Home and Garden | Making Spot Repairs to Wallpaper - Wall Covering

In the course of daily living, the wallpaper on the walls of your home can take a beating, especially from furniture rubbing up against it or toys being carelessly tossed aside. One remedy is to hang a picture up to cover the damaged area. A better course is to repair the damage and this can be done easily using a patch of leftover wallpaper. Another common wallpaper repair is to remove a bump caused by trapped air between the wall and the paper. Sometimes it might be better to leave it, especially if it is small and in an inconspicuous location. If the bump, however, is in a spot where it is likely to be constantly rubbed and eventually wear away or even tear, it should be removed as soon as possible.

PROJECT BASICS

Project: Easy
Estimated Project Time: Half-hour per repair
Start Tips: Have all your tools and materials ready before beginning
Safety Tips: Be careful not to cut yourself while using the utility knife
Recommendation: Do-it-Yourself

TOOLS & MATERIALS

Leftover matching wallpaper	Masking tape
Stepladder, as needed	Utility knife
Wallpaper adhesive	Framing square
Water	Wallpaper remover
Sponge	Wallpaper syringe
Paint scraper	Seam roller

Fig. 1

INSTRUCTIONS

1) To repair a damaged area
If an area of the wallpaper has been damaged, it will need to be patched over using a new piece of matching wallpaper. To make a patch to fit the damaged area, first hold a larger piece of the same wallpaper over the damaged area and move it around until its pattern aligns with the pattern of the damaged area. Using masking tape, fasten the piece in place. Then working slightly beyond the edges of the damaged area, let the straight edge of a framing square guide you as you cut through both layers of paper using a utility knife. (Fig. 1) Lift up the newly cut patch and set it aside for now.

Without ruining the surrounding wallpaper, carefully remove the damaged piece of wallpaper from the wall. If necessary, soak the damaged paper with water or wallpaper remover and then use a paint scraper to remove it. Make sure the wall surface is clean and smooth and then secure the wallpaper patch in place, using the appropriate adhesive. If using prepasted paper, moisten it first. Move the paper around slightly until the edges and patterns line up exactly. (Fig. 2)

Fig. 3

2) To remove an air bubble
Sometimes a bubble of air will become trapped under the wallpaper and it will result in a bump. Using the point of a utility knife, make a small puncture in the bump. Then with special wallpaper syringe, inject adhesive into the bubble. (Fig. 3) Use a seam roller to flatten the paper onto the wall.