In this workshop, first-time homeowner Sarah Smith has taken on the renovation and expansion of a small master-bathroom. With some help from her father, she tackled this ambitious do-it-yourself project. In this phase of the project, Sarah enters the home stretch of the renovation. Sarah has stripped the original bath down to the wall-studs, knocked out a wall and expanded into and adjacent closet, installed a new tile floor and water resistant drywall, added a new toilet and angled shower, and re-worked some of the plumbing and wiring. So far, with very few exceptions (e.g., rough plumbing and complicated electrical work), Sarah and her father have done all of the work in this renovation themselves. At this point, they are ready to begin painting and hanging wallpaper. For this, they enlist the help of a friend -- Doug Allen -- who has some expertise in these areas. Wallpaper Installation With the ceiling finished, it's time to begin work on the walls. Doug Allen reviews the tools that will help make job go easier. Materials: Wallpaper
Wallpaper paste
Wallpaper brush
Paste brush
Tape measure
Straight edge
Utility knife; razor blades
Seam roller Steps: - Special utility knives are fitted with razor blades (figure A) and used to cut and trim the paper.
- Because the wall has some blemishes, Sarah has chosen a textured paper. It will cover the problem areas and she can paint it any color.
- Sarah and Doug begin by taking measurements (figure B) to determine the lengths of the strips they'll need to cut. They take into account the molding that will be installed at the ceiling and floor. They determine that they'll need to cut 92-inch strips.
- Doug advises Sarah about overlapping adjacent strips at the corners of the room. Though this is less critical with a plain paper than a patterned one, it's best to overlap at corners than to butt two strips together at the corner.
- An old door serves as a perfect cutting surface. After taking measurements, Sarah and Doug simply roll the paper out (figure C) to 92 inches and cut it along a straight edge (figure D).
- Like most wallpapers this one is pre-pasted, and just needs to be moistened with water on the paste-side.
- Once cut, they roll the first piece loosely and take it to the filled tub in the other bathroom. They then simply submerge the loosely rolled piece in the water (figure E). The paper is allowed to soak in the water for three minutes.
- The first moistened strip is carefully lifted out of the water -- being careful not to let the paste side fold over on itself -- and put into position at the corner near the edge of the shower (figure F).
- Doug instructs Sarah about the best way to finish each piece. He tells her to make long sweeping motions with the brush (figure G and H) to get out the excess glue and remove any air bubbles.
- Before the glue dries, he also shows her how to check the edges to ensure a neat seam.
In the next segment, the wallpapering project is completed, and painting gets underway.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Book of Kitchen and Bathroom Renovation
Time Life Books
Website: www.timelife.com
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
