Paper strip

[MrsT]

Hello, this is my first question but i've had lots of advice from reading here before.
I got in from work today and saw nearly a full strip of wallpaper hanging from the cieling and it was only stuck to the edge by the coving but had come right off the plastering.The rest of the cieling is still stuck and we did it a month or so ago.The bit that came off was the last piece we put up and used some differnt paste on, bartline I think because we run out of the first lot. My husband only mixed enough up for the last shgeet so it might not have been the right thickness.
I would like to know if i can use the same piece of paper because I hav'nt got any pieces big enough left for a new piece and don't really want to buy a new roll for about 7foot. How do we know if we are mixing the paste properly without mixing a whole pack and is there anything we should do to make it stick better this time, we allready sized the cieling last time? We want to do it tomorrow afternoon because we are having visitors the weekend.
Thank-you
Maggie

 

[TheDec]

Well you have got yourself into a bit of a pickle, it is possible to re-hang the existing drop with regard to the paste don't use two much water and stir whilst adding your paste. Allow to stand and thin slightly if required, once you have applied your paste allow the paper to soak until it becomes supple then hang.

Good luck

Dec

 

[misterhelpful]

I agree that it is possible to re-hang the same piece of paper but would be wary if it has a pattern that needs matching. A second application of paste can cause the paper to expand even more and thus make the pattern run out of line with the adjoining sheet.
In this instance, I would recommend using a new length altogether to avoid this problem, but as you say that you do not have any paper left it may be worth trying the original piece first.
If you do decide to buy a new roll, it is just as essential that it carries the same batch number or the pattern can again run out of line. Hopefully the supplier will still have some and you know what the batch number is, otherwise you may as well just live with the same piece.
With regards to the paste, as Dec says, mix it a little thicker than usual so you can then add more water if necessary rather than mixing it thinly and getting lumps by trying to add more paste. Also, Bartoline wouldn't be my first choice of wallpaper paste but it should be good enough for most papers.

 

[TheDec]

Perhaps a better option would be to paste the ceiling and just slightly dampen your paper.

Dec

 

[MrsT]

Well thats typical. We tried to do the cieling earlier but couldnt get the squares to match so I was going to ask for more help until I read the other comments. I wish i'd checked sooner. It ripped a bit too so my husband has just gone to b+q for another roll. We were lucky the rubbish was still in the garage so I hope the paper is the same one we had. Looks like a late night again but 3rd times a charm as the say.
Thank-you
Maggie

 

[MrsT]

Hello again. I'm pleased to report that the new paper is up and still stuck but the pattern is slighty out of line for the last 2foot or so even though the numbers were the same on the roll. It does'nt notice unless you look hard but can you tell me why that has happened please.
I would also like to ask how long we should wait before painting it and what sort of paint is the best for cielings. I mean vinyl matt or vinyl silk because we have both in the garage and we've been told that vinyl matt is better for cielingsand should we use brushes or rollers? If you have any more tips I would be grateful.
Thank-you
Maggie

 

[misterhelpful]

Glad to hear it went well. (Almost! )

There are several reasons that the paper may have run out of line, some of which are:

It wasn't allowed to soak for the same length of time as the adjoining sheet.
The paste was not the same consistency as the original mix (especially if you used the different paste).
The batch numbers were different, although it seems that wasn't the case. (Were both the batch and pattern numbers identical? )
A bump/ridge in the ceiling.

When it comes to painting, as you have already had the one piece come loose, I would suggest you leave it a few days just to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The choice of paint is entirely down to your personal preference, however, I will say that silk paint makes the pattern on an embossed/blown vinyl paper more prominent because it catches more light. Matt paint gives a much better finish on flat ceilings.

Again, brushes or rollers are a matter of personal choice, but a roller on an extension pole and cutting in with a brush is usually the easiest method.

 

[TheDec]

If as you say this only occured around the last 2ft, my guess would be that the paper had soaked for two long and when positioning the last couple of feet the paper has stretched, thus causing a loss of pattern match.

Dec

 

[misterhelpful]

Just reading this thread again and noticed your username. You are not that Maggie T are you? Because if you are...

 

[TheDec]

No that MAGGIE T she would be to old to help anyone paper a ceiling.

Dec

 

[MrsT]

HAHA no I'm not that Maggie T but I'm not far off her age and dont think I'm to old to paper just yet and we've been doing all our own decoratting for over fifty years. This is the first time any paper has fallen down so we probably mixed the paste wrong because the new piece is fine now except for the patten. There is a join in the cieling where it was repaired several years ago so perhaps thats whats the matter with it. It does'nt notice much though so we are leaving it like it is and going to use the silk so the patten shows up. We will use a roller then to make it easy on us.
Thank-you for all the help
Maggie