Heavy Duty 30cm/12" Decorators Straight Edge | Ideal for Trimming Wallpaper/Cutting-in Paint

Product Information

If you have decided on wallpapering your ceiling as well, it’s best to start here before going on to the walls so you can achieve a more professional finish. Both of these wallpapering tools are used to cut paper-based, pre-pasted strips of wallpaper lengthwise. This could be necessary if, for instance, there isn't room for the entire width of a wallpaper strip on the wall.

You want to start in a corner that doesn’t have any obstacles, such as a window frame, door frame or light switches, in the way, if possible. If wallpapering your walls is more your style, our range of wallpaper pastes will be perfect to ensuring a smooth and strong adhesion every time. Our assortment of sanding and abrasive surfaces are helpful for this too, helping you to remove any lumps or bumps on the wall.Step 2: Measure your wallGet the vertical height of your wall using a measuring tape and spirit level for accuracy, and measure this out on your wallpaper, but add an extra 5 to 10cm to allow for any trimming. If you’re wondering where to hang the first piece of wallpaper, avoid starting from a corner as this edge may not be completely straight. Instead, use the spirit level (to ensure it’s straight) and mark a vertical line 50cm from the wall edge. With one side of a corner complete you need to to make sure that the next drop matches up and is straight as Clark explains: “Set up a plumb line on the adjoining wall and hang the offcut against this line, matching the pattern as best as possible, this should fit neatly into the corner with a slight overlap.” How to wallpaper outer corners Prepare your wallpaper as per its instructions (soak or paste the paper or apply paste directly to the ceiling). Step 4: Trim excess wallpaperIf there is any excess, use your knife to trim along the edge and remove it, but ensure the remaining wallpaper edge adheres to the wall. If you try to wrap the whole drop around a corner, you will typically find that its difficult to get rid of wrinkles, spoiling a neat-looking finish. And its unlikely that the other edge of the wallpaper will be straight, which it needs so you can continue wallpapering. What corner do you start wallpapering first?

Want to make sure you hang your wallpaper straight? Use a plumb line (a weight on the end of a string) to get a perfectly straight vertical line. And if you need to draw a straight edge on most surfaces, snap a chalk line. Wallpaper scorer Remove or cover your furnitureAvoid having furniture in the room you’re working in, too, if possible. If not, cover it with dustsheets, along with the floor. Finally, clean the surfaces you’ll be working on thoroughly using our range of cleaning products, to avoid any bumps or marks. However, if you are hanging lining paper or a patterned wallpaper like Anaglypta that is going to be painted you can cut the paper flush into the corners if you want. If there are any small gaps left they will be hidden by paint. What can go wrong when wallpapering corners? Step 5: Hang the next strips of wallpaperRepeat step 3 again and keep going until you get to a corner. Once you’ve laid it down in its section and are happy with the alignment, use your soft seam roller to smooth between the two wallpaper strip lines for a flawless finish. Prep your wallsYou should also ensure any existing wallpaper has been stripped away to avoid any air bubbles or bumps when you lay the new sheets. All freshly plastered walls should have wall sealer applied prior to wallpapering, as this is crucial for seamless and successful application.Carefully measure from the edge of the last piece of wallpaper making sure to measure at several points, as most walls aren’t 100% vertically straight. For any wall fixtures, ensure the mains are switched off for that circuit and hang your wallpaper along that stretch of wall, then pinch and press down over the fixture’s faceplate, before trimming diagonal slits to the centre from each corner. Then cut the paper away completely, but leave a 6mm of excess. Paste the paper to the wall and where the fixture is, loosen the faceplate screws slightly, before feeding a few millimetres of excess paper inside and tightening again. Yes you do. Why? Inner and outer corners on internal walls are very rarely completely straight as Clark explains: “Walls and corners are rarely straight, so it's important when wallpapering any corner to ensure your drops remain vertical and parallel to the other drops.”