# wallpaper sizing?



## smidgen (Mar 14, 2004)

I Googled and got more confused. Do you have to use sizing to paper painted walls?


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## Raised Grain (Feb 27, 2006)

You don't have to BUT if you ever want to remove the wallpaper it will be a big project. For the little it will cost to size the walls it's well worth it.


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## Drabdr (Nov 26, 2007)

What do you mean by sizing? Obviously it will need to be cut and stuff. I guess I'm confused. What kind of walls are you going to paper? Did you prep them?


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Seal it with a paint/primer/sealer first. See Wallpaper on Drywall - The Right Way and I guess that counts as sizing now days.

wallpaper sizing


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## smidgen (Mar 14, 2004)

Thanks all. I guess sizing is the old word for primer which I see it's called today. I was thinking that where our walls are painted it would count as sizing, but I see today they recommend a special primer so the paste won't go through the paint. I sound smarter now don't I? I read Hewee's recommended site.

I tried papering about forty years ago and swore I'd never do such a thing again! You need three hands! This time my wife is going to do it, and I'm going visiting!


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Your welcome. I knew you should put a primer on but I was also thinking you had to size it. Funny over the years working on new homes I have seen many get wall paper and they just put it on the walls but they were new homes and they were prime or undercoat primer and painted. 
Now if the texture was not good because it was to rough or a foil type of wall paper was going to be added they have it so when they did the walls they smoothed out the wall with the drywall mud and wet sand it and then prime it. 

But 40 years ago if you had to make up your own paste and the walls were not primes or sized then that added to the trouble you had that made you not want to do it again if you read that link. 
So getting a good wall to put it on that is sealed helps you out and gives you more drying time so you can adjust and redo places because the glue is not going down tru the paint into the wall. I have seen where wall paper had been added to a newer sheetrock wall where they did not seal it and you can not take the wallpaper off without taking off the paper on the sheetrock. You need that paper holding the sheetrock to stay or your have to redo all the walls in new sheetrock. OK wallboard because sheetrock is a brand name.


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## muppy03 (Jun 19, 2006)

Its much easier these days, most wallpaper is a vinyl and pre pasted. Be warned though, Cutting in to your moulding and skirting can be a pain in the butt as the vinyl paper does not seem to cut cleanly no matter how sharp the knife, it sort of pulls and stretches. I had to end up doing mine with scissors. Sizing is still advisable, but does not take long to do so you might as well do it.


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

You know I would see the wallpaper hangers use 6" Joint Knives and 10" to 12" Taping Knives  to cut the paper once it was put up. Then there are the plastic or other light weight Straightedge tools.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wallpaper+tools&btnG=Search&aq=f&oq=


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