Wallpapering

Wallpaper comes in large sheets, and usually one sheet will cover a wall. Measure your walls carefully to decide how much you need. It can help to mark the walls out on stiff plain paper and use this as a template. You can then use this as a pattern to cut your wallpaper later. The side walls should extend about 1/8” around on to the back wall.

There is a wide range of wallpaper with designs from every period from the Victorian to the modern. If you want your house to have authentic decoration, then there are plenty of books available to help you. But you don’t have to do this - you can just choose what you like. It’s your house.

Start papering with the side walls, lining up the front and overlapping the back corners very slightly. Then paste the paper for the back wall over these edges for a neat finish. If you’re using a skirting board or cornice, the top and bottom edges will be covered by these. Doors are best done with a small piece cut separately for the top and side to avoid tearing the sheet.

Before hanging your wallpaper size the walls by pasting them with a thin mix of paste and leave to dry. Make sure they are smooth. Once that is dry, you can go on to hang your wallpaper.

You can buy paste specially formatted for dolls house wallpaper. This comes ready mixed in small pots, or you can buy a small sachet to mix with water when you need it. You can also use normal wallpaper paste, but this should be mixed a little thinner than normal.

Paste each piece just before you hang it, making sure you go right up to the edges. Start with the side walls, and line up the front edges. Then smooth it gently onto the wall, using a piece of soft kitchen towel. There may be some bubbles but these will usually disappear as the wallpaper dries out overnight.

If you have a particularly tricky area to wallpaper, then cut a piece of thin card to fit exactly and stick your wallpaper to that. You can then stick the card in place on the wall.

You can finish off your room with a border along the top of the wall or around the doors and windows. Moulded skirting boards, dado rails and cornices can also provide a finishing touch.