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After so many years of being hated, wallpaper is once again back in fashion. There many new designs and textures available which make great feature walls or to do a whole room if you prefer.

Many people are using wallpaper for the first time. If you are not sure about how to hang wallpaper then read up on wallpapering basics. As with anything DIY, preparation is the key:

Wallpaper must be applied over a sound foundation, or it will reveal every defect left beneath its beautiful face. Good wall prep is a required first step, just as when you wish to paint. Walls or old paper must be clean, sized and sealed, and wallpaper must be allowed to relax before hanging.

Deciding which wallpaper paste to use is the next step. Many wallpaper pastes on the market are full of toxic chemicals. The reason for the addition of these chemicals is often to prevent the growth of mould and to make removal of the wallpaper relatively easy. However, some of these pastes emit harmful volatile organic compounds which contribute to indoor air pollution.

You might prefer to make your own wallpaper paste. You can find an excellent homemade wallpaper paste recipe at Care2. The basic ingredients are:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 teaspoons alum water (available in the herb section of the supermarket)
• 10 drops oil of cloves (available from pharmacies and health food stores)

The oil of cloves is a natural preservative which means you can store this paste in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Here is the method to make the paste:

• Combine the flour and alum in a double boiler
• Add water until you reach the consistency of heavy cream
• Make sure it is well combined
• Gently heat the mixture
• Stir constantly until the paste has thickened
• Let it cool
• Stir in the clove oil

This wallpaper adhesive is free of pesticides and works as well as any commercial wallpaper glue.

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