Silk wallpaper is the only wallpaper that doesn’t scream 1983. Silk wallpaper is beautiful, and if applied correctly, your house will be the envy of the neighborhood. Pay close attention, and be sure to follow every step.
Necessary Tools and Supplies
Before beginning the wall covering process, take a look at what is needed to accurately apply the paper:
1. Masking tape
2. Straight Edge
3. Smoother
4. Utility Knife
5. Primer
6. Putty Knife
7. Soft Cloth
8. Spackling Paste
9. Sponge
10. Paint brush
11. Sand Paper
12. Clear Adhesive that doesn’t stain
Installation Directions
Once all of the necessary tools and supplies are on hand and available, you can begin prepping the walls. Follow these steps to ensure minimal mistakes.
Step One: When applying wallpaper, especially one as fine as silk, the walls must be smooth. To smooth it out, you will need to use spackling paste, sand paper, and a putty knife. Now, take the spackling paste and fill in any area of the wall that is not level, or has a hole. Use the putty knife to apply and scrape away as much excess as possible. Let the putty dry completely. Once the putty has set (COMPLETELY dry), use the sandpaper to sand over the putty and any rough spot on the wall. The goal is to achieve absolute smoothness.
Step Two: Now that you’ve finished sanding, you will inevitably have dust from the sand paper all over the wall. Use a dry cloth to wipe the dust away. Repeat with a damp cloth. Let the wall dry completely before starting the next step.
Step Three: It’s now time to prime the walls with wallpaper safe primer. Once you have primed the entire wall, let the primer dry completely.
Step Four: Let the fun begin! The instructions become much more intricate now, so pay close attention. You will need the adhesive from your supplies (non-staining, clear, and safe for silk wallpaper). Take one sheet of wallpaper and apply the adhesive using a paintbrush. Before placing the silk paper on the wall, make sure the adhesive has become tacky. It should take no more than a couple of minutes for the adhesive to become tacky, though usually it takes merely seconds.
Step Five: Carefully place the sheet of paper against the wall, smoothing as you go with a soft cloth (if the cloth is too rough, it will damage the paper). To smooth out the bumps under the wallpaper, use the plastic smoother.
Step Six: It’s time to trim the edges of the paper with a utility knife, keeping straight lines by using a straight edge. Do this to only one sheet at a time.
Step Seven: After trimming, use masking tape to create a barrier between that sheet and the sheets that surround it. Do this to ensure no glue drips onto another sheet. Repeat steps four through seven for each individual sheet.
That’s it! Silk wallpaper is time consuming to hang, but it is incredibly beautiful. If the time is taken to complete each step properly, your walls will become everyone’s favorite characteristic about the house.
