How do I hang peel-and-stick wallpaper panels?

Before the first panel

• The wall must be smooth, clean, dry and dust-free. Wipe it with a damp cloth and let it dry. Fill and sand nail holes; the adhesive shows every bump.
• The paint must be cured, not merely dry. On fresh paint, wait the full cure time on the paint can before hanging anything self-adhesive; on flat or matte paint and on textured walls, peel-and-stick will not hold, and our non-woven is the right material instead.
• Unroll the panels and lay them flat for an hour so they relax. Check the numbers on the labels: they run left to right, and each label carries the overlap and the bleed for that panel.
• Tools: a level or a plumb line, a plastic smoother, a sharp snap-off blade with spare segments, a metal straightedge, a seam roller, a stepladder.

The first panel decides everything

Draw a vertical plumb line one panel width from the corner you start in, minus the half inch or so you will wrap into the corner. Corners are never truly vertical; the line is.

Peel about a foot of backing from the top of panel 1, fold it back, and stick the top edge so the two inches of bleed sit above the ceiling line and the long edge runs along your plumb line. Smooth the top band from the middle out, then peel the backing down a foot at a time, smoothing as you go. If it goes crooked, lift it and re-lay; that is what the material is for.

Seams, overlap and the trim

Panel 2 goes up the same way, its edge over panel 1 by the overlap printed on its label. The print carries the pattern across the overlap, so the picture continues without a gap. Roll the seam lightly with the seam roller; do not press so hard that the adhesive squeezes out.

When all panels are up, trim the bleed at the ceiling and the baseboard: hold the straightedge in the corner, cut with a fresh blade segment, and change segments often. A dull blade tears fabric; a sharp one leaves a line you cannot see.

Bubbles, outlets and corners

• A bubble: lift the panel back to the bubble and re-lay it, smoothing outward. A tiny trapped bubble can be pricked with a pin and pressed flat.
• An outlet or switch: turn the power off, remove the cover plate, paper straight over the box, cut the opening out with the blade, replace the plate.
• An inside corner: wrap the panel about half an inch onto the next wall, then start the next wall with a fresh plumb line and a slight overlap over that wrap, rather than trying to bend one panel around the corner.
• A damaged panel: on orders over $300 one panel is reprinted free, once. Reply to the order email with the panel number.

Questions people ask

Can I reposition a panel after it is on the wall?

Yes, while you are hanging it. Lift it slowly from a corner and re-lay it. After a day or two on the wall the adhesive has settled and the panel should be treated as final.

Do I need to overlap the seams?

On peel-and-stick fabric, yes, by the amount printed on the label of each panel; the fabric moves a little as it settles and an overlap keeps the seam closed. Our non-woven panels butt edge to edge instead, and their labels say so.

How long does one wall take?

Plan an afternoon for a first wall of four to six panels, most of it preparation and the first panel. The rest goes quickly once the first one is straight.