A beautiful finish
starts with the prep.
Three materials. Three ways to hang. Find your wallpaper below, prepare your wall, and take it one panel at a time.
Find your installation method ↓Check the material on your order before you begin.
Work gently.
Match carefully.
Give the wall
a good beginning.
Before you open the paste or peel the liner, check the wall and lay out your wallpaper. Good preparation makes every step that follows easier.
Check before cutting
Confirm your material, design, color, and panel order. Check the pattern match and contact us if anything looks wrong.
Start smooth & sound
Remove old wallcovering and loose paint. Fill holes, sand smooth, and seal repairs. Address moisture problems first.
Clean, dry, fully cured
Remove dust and grease. Let the wall dry completely. Follow the primer, paint, and material-specific curing guidance below.
Mark a vertical guide
Use a level or laser to draw a plumb line. Walls and corners may not be straight; your first panel should be.
Traditional wallpaper
This unpasted nonwoven uses the paste-the-wall method: apply a suitable wallpaper adhesive to the prepared wall, then hang the wallpaper dry.
Prime, plan, and cut
Prepare a smooth, clean, dry wall and let the wallpaper primer dry as directed. Check the pattern repeat before cutting. Allow extra length for matching and trimming at the ceiling and baseboard.
Paste one section of wall
Roll on an even coat of adhesive slightly wider than one strip. Brush adhesive into the top, bottom, and seam edges. Work one strip at a time, within the adhesive’s stated working time.
Hang the wallpaper dry
Align the first strip to your plumb line, leaving a trimming allowance at the top and bottom. Smooth gently from the center toward the edges. Avoid excessive pressure that squeezes adhesive out.
Match, trim, and clean
Bring the next finished edge alongside the first and match the pattern without stretching. Trim excess with a fresh blade and straightedge. Remove paste from the printed face promptly with a clean, damp sponge.
Pre-pasted wallpaper
The adhesive is already on the back. Water activates that backing before hanging; ordinary wallpaper paste is not the standard starting method.
Check the match before wetting
Lay out adjoining strips and confirm their pattern alignment. Cut with enough allowance for the repeat and the final top and bottom trim. Keep the printed face and work surface clean.
Activate the adhesive backing
Place the strip face down. Apply a generous, even mist of clean water to the back, covering the adhesive all the way to the edges and corners. The whole backing needs even activation; a light spritz on the wall is not the same method.
Hang the activated strip
Align the activated strip to your plumb line, leaving extra length at the ceiling and baseboard for trimming. Smooth gently from the center toward the edges, working down the strip. Keep the backing evenly moist as you work.
Match, trim, and finish
Align the next strip edge-to-edge and match the pattern without stretching. Trim the excess at the ceiling and baseboard with a fresh blade and straightedge. Wipe adhesive from the printed face promptly with a clean, damp sponge.
Peel & stick wallpaper
A release liner protects the pressure-sensitive adhesive. Peel the liner and apply dry to a compatible prepared wall, using firm contact pressure to secure the material.
Check the wall and test adhesion
Use a smooth, clean, dry, sealed surface with sound paint. Allow fresh paint at least 30 days to cure, and longer if its manufacturer requires. Washable and no-VOC paints can reduce adhesion; test the actual surface before a full installation. Neenah recommends a 24 × 24-inch test swatch.
Peel a small section first
Check fit and pattern placement, then peel back about 6 inches of liner at the top. Align to the plumb line with trimming allowance. Keep the rest of the liner in place while positioning.
Work down in small sections
Pull the liner down gradually and use a felt-edged smoother from the center toward the edges. Keep the strip relaxed and pressure even. Lift and reset gently if alignment drifts; do not pull or stretch it into place.
Match, press, and trim
Align adjoining finished edges and the pattern. On painted drywall, firmly roll the top third of each positioned strip and all seams with a clean roller. Trim excess using a sharp blade and straightedge.
Before the
last trim.
How should the seams meet?
Align the finished edges edge-to-edge and match the pattern before smoothing. Keep each strip relaxed, and do not stretch the wallpaper to close a gap.
What about textured walls, corners, and outlets?
Wallpaper follows the surface beneath it. Smooth texture and seal repairs first; peel & stick needs a successful adhesion test on the intended wall. Start each wall with a new plumb line. For difficult corners or double-cut seams, use an experienced installer. Switch off power before removing outlet covers, and keep tools and wallpaper out of electrical boxes.
What if a strip bubbles, lifts, or will not align?
Pause before hanging more. Reposition gently while the material allows it, keeping the backing evenly activated for pre-pasted and the wall properly coated for traditional. For peel & stick, lift back past trapped air and smooth again. Do not puncture the print, stretch the strip, or add glue or heat without checking with us.
How should I care for the finished wallpaper?
Let pasted installations dry naturally under stable room conditions, following the adhesive’s curing guidance. Avoid soaking or scrubbing the printed surface. For Stick-R, Neenah recommends mild dish detergent and a damp microfiber cloth; avoid ammonia-based cleaners. Check with us before using solvents, varnish, or other surface treatments.
How do I remove peel & stick?
Start at a top corner and pull slowly downward, folding the material back against itself at about 180 degrees, close and parallel to the wall. Work steadily. Stop if paint begins to lift. Removal performance depends on the original wall preparation and conditions; paint repair may be required.
A question now.
A better finish later.
Send your order number, material, and a photo of the wall or panel. We’ll help you work out the next step.