions, namely:
- Steam thanks to a specific device,
- Hot water simply with a sponge,
- The product to take off wallpapers, liquid or powder. It is odorless and non-polluting. It must be diluted in water according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging.
Steam and hot water are likely to generate a lot of humidity in the room. If the humidity level in the house is already high in normal times, these are not the best solutions to adopt to remove tapestry. Better to choose the product to take off.
The diluted stripper is spread with a sponge, a riffler, a roller or even a brush. Old wallpaper should be sufficiently soaked. An action time of about fifteen minutes is enough for the tapestry to peel off perfectly, even in difficult places, and even if it is a paper vinyl. The shreds are detached under the action of a simple tapestry spatula.
After removing the wallpaper with steam, hot water or a stripper, it is strongly recommended to let the wall dry overnight before hanging the new wallpaper.
Product cost wallpaper stripper
As an indication, a can of liquid product to take off the wallpaper costs 5 to 7 € for 500 ml, sufficient quantity to “ unpaper » an area of 80 M².
Papering a room: tips and cost
Wallpaper is making a strong comeback even in ultra-contemporary homes. Suppliers offer a very rich collection of models, printed or plain, with a material effect. For his greatest pleasure, the consumer can afford a trendy tapestry, from the simplest to the most sophisticated.
Obviously, the price of wallpaper is as variable as the models offered. For a roll of 10 m in length and 0.53 m in width, you can therefore pay between 3 € and more than 45 €. If you want to put up a high-end wallpaper, it is better to be up to the task because at this price, it is preferable that the result be flawless.
To evaluate the budget to devote to the purchase of wallpaper, it is necessary:
- Calculate the surface to be papered,
- To check the dimensions of a roll and therefore the surface it can cover in order to know exactly the number of rolls needed.
How many rolls of wallpaper should I buy?
This is a recurring question! So let’s get to the math in order to calculate how many rolls of wallpaper to buy.
- Start by calculating the perimeter of the room :
- We now calculate the number of strips of paper to be laid by proceeding as follows :
- Then, we calculate the number of rolls to buy as follows :
- Finish by calculating the number of rolls needed.
Length + width (in meters) then multiply the result by 2
Example: (5+3)*2 = 16 meters
Divide the perimeter of the room by the width of one roll.
Example: 16 / 0.53 = 30.188 or, rounding up, 30 strips. If we had obtained a result of the type 30.8, we would have rounded up to the next higher unit, ie 31 strips.
You must take into account the width and length of a roll of wallpaper that you have chosen beforehand, knowing that not all models have the same dimensions. If it is a standard roll, the length is 10 meters and the width is 0.53 m. The dimensions are always indicated on the paper ring that surrounds each roll.
Height of the room in meters to which we add 0.10 m for leveling divided by the length of the roll.
Example: (2.50 + 0.10) / 10 = 2.60 which is rounded up to 3, i.e. 3 lengths per roll.
Each length must be leveled (leveled) once installed so that it is perfectly parallel to the bottom plinth and to the ceiling for a perfect result, you must add 10 cm to the height of the room when you calculate the area to be papered. For example, for a room with a ceiling height of 2.50 m, it is better to count 2.60 m.
Attention ! For spliced paper, possible offcuts must be taken into account. The calculation is not always easy if you are not used to wallpapering. The manufacturer always indicates the dimension of the fitting to be taken into account. If in doubt, it is really best to ask for quotes and then entrust the upholstery work to a local craftsman or decorative painter.
Divide the number of lengths needed by the number of lengths contained in a roll of paper.
Example: 30 / 3 = 10 or 10 rolls of wallpaper to buy.
Use scraps of wallpaper
Of course, if the whole of a roll of paper is not used, the remaining scrap is not wasted. It should be used to paper the top and bottom of the window, the top of the door or even the bottom and back of a radiator, which avoids wasting a strip for these small areas. Paper laying requires a bit of optimization.
Some DIY stores accept to take back excess wallpaper rolls provided they have not been unpacked. Hence the interest of removing the protective film only when you start a new roll and not for all the rolls that you have bought before you have even started to hang the wallpaper.
Installing wallpaper involves rigor, including the direction of the paper. No question of taking a roll upside down, because if all the lengths are not laid in the same way, differences in shades will appear in the final result.
If you are decidedly resistant to this type of work, you should not hesitate to delegate. Professionals do this very well and very quickly. The wallpaper price including installation can be obtained in a few clicks. It takes between 15 and 35 € / M² installation and supplies included, depending on the type of wallpaper to be installed. Two or three quotes are sufficient to compare the prices charged.