Wallpapering into a Bay window?

[Steven Campbell]

Looking for some tips for papering a bay window.

I'll obviously use more paper going round the bay than I will papering above it on the flat wall. How do I then make the paper meet up as I am working my way out the window?

Thanks for any ideas.

Steven.

[Phil L]

You don't, what you do is put a full length on one side of the bay window and take it into the bay slightly. You carry the pattern through the bay and continue through to the other side, the mismatch is only above the bay and this is only usually a short piece....depending on the pattern, it's usually possible to overlap two pieces and slice through them both with a new blade, then remove the bottom piece and butt join them to hide the 'mismatch'...often it's invisible

[Matty F]

The experts tell me that it is quite acceptable to start the pattern again on each corner. I was told this after the first room that I wallpapered just happened to be an exact multiple of the pattern. The expert was mystified because he couldn't see a pattern mismatch in my room.

[Steven Campbell]

Thanks both for the info. I roughly marked the wall so I would know where the paper would come out of the bay. I couldn't quite understand how I was a good few inches out until I checked a dry bit of paper against a piece that was already hung. Looks like the hung paper expands by at least half an inch!! I'd never have believed that.

Steven.

[Dave]

I have just put up some paper that was an absolute pig to match up. Like you, I had gone around the room looking for the pattern falling in windows and corners.

Does anyone know the amount that various qualities of paper expand, when they are pasted?

Dave

[Phil L]

No, because different textures and thicknesses of paper will cause different soaking times and also different 'stretch', as will different pasting styles, IE if you are economic with it or are very liberal, this too will effect stretch.

BUT!

None of this makes any difference at all provided you are consistent, that is to say, if you apply the same amount of paste to each length, and leave each length to soak for the same time, they'll all be the same, and don't guess, use a watch or clock!!

[Stuart Noble]

20 pieces times 20 minutes soaking would make it a very long job

[Phil L]

Not if you do it properly...that is to paste the first length, leave to soak for the appropriate time, say 15 mins, then time how long it takes to hang, say 5 minutes.

So you paste three or four then hang the first, paste another one, hang the second and so on...if people know how to fold wallpaper once it's pasted, there's no need to leave each piece flat out on the bench to soak

[Dave]

That's just the way I do it. But I was interested in how various papers react after pasting and soaking. It looks like there are too many variables to come up with an answer.

Dave

[Stuart Noble]

So inevitably some pieces soak longer than others. Some take 2 minutes to hang and some 15. I don't see how you can be so precise about it. All you can do is set a minimum soaking time