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Tips on craft paper for wallpaper?


Jenny4311

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I've seen some people use craft paper for wallpaper.  Any tips?  I got some for 1/2 off per sheet at Hobby Lobby today in designs which I love.  I'd love to use them but if they're not workable they hardly cost anything. 

Any advice on what adhesive works best or does it need finished with anything after?

Also got the electrical supplies to rip out the old and start from scratch.  Say a prayer! Thank you all so much, everyone is so helpful here!

Edited by Jenny4311
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Craft paper is all I use. Premixed wallpaper paste from HD or Lowes  works best, in my opinion. Are you going to remove the old paper or go over it?  I saw your comment about the tape wire stil working. Maybe just apply new scotch tape on the connections to clean it up some.

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25 minutes ago, Sable said:

Craft paper is all I use. Premixed wallpaper paste from HD or Lowes  works best, in my opinion. Are you going to remove the old paper or go over it?  I saw your comment about the tape wire stil working. Maybe just apply new scotch tape on the connections to clean it up some.

I have removed almost all the old paper and trim. I'm on the fence about the wiring. We had to jiggle the spliced some to get it to come on so maybe I could just install a new one? I have removed the scotch tape but haven't pulled up the tape wire yet... 

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As long as all the brads or eyelets and copper on the splice isn't green you should be able to reuse it. Just insert it in a new spot. I live in a humid salt air environment, shipping or scotch tape is mandatory to keep out the elements. Sounds like the paper removal was very easy.   

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Hi Jenny did you manage to remove the old wallpapper first? I would recomend this if you plan on gluing the new wallpapper directly to the walls. There are some guides you can check for this process, or ask the comunity here. 

You can apply the wallpapper directly to the walls, or glue the wallpapper to templates cut from cardstock. This later option is often used when the papper is of very thin quality or the surface of the walls isn't very smooth. If you use thin quality papper you can use wallpapper paste as recomended above, and you can even apply the glue directly to the walls to be easier to handle. Spray glue also works but it's trickier to use. If you use cardstock templates or thicker papper you can use papper mucilage, yes paste or some other sort of scrapbook glue. I often use this method because I tend to find really nice patterned/textured papper at my local art supplies store that is too thin to handle and adjust on the walls/ceillings, so I reinforce it with an extra layer before applying it to the walls.

To avoid gaps in the corners of the walls you can start from the backwall and leave a thin bit of extra papper on the edges that you glue to the adjacent walls. Then cut the side walls straight and you will have seamless papper walls. Here's a guide with pictures: http://moreminis.blogspot.pt/2008/05/wallpaper-guide.html#.V6Umd_mANBc

Hope this helps!

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I use scrapbook paper for the  dh I'm doing now. I like that the designs are dh appropriate.  I like the cost. Loads of variety. I  don't like the appearance on wall when I have to add on pieces to fit wall. I find the  connection seam is very noticeable unless the design is vertical stripes...even when I overlap some. Maybe there is a fix for this?  Definitely advise wallpaper glue. I have used wood glue.l which works fine enough but wallpaper glue would be easier to spread. 

If you are lucky, local thrift store, yard sales may have leftover wallpaper or even boarders that could work also. 

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To cover walls I have used dollhouse wallpaper, 1:1 wallpaper with appropriately scaled patterns, gift wrap paper, scrapbook paper, printed paper and fabric.  For each and every one I used premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store.  When in doubt, I test a small sample of the paper with the paste; if there's any splotching or bleeding I spray the paper with a matte acrylic sealer.

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36 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

To cover walls I have used dollhouse wallpaper, 1:1 wallpaper with appropriately scaled patterns, gift wrap paper, scrapbook paper, printed paper and fabric.  For each and every one I used premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store.  When in doubt, I test a small sample of the paper with the paste; if there's any splotching or bleeding I spray the paper with a matte acrylic sealer.

This may be a dumb question but do you spray the front or back of the paper?

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I love craft paper. I used it to repaper a 1:12 house, and now I'm using it for smaller scale houses. I use Yes!Paste by Gane and had no troubles at all --flat and smooth.

I have used acrylic sealer in some cases (not all) on the front side of paper. For thinner paper done by inkjet I always use acrylic sealant but craft paper is often so resilient I don't bother --unless you will be burnishing/rubbing/creasing it a lot.

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8 hours ago, Jenny4311 said:

This may be a dumb question but do you spray the front or back of the paper?

The front, two or three light coats.  There is no such thing as a dumb question unless you do not ask.

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I have used the craft paper as well. I had bad luck with spray glue, after a couple of months I noticed huge bubbles, still haven't gotten around to fixing/redoing.

I also had trouble with printing wall paper from some of the beautiful  free wall paper sites, apparently I didn't spray well enough. The room the house is in gets a lot of hot Texas sun. I now have interesting "watercolor print" walls! I got a little frustrated and haven't fixed those either.

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  • 5 weeks later...
8 minutes ago, thresadep said:

Question- what do I spray on scrapbook paper that I using as wallpaper to protect it? From what I read here, matte spray?  What is that?  Does it protect the paper ?  

Matte polyurethane sealant spray is what I use on wood flooring. I use Fixative on paper. It just helps the paper stay clean from smudges. The sealant would be more for waterproofing. I live in Florida's humidity and want the paper to breath. A sealant in my area might trap moisture and cause mold.

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