Measure
your room
always measure your
room carefully, to find out how many sheets of paper are required,
before buying the paper. Remember - sheet sizes can vary.
Firstly measure
the wall lengths of your room (usually 3 walls) and add them
together to give a total length, i.e. a room that is 10 inches
wide and 12 inches deep will give a total length of 34 inches
(10 + 12 +12 = 34).
Next measure
the height of the room - this will be important in determining
how many drops per sheet you will get - lets assume it is 9 inches.
Write your
calculations down on a piece of notepaper. This can form part
of your "dolls' house log book".
Now select
the wallpaper. Sheets of wallpaper come in different sizes, but
for this example let us assume our chosen sheet is 16 inches
wide by 24 inches high (height is the drop measurement).
For the room
in our example the calculation is as follows:
Because the
height of the wallpaper is 24 inches we will get 2 drops for
our 9 inch high room - each measuring 16 inches in length. This
means that we will have enough wallpaper to cover 32 inches of
wall per sheet.
Therefore,
to achieve the total length of 34 inches required we will need
2 sheets of this paper.
Always take
care to note if the wallpaper has a repeating pattern as this
may well affect your calculations. We would recommend that in
order to cater for this, it is always better to over-estimate
your needs.
Quantities
always buy
extra (i.e. an extra sheet) in case of mistakes. Batches change
and shades may vary. If you buy more later you may not get an
exact match. Left over bits can always be used for other projects
at a later date.
Preparation
if you are lighting
your house some preparations should be made before wallpapering
such as:
if laying copper tape, lay the tape and draw a plan of the layout
(for help with future connections and trouble-shooting)
- if using the
wire method, drill the holes and run grooves for the wires to
prevent the chance of your drill slipping and tearing your newly
hung wallpaper
always paint
ceilings before putting in wallpaper
leave the fixing
of all woodwork until after wallpapering (where possible), i.e.
doors, stairs, mouldings such as skirting boards etc. This will
help to hide any mistakes and gaps in the wallpapering. It is
also recommended that paint and/or stain is applied to woodwork
before fixing.
Application
always use wallpaper
paste. This allows you to slide the paper into position, which
cannot be done as easily if a hobby glue is used
if you are
using copper tape for your lighting always use a "non-toxic"
paste - copper can react to some toxins
paste the wall
not the paper - dolls' house papers are thinner than full size
wallpaper and will stretch if they become too moist
for those small
awkward areas which are difficult to work in, either:
apply paper
before construction
carefully measure the appropriate areas and apply paper prior
to assembly. NB ensure all joints are kept clear of paste and
paper
use a "card
interface"
this is achieved by cutting a piece of thin card to the exact
dimensions of the wall. Paste your paper to the card. Keep it
flat until fully dried. Then simply fix your card to the wall,
either by gluing or using double sided tape.
When you first get
your house make a list of all the measurements, exterior, individual
room sizes, window and door sizes, etc. This can be kept as your
"house log-book" and taken with you so that when you
are in a shop it can help you select things for your house without
the risk of buying something that is too big or small and help
to avoid disappointment when you get home
