The Empire Way
The Empire Way — Seven Universal Rules to Hang Wallpaper Right (Almost) Every Time
Material, brand, and project specifics vary — but a century of installations at Empire has distilled the craft into seven universal rules. Follow them and you'll land a clean, professional wallpaper installation roughly nine times out of ten.
- 01
Measure your roll with breathing room.
Trim each drop to the wall height plus a 1-inch overhang at the top and 1-inch overhang at the bottom. That margin absorbs ceiling drift and baseboard variation.
- 02
Cut your first drop and lay it on the floor.
Always dry-cut and lay your first drop flat before lifting it to the wall. It confirms length, repeat, and orientation before any glue touches the paper.
- 03
Match your drops on the ground, not on the wall.
Line up successive drops side-by-side on the floor to confirm pattern repeats align cleanly. Correcting a mismatch on the wall is ten times harder.
- 04
Number your drops in hanging order.
Mark the back of every drop with its sequence number and a top-arrow. This prevents reversed panels, lost pattern flow, and grasscloth shade jumps.
- 05
Roll the adhesive onto the wall — and keep the mix tight.
Apply paste to the wall with a roller. Add a maximum of 1 ounce of water to the rolling pan to improve spread without thinning the bond.
- 06
Glue one sheet at a time — never the whole wall.
Paste only the section you're about to hang. Adhesive that dries before the paper goes up is the single most common cause of seam lift and bubbles.
- 07
Hang over light fixtures and gaps, then cut after.
Cover outlets, sconces, and openings with the full drop. Trim the cutouts once the paper is set — the pattern stays continuous and the edges stay clean.
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Common Wallpaper Installation Questions
Answers to the questions our trade team and homeowners ask most often before, during, and after a wallpaper installation.
- Do I really need to leave a 1-inch overhang at the top and bottom? +
- Yes. Ceilings and baseboards are rarely perfectly level, and walls settle over time. A 1-inch overhang at both the top and bottom of each drop gives the installer room to trim cleanly to the actual ceiling and baseboard line — without an overhang you risk a visible gap at the cap.
- Should I paste the wall or paste the paper? +
- It depends on the substrate of the wallpaper. Non-woven wallcoverings are paste-the-wall and dimensionally stable. Paper-backed vinyls require pasting the paper and a manufacturer-specified booking time. Grasscloth, silk, and fabric-backed papers require a clear, non-staining adhesive applied to the wall only.
- Why hang one sheet at a time instead of pasting the full wall? +
- Adhesive that dries before the paper is placed loses tack at the seams and corners. Pasting only the section you are about to hang keeps the bond consistent across every drop and is the single most effective way to prevent seam lift and bubbling.
- How do I deal with outlets, sconces, and light fixtures? +
- Power down the circuit, remove cover plates, and hang the wallpaper continuously over the opening. Once the drop is set and smoothed, cut the opening out with a fresh blade. This keeps the pattern continuous and the edges crisp.
- Do I need to prime the wall before installing wallpaper? +
- Yes. Use a wallpaper-specific primer — standard latex paint is not a suitable substrate. Patch and sand to a Level 4 finish for textured papers and Level 5 for smooth, reflective, or silk wallcoverings. Dark walls require a tinted primer when installing light-colored wallpaper.
- Can Empire match me with a vetted installer for my project? +
- Yes. Empire maintains a national network of vetted installers experienced in non-woven, vinyl, grasscloth, silk, and panoramic murals. Submit a project request — or for commercial scope, use the Commercial Project intake — and we will recommend installers appropriate for your material and timeline.
Why Material-Specific Installation Is Crucial
Successful wallpaper installation hinges on understanding the unique properties of each material. Treating different wallpaper types uniformly is the leading cause of installation failure.
Each material — non-woven, paper-backed vinyl, grasscloth, silk, fabric-backed, and traditional pulp papers — demands specific adhesive systems, reacts differently to expansion, and requires distinct seam treatments.
The most common cause of installation failure is treating these diverse materials with a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
Material-Specific Guidance
| Material Type | Installation Method | Key Technical Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Non-woven | Paste-the-wall | Dimensionally stable; no booking time required. Use non-woven specific adhesive. |
| Paper-backed Vinyl | Paste-the-paper | Requires precise booking time per manufacturer. Use a fresh blade for every drop. |
| Grasscloth | Clear, non-staining adhesive | Reverse-hang alternating drops to manage natural color variation. Seams are visible by design. |
| Silk & Fabric-backed | Manufacturer-approved only | Highly sensitive to adhesive bleed. Do not allow paste on the face. Wear clean cotton gloves. |
| Murals & Panoramics | Sequence pre-layout | Pre-lay the full set on the floor before starting. Pattern alignment cannot be adjusted once set. |
Essential Surface Preparation
To achieve a gallery-quality finish, walls must be meticulously prepared:
- · Cleanliness: Surfaces must be smooth, clean, and free of loose paint or residual adhesives.
- · Finish Level: Patch and sand to a Level 4 finish for textured papers, and a Level 5 finish for smooth, reflective, or silk wallcoverings.
- · Priming: Use only wallpaper-specific primers. Standard latex paint is not a suitable substrate.
- · Curing: New drywall and plaster must be fully cured; plaster requires pH testing before application.
- · Environment: Bathrooms and kitchens require a professional moisture assessment prior to installation.
Adhesive & Method Notes
Adhesive selection is critical. It must match both the wallpaper substrate and the wall primer. Heavy materials like grasscloth and silk require clear, high-tack, non-staining formulas. Vinyl wallcoverings require vinyl-over-vinyl adhesive for any overlaps. Substituting a "general purpose" adhesive is the leading cause of failed installations.
Essential Tool Kit
- · Precision Blades (one fresh blade per drop)
- · Professional Smoothing Brush & Plastic Smoother
- · Specialized Seam Roller (material dependent)
- · Laser Level or Plumb Line
- · Clean Buckets & Microfiber Sponges
- · Professional Painter's Tape & Drop Cloths
Common Installation Issues & Solutions
- · Bubbles: Typically caused by adhesive gaps or trapped air. Smooth firmly from the center outward.
- · Seam Lifting: Often the result of inadequate priming, incorrect adhesive, or over-trimming.
- · Pattern Drift: Walls are rarely perfectly plumb. Always hang from a fresh laser/plumb line, never a corner.
- · Substrate Read-Through: Dark walls require a tinted primer when installing light-colored wallpaper.
- · Moisture Failure: Installing on damp substrates leads to immediate failure. Always test moisture levels first.
Professional Disclaimer
Trade Guidance Only: Installation outcomes depend on material, environment, and technique. Empire Wallpaper cannot guarantee results if manufacturer instructions are not followed precisely. We strongly recommend professional installation for all premium wallcoverings, panoramics, and natural textiles.
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Installation Next Steps
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