Telling a gap from a lift, closing each one properly, and the two habits that stop it happening on the next wall
A thin line opening between two lengths is almost always shrinkage. The paper was stretched slightly while it was smoothed, and it has pulled back as it dried. A lifted or curling edge is almost always a dry strip of wall where the paste did not quite reach. Both are fixable; the second is easier.
This is the single most common wallpapering complaint, and the one most often blamed on the paper when the cause is the hanging or the room.
Which problem do you have?
A gap: the two edges are flat to the wall but no longer touching, showing a line of wall between them.
A lift: the edges are still the right distance apart but one or both have curled away from the wall.
Fixing a hairline gap
Dampen both edges very slightly with a clean, barely damp white cloth to relax the paper.
Ease the two edges together with your fingertips.
Run a seam roller gently down the join.
Wipe any moisture off the surface straight away.
Fixing a wider gap
Lift each edge slightly with a filling knife.
Work a small amount of adhesive underneath with a fine brush.
Push both edges towards each other, then roll gently.
Hold for a moment. Do not tape it.
Beyond a millimetre or two, no amount of coaxing closes a gap, and the length needs replacing. That is the argument for the spare roll, and for ordering it with the original order rather than later.
Fixing a lifted or curling edge
Lift the edge gently, enough to see behind it, not enough to crease it.
Slide a fine brush in and apply a little adhesive to the wall behind, not to the paper.
Press the edge back and roll it gently with a seam roller.
Wipe off any adhesive that comes out at the join, immediately, with a clean slightly damp white cloth.
If the same edge lifts again after a week, the problem is behind the paper: dust, a dry patch, or moisture in the wall.
Why seams open
The paper was stretched. Scrubbing at a length with a smoother pulls it a millimetre or two wider, and it recovers as it dries. Firm, even strokes, not pressure.
The room dried too fast. Heating turned up, or windows open. The surface dries before the paste behind has gripped, and the paper contracts against a bond that has not formed.
The room was too cold. Paste takes much longer to grab in a cold room, and the paper can move before it does.
Dry paste at the edges. Pasting only the width of the length leaves nothing where the join lands.
Overworking the seam roller, which squeezes adhesive out from under the edges.
Preventing it on the next wall
Paste wider than the length. About 60cm for a 48cm width, and right into the corners.
Smooth, don't scrub. Steady overlapping strokes from the centre out.
Keep the room at an ordinary, steady temperature while it dries, windows closed, heating as normal, for 24 to 48 hours.
Roll seams once, gently.
On dark colourways, paint a stripe first. A narrow band of close-matching matt emulsion down the wall where each seam will fall means any movement shows a dark line instead of a white one. It costs nothing and it is what a decorator would do.
Why are my wallpaper seams gaping?
Usually the paper was stretched while being smoothed, or the wall dried too quickly, so the length shrank back away from its neighbour.
Can I fix a gap after the paper has dried?
A hairline gap, yes: dampen, ease together, roll. Anything wider than a millimetre or two needs the length replacing.
Why is the edge of my wallpaper lifting?
Almost always because the paste did not reach the very edge of the length.
Should I overlap the seams to avoid this?
No. An overlap leaves a permanent ridge. Our papers are butt-join.
Is a gap at the seam a fault in the paper?
Very rarely. Non-woven paper does not expand or shrink appreciably on its own. The movement comes from how it was hung and how the room dried.
What temperature should the room be?
Ordinary room temperature, steady, with no draughts and no direct heat on the wall.
Poor customer service - rolls are only available as one off 10m runs, so if you need 11m.. unfortunately you’ll be paying double for a second roll! Unless your walls are 8m or less, I’d avoid. Wrongly assumed Claret & Key would be slightly more compassionate about the situation and even help with a slightly discounted second roll, considering we only needed 1m. How wrong we were!
Store owner replied:
Hi Emily,
I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed with the service.
We sell our wallpaper by the roll, and we are unable to manufacture shorter rolls. This will be the same for most manufacturers as 10m rolls are standard, and most rooms require more than 1 roll to complete the job.
Thanks,
Claret & Key
I really loved this paper and thought it would look nice in my attic space. Delighted with the end result. Great service, excellent quality of paper and it really transforms the room. The eves are very low so the space was not utilised so making a feature with the wallpaper has created a cosy space to relax in. Thank you. M
Love this wallpaper. It’s just enough to show a statement but not so loud that it overpowers the space. Being able to pick the color is such a great thing also. You’re not stuck with 5 options so it can match your style and colors of your space. Would recommend to anyone looking for wallpaper. Very happy and my installer said its super easy to install this pattern.
This wallpaper is thick and sturdy. It’s very easy to work with and easy to apply. It was my first time hanging wallpaper and this paper was very forgiving. Great product!
I love how everything turned out and the price point was great. It was a bit challenging to piece together. Being from the USA, it was kind of a challenge to convert all the measurements to figure out how many rolls I needed and then where to cut the rolls to line up the images based on the design repetition. Luckily, I had plenty of wallpaper to work with on the roll.
Absolutely beautiful design and texture. Got the heavy duty wallpaper and put it up without any previous wallpaper experience and it went up very easily and beautifully. Definitely recommend.
Extremely helpful and supportive when I needed advice on measurements, with fast delivery too. The quality of the wallpaper is excellent, and I’m really pleased with the overall service. Highly recommended!
Gorgeous wallpaper, but the measuring option on the website left us short by 1 roll. Had to order another one but when it came the colour match was perfect. Thankfully I wasn’t paying for a decorator, otherwise would have been disappointed in having to pay for them to return. Otherwise great quality wallpaper and design compared to other similar products available.
First purchase from claret and key and truly impressed. Beautiful quality wallpaper. Pretty yet not too fussy. Easy to hang, cut and match. Would work in any room
Good tracking and delivery service too.
Definitely recommend and would reuse for future projects.
Everything went really good. Apart from the quality of the wallpaper which is fantastic, the staff were exemplary in their communications, friendliness and professionalism. They really did go the extra mile to help me.
A great experience all round.
Thank you.
Patrick
Lovely pattern and paper quality.
However, I wish that I had paid more attention to the roll width measurement.
For some strange reason your paper is narrower than a standard roll. This caused me a great deal of problems when papering my lobby, a small area but that made it more difficult because I was left with a narrow space to fill on 3 walls with a very long drop.
Although I love the paper I probably wouldn't use it again just for this reason.
Why you would produce paper not of a standard width is for you to know and me to wonder but it has made my small project very difficult.
Used this paper to make a dark study cosier. Absolutely loved the colour - the background is a perfect match to our existing panelling painted in Farrow and Ball Old White. First time using paste the wall and it was a revelation so easy and much less mess. Quality of the paper is great but noted the rolls are slightly narrower than most wallpapers. Loved the pattern match which meant little waste what we had left we used to recover some old box files which was easy. I thoroughly recommend.
