Boxes - Wallpapering

 So, here comes the next scary step - wallpapering the box walls.  Just like when I painted the ceiling I am  wondering if the cardboard will fall apart or go wavy.

Before I start with the paper I always paint the trims so that they can be drying between coats between various steps of papering.  I already have some skirting board painted so I only need to get some small coving painted.  Normally I wouldn't put coving in a modern room but I want to have really neat ceiling and wall joins and this is probably the best way to go about it.  I have used the ceiling paint (Valspar Tidy White Matt) in hopes that it will not emphasise the coving too much.

Whenever you are papering you obviously need to measure and plan carefully.  More so for me with this project as I am using leftover paper from the original library.  I have one good sheet and several off-cuts.  If I have any awkwardly shaped area to paper I always make a template from some other paper or thin card.  Measuring rarely does it with a complicated shape as it is hard to be accurate with any angles or shapes.  Sometimes when doing things like dormer windows you need to make more than one template to get a perfect fit.  It is then as simple as placing the template on the wallpaper, drawing round it carefully and cutting out.  

For the first step here it is just a simple back wall piece.  If I was papering the usual primed MDF walls of a dollshouse I would leave a small unpapered edge at the top and bottom of the wall so that any trims can stick to the wood rather than just the paper.  As I am using cardboard here there is probably no advantage to that and I may as well glue coving etc to the paper.

I measured carefully and cut out the right depth strip.  I turned over one edge 1.5 cms and made a sharp crease.  I do this on each side of the paper to allow for a wrap around the corner on to the two side walls. 

To get the second side crease, I put the paper in to box and then, very carefully, use my nail to find and mark the other corner where I would want another fold. I then take it out and complete the fold making a very sharp crease.  The excess is trimmed back to 1.5 cms.  I always try another dry fit to make sure it is perfect before pasting.  This photo shows this dry fit in situ.

The paste I use for dollshouse papering is this border adhesive.  This particular one is from B and Q but I suppose any make of border adhesive will do.  It is smooth and silky and allows some sliding or pulling off and retrying.  

Depending on the material I am using or the position of the area needing papering i judge whether to put the glue on the walls or the paper.  If your paper is thin or weak in any way it is often best to paper the walls.  In this case I knew I had good paper but wanted to see how much paste the cardboard wall soaked up so I decided to paste the wall. 

I squiggled a reasonable amount over the surface and spread it out with my fingers.  Fingers are the best way to apply large areas of glue.  That way you can feel, as well as see, that everywhere is covered with an even layer.

You can see that I don't apply much; although, because it went on card this time it did need a little more.

 

Then came a huge panic/sad moment when I thought I had met my nemesis.  I had used this paper before without any stretching or wrinkling and this is what happened when applied to cardboard

.  

Luckily good sense prevailed and instead of jumping up and down on the box and crying a lot, I peeled the paper back carefully and then rubbed and patted it down into place gently starting at one side and working across.  It looks OK.

It was all feeling decidedly wet so I went to my, so far successful, strategy of weighing the box side down. I did add in a piece of non stick baking paper between wallpaper and wood in hopes it would allay any damage of the wood meeting wet wallpaper.  All I have to do now is try not to keep peeking and leave well alone until tomorrow, so ..... back to second coating the coving.  See, I told you painting the trims when wallpapering comes in handy.

The next day it had dried just fine - no bulging back wall and no creases.  Now it was  was time for the sides.  This turned out to be full of 'oh dears'.

I first had to fasten down the overlap strips, needless to say they decided to go into a mass of wavy crinkles, not all of which I could remove with the gentle rubbing patting malarky.  I wasn't overly worried as there would be about one inch at the top visible in the room when finished.  Even less reason to fret when, as it turned out, it had all dried perfectly fine.

Both sides went in.  The right side was easy as I had enough paper to cut it in one piece.  The left was a lot of fiddling about as I had to patch two pieces together and pattern matching is very fiddly on such a small pattern.  Again I could have saved on the sighing as it went in just fine.

This was when I spotted that the wallpaper on the back wall was upside down and on the side walls it was the right way up.  I am an extremely fussy mini maker and in normal times that would be a redo for sure.  That was not going to happen this time.  I had no more paper and it was from Chinoiseries which costs an arm and leg and takes ages coming from Belgium or somewhere.

If you click on the photo above and enlarge it you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.  Also, there will only be about the top inch showing above the shelving when everything is in place.  It kills my little pedantic heart but I am making myself move forward.

Indeed my husband and I even disagree about which is right way up and which is wrong.  This is wrong way for me as its pointy bit is at the bottom and has two curly 'feet; at the top.

This is the right way up for me, sort of vase of flowers with proper grounding on the bottom.

It is in such small scale it cannot possibly matter.  Does it sound as though I am trying to convince myself?

I have also cracked and spent money and set myself a further challenge with the next lot of box wallpapering.  I bought a spray glue.

I avoid sprays like the plague - they just don't like me.  I either overspray and get glops or under spray and have to keep doing it over and over.  It is just not a knack I have.... and that is with various paints.... I have never used spray glue.  Watch this space.  I have visions of having to be rescued by firemen after I have stuck myself to some object or another.  Maybe that's just my fireman fixation kicking in ....


[If you want more detailed explanations for painting and making trims and wallpapering I have several posts and some videos to help.  You can find them by going to my Dalton House blog and looking in the left hand column for what you want]