{wallpapering tips: tools and supplies}

Ready to take the plunge and embrace the wallpaper trend? The wallpaper experts at Hirshfield’s are ready to help, seam roller and broad knife in hand!

Let’s back up for a second. For some of us, hanging wallpaper can’t begin until the old wallpaper has been taken down. For those of you who fall into this category, check out our  tips on how to remove wallpaper.

Ok, now that the wallpaper has been removed, let’s talk about the tools and supplies you’ll need to hang your fabulous new wallpaper.

• Sizing: Sizing will help to keep seams from opening up or shrinking. This product also aids in the future removal of wallcoverings. Hirshfield’s recommends Uniprep 100% Acrylic Universal Wallcovering Prepcoat for shiny surfaces and Wallprep Universal Primer over flat, unsealed surfaces.
• Border Adhesive: This product ensures proper adhesion of borders when installed over a coordinating wallcovering. This is not for use over painted surfaces because of the strong adhesion. Hirshfield’s paint experts recommend AllPro Border Adhesive.
• Prepasted Activator: This product is applies like a wallcovering adhesive and activates the dry adhesive on the back of prepasted wallcoverings. Prepasted Activator is a great alternative to water and a water tray as it provides extra track to prevent seam separation. Give Hirshfield’s Prepasted Activator a try.

{how to remove wallpaper}

When it comes to removing wallpaper, everyone seems to have his or her own theory about what technique works best. But Jon Lovejoy at the Edina Hirshfield’s decided to put the four most common techniques to the test; vinegar and water, fabric softener and water, plain water and DIF Wallpaper Remover concentrate and water.

And this was no easy test; the room Jon was working on had wallpaper that had been painted over. And any true do-it-yourselfer knows this is one of the ugliest jobs to tackle. For his experiment, he used each of the four wallpaper-removing concoctions on each of his four walls. Any guess as to which one worked the best???

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Even Jon was surprised to find that the DIF and water combo reigned supreme. “I was really expecting the fabric softener and water to be the best since I had always heard so many success stories from others. But if the DIF and water can remove wallpaper that has been painted over as easily as it did, I know it can remove just about any other type of wallpaper.”

DIF is a liquid wallpaper stripper, available at Hirshfield’s. Just buy a spray bottle, mix the DIF liquid with very hot tap water, according to directions, and spray it over the wallpaper that’s being removed. Let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes, reapplying if it begins to dry out.

Using an inexpensive tool, such as The Paper Tiger, to lightly score the wall surface before applying the wallpaper stripper will improve the penetration of the solution and speed up the process.

For extra hard jobs, Jon recommends covering the wall with plastic after you have sprayed the DIF and let that sit for about two hours to contain the moisture and let the mixture soak in longer. Then use a stiff, non-flexible scraper to remove any lingering tough patches.

After fully removing the wallpaper, take medium sandpaper and use it like a washcloth over the walls and rinse well with clear water so they are completely clean before painting or, dare we say, re-wallpapering!