The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1873-02-19
Hanging wall Paper.

Many persons living in remote
places defer re-papering their apart
menfs on account of the difficulty o
procuring skilled labor in that branei
of industry; but it is really such &
simple task that there is no reason
why any person of ordinary capacity
should not do il with as little trouble
as whitewashing, The directions
here given are the result of practical
experience and. if observed, viii ena-
bic any one TO hang paper as well as
an expert.
Supposing you have decided to pa.
per your apartments anew: the first
thing to be done is TO remove the old
paper; if there is but one thickness
on the wall, it is not necessary, as
this viii not do any harm. 1t is on
ly where layer after layer is put Oh
that the apartment becomes offensive
from the condensation of vapors, ac-
cumulating with years until at last
they become dangerous sources Of
disease. This is q well established
fact, as recent investigation By a
Board Of Health in London disclosed
that the several layers or thieknesses
of wall, paper. in homes in the crowd
ed part of the city, were absolutely
damp with noisome deposits accruing
from defective ventilation.
To remove the old paper, take Il
common wh..ewash brush and pail Of
water. Wash the wall all over and
You en- easily tear the paper of in
long sheets and so render the surface
clean again. Care must be taken not
to remove or break the surface Of the
under layer, or ground for if this be
done, there will be a ridge or seam
wherever it is torn that viii show
badly if your new paper has q light
ground 4; if it is dark and the pattern
is in arabesque, it matters little, as it
will not show.
4 Having cleaned OF removed the old
paper, take roll Of the new that you
desire to apply and hold it up TO the
wall arrange it 50 that the pattern
will show evenly at top and bottom,
if possible, and then cut off one length.
Have ready table or board long
enough to take the whole piece then
use the first strip cut as a guide, and
match all the rest to it. You NAV
cut all the paper up for tie straight
part of the wall, leaving the intervals
over the door and windows to be
done at leisure, or with the waste
pieces that always accumulate In
cutting the length, be careful to cut
the bottoms and tops perfectly square
across, and not zigzag, oil at hap-baz-
ard, for it looks badly to see the pat
tern mismatehed, or ragged end
where it meets :he wash board. There
are two white edges or selvages on
wall paper, one of which must be cut
of. Be sure and cut off the right
one, or the one you intend to paper
from, and cut all the others at one
time. In applying the paper, you viii
doubtless find that between the doors
and windows the pattern viii not
come out right, leaving a hands
breath or so to fill up between the
frame and the last piece applied This
is of no consequence, as it can beeas-
lily filed up by piece especially cut
for il. Be careful and see that you
do not reverse the paper or get it up
side down in hanging. You easily
tell the right side up if the pattern
I is in vines, leaves, or geometrieal
shapes, by noticing which side the
shading of the figures is on.
/ Having cut all the paper ready to
apply, roll it up and lay each piece on
one side, or lay them all in Pile.
Have ready smooth boiled paste of
wheat -four (soand -four, not sour, a
whitewash brush, and a board or ta-
bic, long enough to take the whole
sheet in one length Make the paste
quite thin, not thicker than molasses.
and as smooth as q custard. Have q
chair, step ladder, or table ready, on
which you can stand and reach to the
top of the wall. Then take your first
piece of paper, lay it on the table and
apply the aste, not too thieklv, being
particular to touch the edges and top
and bottom we'll Then take the
sheet by the top, raise it off the table
and support it by one arm Con the
right or dry side Of conrse), and put
it up to the wall. Keep it entirely
clear of the wall until you fasten the
head of the sheet, but previous to
this, run your eve down and see if it
thangs square with the door frame If
it does, hare a clean towel or cloth
ready, and move it horizontally in
wavy strokes over the sheet until the
bottom is reached. but do not in any
case rub up and down or draw the
paper in folds: if you do, there viii
be rides and wrinkles in il. which de-
stroy the appearance and can never
be got out Hang the sheet properly
at first and then follow it down from
the top. rubbing across it; and there
will not be a wrinkle in it. Apply
the second sheet in the same wav.
and be careful that vou match the
figures properly. Success depends on
this, for nothing looks worse than TO
see the continuity broken off or a
white seam shown between the pat
tern. up and down the wall where the
sheets do not meet. When the cor
ner is reached, if the sheet does not
come evenly to the opposite wall, it is
best TO cut it lengthwise and paste it
on; then take the fellow to the piece
and apply it also, matching the figures
of course If you endeavor to make
the sheet reach round, you viii make
a bad job of it, Always clean well
the table where you paste, so that no
paste will get on the pattern if it
does the colors will run or smudge,
and soil the sheet. Gilt papers with
delicate lavender grounds require
great care in this respect, as the least
spot shows badly. This is all there
is to be observed in hanging paper,
and there is nothing that any one can
not do with a little practice
Some care or discretion must be
taken in selecting papers for the pur-
poses they are intended to be put in.
Rectangular geometrical patterns do