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A Step-By-Step Tutorial On Applying Pre-Pasted Wallpaper By Anewall

Last Updated On: February 8, 2023

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Integrating wallpaper into your design can really bring your room to another level. Clean walls and plain colors have been pretty popular for the last years with the motto “less is more”, but nowadays sometimes even more, is not enough.

Wallpaper is for those who really want to change it up and are not afraid to try something new. It will give your room character and make it stand out in ways you never thought possible.

When I started to design our small bedroom, I knew I wanted to create a space that would make me feel like I am waking up in my favorite boutique hotel. A room that has class, embraces my femininity but also releases my inner child.

Something that’s different and stands out while still keeping the focus on a cozy atmosphere. Wallpaper helped me bring my vision alive. I couldn’t be happier with the result and hope to inspire one or the other to take the leap and try something new.

A Step-By-Step Tutorial For Applying Pre-Pasted Wallpaper By Anewall | Bare Escape

I chose Anewall Wallpaper because the company provides very unique mural and wallpaper designs.

I found them when I was looking for inspiration on Pinterest when a very specific mural caught my intention: The Magnolia Mural. It was love at first sight. The pastel pink palette mixed with a beautiful avian scene fit my vision perfectly. I knew I had to have it!

The company offers three different types of wallpaper: Pre-Pasted, Traditional, and Peel & Stick. We opted the pre-pasted because it is apparently the easiest to apply and since this was our very first time applying Wallpaper we just wanted to ease into it. The pre-pasted style means that the adhesive is already applied to the back of the wallpaper, so all you have to do is add water.

In hindsight, we are so glad we chose the pre-pasted wallpaper because since then we’ve also put up a traditional style wallpaper and we can say, without a doubt, pre-pasted is WAY easier. So if you are a beginner like us, you may want to start with the pre-pasted, then make your way up to the traditional style, which is where you roll on the adhesive to the wall first before applying the paper on top.

I know it can be scary to wallpaper a room yourself, but I am here to say you got this! This was our first time ever applying wallpaper. We went into this project with no experience and no clue what to expect, but we are quite pleased with the outcome. All I am saying is if we can do this so can you!

We hope this quick step-by-step guide will give you all the information you need, from the right tools to a boost of confidence for applying pre-pasted wallpaper in your own home.

Shopping List For Tools & Materials You Will Need

HOW TO APPLY YOUR ANEWALL WALLPAPER

Step 1 – Prepare Your Wall & Your Space

Prepping your walls correctly is just as important as the steps to actually hanging the wallpaper. Before you start, be sure to repair any holes and imperfections on the wall, then wipe it down with a damp sponge to remove dirt for an easy and rewarding wallpaper application.

If you have heavily textured walls like we did, then you should consider skim-coating your wall first to make it smooth. Here is a video that we followed to do this.

Make sure to prime your wall afterward so it is ready for the wallpaper application. If skim coating your wall is not your cup of tea, then you can use a heavy-duty wallpaper liner as an alternative.

Last but not least, don’t forget to protect your floors by putting down a plastic dropcloth.

Step 2 – Prepping The First Wallpaper Panel

Take out all the wallpaper panels from the box and lay them flat on the ground. The panels are all numbered on the back to help with the order of installation. It is important to install the mural design in chronological order from left to right otherwise your panels won’t line up.

For the first panel, it is important to have a 2” bleed of excess material on the left side. In order to get this 2” bleed, measure the width of your wallpaper panel with a tape measure and subtract 2”. In our case, the panel was 25” so we measured from the left edge of the wall 23” and then marked a line on the wall with a level and a sharpie. This is where you will line up your first panel. I can’t stress this enough as this will ensure the straightness of your mural.

If you find this confusing then we recommend watching our full YouTube Tutorial.

Step 3: Activate The Glue

Make sure you have enough space on the floor to roll out the first panel with the printed side facing down.

Grab your paint tray and fill it ⅔ up with warm water. Using the paint roller, apply a generous amount of water onto the back of the panel to activate the glue. Book the wallpaper by folding each end of the panel into the middle and then letting it sit for 10 minutes. The amount of time might vary depending on the temperature of your room. Since we live in the desert, we realized quickly that 10 minutes might be a little bit too long considering the heat. So after trial and error, we reduced our time down to 5 minutes.

Step 4 – Install The First Wallpaper Panel

When installing your first panel make sure to leave an overlap of at least 2 inches at the top just in case you install the wallpaper at an angle or your wall is slanted or uneven. We are not quite sure how it happened since we tried really hard to align each panel properly, but we only had about ½” left at the top by the last panel.

When you apply the wallpaper, use your hands first to press the wallpaper onto the wall. Then come back through with the plastic wallpaper squeegee and a damp sponge to smooth out the panel and to really press the wallpaper onto the wall to make sure every area adheres. We noticed that when using only the squeegee, big bubbles are more likely to turn into bad wrinkles. So we ended up using our hands first to press the wallpaper on before finalizing the position by using the squeegee.

Step 5 – Cut The Edges And Overhangs

Before you cut any edges or overhangs, make sure you have a fresh blade on your box cutter to avoid ripping or tearing the wallpaper. We also recommend only cutting the wallpaper after it is more or less dry. We found that edges are the easiest cut with a straight edge. If there are areas that require you to cut out a shape like in our case the arch, be sure that the glue has properly dried before cutting to avoid ripping the paper.

Quick Tip: You can go back through with a wet sponge once you are done to reactivate the glue to press the wallpaper back on the wall if need be.