Instructions for Prepasted Wallpaper Border

Wash your walls to remove dirt and dust from the surface. Clean walls create a smooth finish when you apply your wallpaper border.

Measure the length of your walls and cut your border into horizontal strips with one for each wall. Leave 2 to 4 inches on each end for trimming and adjusting.

Draw a horizontal line along each wall to indicate where the bottom of each strip should go. Place a carpenter's level along the wall to make sure your line is straight and draw with a piece of chalk. The chalk will wipe off when you finish.

Fill a tray with warm water and roll up your wallpaper strips with the paste side facing inward. Submerge the first strip in the water for 15 seconds. Grip the end and unroll it, allowing the entire strip to pull through the water. Place the strip on a table with the paste side up and fold the ends in toward the center. Do not crease the ends. Repeat for subsequent strips.

Allow the wallpaper strips to dry for three to five minutes. This process, known as booking, allows the paste to activate and the strips to swell. Tim Carter of Ask the Builder warns that hanging the strips without first booking them causes bubbles and blisters to appear.

Climb up a ladder if necessary and ask a friend for help hanging the border. Place the bottom edge along the line you drew and smooth it out along the wall. After placing the strip, smooth from the center outward. Repeat with the rest of the border.

Place a paint scraper at the end of the strip where the two walls meet. Press it firmly into the corner to flatten the wallpaper. Trim the paper with a razor blade knife. The strips should butt up together in the corners and the patterns should match.