Wallpaper Tips: How to Disguise Gaps in Seams

A room with wallpaper.
What You'll Need
Wallpaper
Chalk
Blue painters tape
Oil-Based Primer
Measuring Tape
Flat Paint for base coat
Flat paint for design
Paint Brush
Craft knife
What You'll Need
Wallpaper
Chalk
Blue painters tape
Oil-Based Primer
Measuring Tape
Flat Paint for base coat
Flat paint for design
Paint Brush
Craft knife

Hanging new wallpaper is quite a straightforward task and will give new life to any room. We could all benefit from a few good wallpaper tips, especially when it comes to disguising any gaps in the seams. Here you will find some helpful do it yourself tips on how to cover up such gaps.

Step 1 - Prepare

Before you start, you should make sure that the base wall color in the area where the wallpaper is to be placed matches or comes very close to matching the color the wallpaper of your choice. If a good color match is a bit difficult for you to find, you can always get your paint custom made in a color that matches your specific needs.

Before starting to paint, prepare the room for painting. Use blue painter’s tape to help you be more precise Especially if you do not have a hand that is steady enough for painting straight lines.

Step 2 - Paint the Room

After having masked the area, you should now use a fast-drying oil-based primer to prepare the wall for your paint. After the primer has dried up, you can paint the wall with your flat paint. Using a flat paint is the best option because it is smoother and covers up most defects in the room. You should do at least two coats to get a solid color. This process will help in disguising any small gaps in the wallpaper since the base color will appear as a continuation of the wallpaper.

Step 3 - Measure

It is very important that before you actually start applying the wallpaper, you take measurements of both the width of your wallpaper and of the wall. Always make markings with chalk on the wall where the papers will meet so that when you are applying the wallpaper you will not have precision problems. If for some reason you end up having an unwanted extra edge, do not be tempted to overlap the wallpaper seams because that will only make it worse. With a sharp craft knife, slice off the extra edge so that the seams meet perfectly.

Step 4 - Cover Gaps

When you have applied your wallpaper, let it dry completely and then go about covering any seams. The base coat you have applied in Step 2 should already be very helpful in covering any gaps, but if you are not happy with the result you can now use a small paintbrush to match up the design of your wallpaper. Take a small paintbrush and flat paint which is an exact match for the color of your design and fill in the gaps by making a continuation of the design from one wallpaper to another. By mimicking the wallpaper design, your eyes will be tricked into thinking that there are no seams at all.

These are a few of the most practical tips you can follow to cover up any unsightly gaps in wallpaper seams.