WALLPAPER INSTALLATION MISTAKES CAUSED BY UNSKILLED TRADESMEN
Working with an experienced wallpaper installer helps save precious money and time. We’re often hired to redo wallpaper installations that have been completed by unskilled tradesmen and in almost all cases our clients have to reorder the wallpaper and start the installation all over again.
In many instances it’s the culmination of many small errors that result in an overall poor quality finish. We’ve created a list of the most common issues we’ve come across:
Poor wall preparation
The most common mistake we see time and again essentially comes down to a lack of understanding of the substrate. This is the underlying wall, or layer, that sits behind the wallcovering. How it’s treated has huge implications for the overall result and longevity of the wallpaper.
The choice of primer and how to prepare a wall for wallpapering will depend on:
- The age of the walls
- Whether the surface has been freshly plastered
- The general condition of the wall
There are many different products we will use at Wells depending on the substrate. In some cases, lining paper is required, particularly in old houses or when using a paper backed wallpaper.
An unclean working environment
It may come as a surprise but not all tradespeople know how to prepare and keep a room clean and dust free. In some cases it’s due to cost cutting – proper equipment to protect your floors and walls from dust and dirt comes at a price. Most of the time it’s due to a disorganised schedule, attempting to complete too many things at once with different tradespeople working around each other.
Unorganised working environments lead to dust and dirt landing on the front of the wallcovering and becoming trapped between the wallpaper and the wall, preventing it from adhering properly.
Many unskilled tradespeople work with messy hands and leave marks on the wallpaper. More often than not, these marks are stains from the wallpaper paste that have transferred onto the surface of the paper. In this case the tradesperson simply doesn’t have the required working practices to complete the installation to a high standard.
Lack of experience with the specific type of wallcovering
A lack of understanding of the product can lead to it being installed incorrectly and leaving an overall subpar finish. A frequent mistake is caused by not knowing the product and not being able to manage the clients expectations.
There are countless kinds of wallcoverings available including:
Metallic
Vinyl
Paper-backed fabrics including silk and linen
Hand-painted and bespoke wallpapers
Grasscloth wallpapers
Leather wallcoverings
It’s extremely important to allow the specific product to guide which cut is most suitable. If the product needs to be bench trimmed, then we will use a glass table to get the best finish. Some papers, such as vinyl, will achieve the best seam by doing a splice (double or overlap cut) directly on the wall.
Choosing an incorrect wallpaper paste
Most wallpaper manufacturers will provide information about the exact type of wallpaper adhesive to use with their product. Yet, we often come across a wallpaper that has been applied with the incorrect product. This can lead to the wallpaper not adhering properly to the wall or even damaging the wallpaper.
For example, a wheat-based paste is ideal for pulp papers, while a blue top paste is great for vinyl as it’s stronger and heavier with a low water content.
Not knowing how to work with uneven walls
Most buildings aren’t entirely straight, especially in older period properties. This makes lining up wallpaper patterns along corners that aren’t square particularly difficult. For example, if there is a discrepancy of 35mm from the top of the corner of the wall to the bottom, an unskilled wallpaper installer may try to match the pattern with the top edge of the corner but find that it no longer matches at the bottom. At Wells we come across this kind of issue regularly and employ various methods to leave all corners and edges with a seamless finish.
Incorrectly aligned wallpaper pattern placement
Sometimes pattern placement isn’t immediately noticeable and other times it will be glaringly obvious. But it is always something that a professional wallpaper hanger will ensure is exact. This is where the skilled specialists are easily separated from the unskilled tradesperson. At Wells Interiors we will always aim for symmetry or to centre the pattern to the wall.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for the best wallpaper installation with an impeccably finished result, then Wells Interiors is your perfect choice. We are recommended by the top wallpaper manufacturers and cater to London, Surrey and the Cotswolds.
NB: “📸 Installer unknown” indicates we’re not aware of the installer’s name, but please do email us details if it’s your work and we will happily credit you.
