Wallpapering  

An article I found on how to get a professional wallpaper look:

We prefer New Creations pre-pasted wallpaper. It is thicker and stiffer than unpasted paper. However, it is important to choose a pattern you like. Don't be intimidated by the unpasted paper. Make sure your Dollhouse walls are smooth before papering. If not, sand them and remove dust previously noted. As we all know, before cutting, measure, measure, measure! This also means measuring each wall separately. Make sure the wallpaper pattern is going in the correct direction. Cutting around steps can be tricky; be sure not to accidentally cut the paper in the opposite direction of the steps.

For dormer windows, bay windows and odd corners, we use tracing paper. Cut the tracing paper to about the size of the window. Place the paper against what you want to measure, and then use our fingernail or a credit card to push in the corners. Cut the piece bigger then what you measured. Lay on wallpaper a little bigger then what you need. Next wet the pre-pasted paper. We do this by laying it in a rectangular glass baking pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Take out paper and shake off excess water. Brush on New Creations gel with any kind of wide brush. By using the gel, the paper will not stick right away, and you will have time to adjust the position of the paper.

 Put the wallpaper on top to bottom, beginning with the ceiling. White Stucco paper looks good and hides wiring well. Keep smoothing it for a couple minutes. Next do the back wall. Make the paper a little wider then the wall to around the corners. You will cover the extra with the side walls' paper. Use a credit card to make sure paper gets in the corner. Smooth paper as you go. Finally, lift up the edges of the paper and put tacky glue around the edges with a toothpick. The result is a professional looking decorating job and an heirloom-quality dollhouse.

 Wallpaper Options

If you are building the house yourself, I have seen many people glue the wallpaper as they build which seems like an easy way to me. I did not build my dollhouse and I also wanted to buy furniture that would match the wallpaper so I bought paper room by room.  I have used different kinds of paper and glue for decorating my walls and have listed each below.

 Bedroom

 This is the bedroom and first room I wallpapered. Again I was 11 and my skills were not the best. The camera doesn't show but I cut the window to big and had to glue a few extra pieces around the window to cover the gaps. This was pre-pasted wallpaper and I used "New Creations, Wallpaper Gel" to adhere it to the wall.

Since then I have learned to make a "master template" for the doors and windows. Once I got a perfectly measured template, I traced it onto my wallpaper. I cut out the corners with an X-acto knife for a nice clean edge.

 

 

 

 Kitchen and Foyer

 

It is not until I started wallpapering did I discover the wonderful world of Printies! I was looking for Kitchen wallpaper and found the perfect paper. I was a little hesitant to just print it off my computer and stick it to the wall. I was afraid it might look like computer paper glued to a wall and stick out next to actual wallpaper I had used.

 

I used the highest quality print settings on normal paper and it came out great! I printed about 5 sheets per room and cut them to size. Some recommend using a matte sealer and a few dots of glue. I found some Mod-Podge in my basement and found it worked great. I used a paintbrush to apply the glue evenly over the entire surface.

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 Nursery

I go to my local miniature store to find a lot of answers to my questions. When I purchased some wallpaper there she sold regualr wallpaper paste in small jars for $1 and recommended I water it down just a little but and use that for the "minigraphics" paper I had purhcased. After the first wall, the paper rippled and it wasn't looking good so I resorted to my handy-dandy jar of mod-podge and applied it the same way I applied my printie wallpaper.

These are pictures of my dinning room and nursery done using "minigraphics" paper and mod-podge. Minigraphics recommends using "New Creations, Wallpaper Mucilage"

 

Share your tips and thoughts on painting and wallpapering here!