Wallpaper Borders

Border strips made of wall covering materials are a unique way to add style to a room or to highlight an architectural feature, such as a fireplace mantel. You can use these borders in any room and on both painted and wall papered surfaces. Interesting borders are easy to find or make. Matching borders are available for many wall covering designs (check the sample books in
a wallpaper store). You can also create your own customized borders by cutting full-size wallpaper into narrow strips. To make this job easier, use a striped pattern with a nondirectional design. For another interesting effect, trim around the outline of a pattern inside a wide stripe.
There are many possible ways to place a wallpaper border in a room. Use it as a crown molding around the perimeter of a ceiling. Position the border so that it frames a window, door or fireplace. On a painted wall, create a chair rail border or place a line of wallpaper along the top of the wainscoting.

Step 1
A. Plan the layout of the border, starting in the least conspicuous corner of the room.
B. If the border isn’t being placed along a ceiling or baseboard, draw a light pencil line around the wall at the desired height, using a level as a guide. Measure the line down from the ceiling or up from the floor, whichever is shorter.

Step 2
A. Cut and prepare the first border strip.
B. Beginning at the selected corner, apply the border along the reference line, overlapping it onto the adjacent wall by ½ in.
C. Press the border flat along the wall with a smoothing brush. Have a helper unfold the unused portion of the border as you apply and brush it into place.


Step 3
A. Form a 14-jn. tuck just beyond each inside corner, then continue to apply the border.
B. Cut the border at the corner using a utility knife and broadknife.
C. Peel back the tucked strip and smooth it around the corner. Press the border flat.
D. Apply seam adhesive to the lapped seam, if necessary.

Step 4
A. For seams that fall in the middle of a wall, overlap the border strips so the patterns match.
B. Cut through both layers with a utility knife, then peel back the border and remove the cut ends.
C. Press the border flat. After half an hour, roll the seam.
D. Rinse excess adhesive from the border, using a damp sponge.

Step 5
A. To cut-in the border flush with walicovering, overlap the border onto the wailcovering.
B. Use a straightedge and a utility knife to cut through the underlying wallcovering along the border edge.
C. Pull up the border; remove excess wailcovering. Press the border down flat.