Troubleshooting & Installation Tips
ADDITIONAL WALLPAPER INSTALLATION FAQs
Should Wallpaper Acclimate Before Installation?
Yes. Remove the wallpaper from its shipping package, loosely unroll the panels, and allow them to rest in the installation room for at least 24 hours before installation.
Keep the room dry and at a stable, comfortable indoor temperature. Avoid storing or installing wallpaper in extreme heat, cold, direct sunlight, high humidity, garages, vehicles, unfinished construction areas, or rooms where the heating or cooling system is not operating normally.
Whenever possible, maintain indoor humidity below approximately 40% during installation and initial drying. Avoid strong fans, open windows, forced heat, and major temperature changes during the first 24 to 48 hours.
Can I Install Wallpaper Over Unpainted Drywall?
No. Do not install wallpaper directly over bare drywall, joint compound, unfinished repairs, or another porous, unsealed surface.
Complete all repairs, sand the wall smooth, remove the dust, and properly prime and paint the surface before installing wallpaper. Allow newly painted walls to cure for at least six weeks before installation. Some low-VOC, stain-resistant, or specialty paints may require additional curing time or compatibility testing.
Traditional unpasted wallpaper requires a compatible wallcovering primer. A paint-and-primer combination is not necessarily a substitute for a dedicated wallcovering primer.
Can I Install New Wallpaper Over Existing Wallpaper?
We do not recommend installing American Decals wallpaper directly over existing wallpaper.
The existing wallpaper may have loose seams, texture, surface coatings, trapped moisture, or adhesive residue that interferes with the new installation. Its pattern, seams, and texture may also remain visible beneath the new wallpaper.
For the most dependable result, remove the existing wallpaper, clean away residual adhesive, repair the wall, and prepare the surface for the selected new material.
Should I Order an Extra Wallpaper Panel?
In most cases, you do not need to purchase an arbitrary extra panel.
Many American Decals designs repeat across two or more wallpaper panels. This means that one random extra panel may not match the specific position where a replacement is eventually needed.
Order the correct number of panels required to cover your wall. If a panel is damaged during installation or an additional panel is needed later, contact American Decals before placing another order. We can identify and reproduce the correct panel within the design sequence.
Keep your original order number, design number, wallpaper material, pattern scale, wall measurements, and panel numbers. Photographs of the installed wall will help us prepare the correct continuation.
Will a Replacement Panel Match the Original Color?
Yes. Our professional printers are calibrated to reproduce consistent color across separate print runs. Under normal operating and maintenance conditions, a replacement panel printed months or even a year after the original order should match the original panels.
A color difference may occur only after a significant technical change affecting printer color calibration, such as printhead replacement, major printer servicing, or required recalibration.
To reproduce the correct replacement, we need the original design, wallpaper material, pattern scale, and panel position. The same artwork printed on a different wallpaper material will not have the same appearance because material color, texture, finish, and opacity influence the finished color.
What If I Run Out of Wallpaper During Installation?
Stop at the end of a complete panel. Do not reverse, rearrange, stretch, or substitute the remaining panels.
Contact American Decals with:
- Your original order number
- The wallpaper sku number
- The wallpaper material
- The selected pattern scale
- The wall width and height
- The number printed on the last installed panel
- The number of additional panels needed
- Clear photographs of the installed wall and remaining panels
Because some designs repeat across multiple panels, additional wallpaper must be prepared as a continuation of the original panel sequence. Do not purchase a random panel through a new order without contacting us first.
How Should I Handle Inside and Outside Corners?
Do not assume that a corner is perfectly straight or square. Measure the wall in several places because its width may change between the ceiling, center, and floor.
Avoid forcing or stretching a full-width panel around an uneven corner. This can pull the wallpaper out of level and affect the alignment of the panels that follow.
For visibly uneven, prominent, or difficult corners, professional installation is recommended. An experienced installer can determine whether the selected material should wrap around the corner or be divided, trimmed, and restarted using the appropriate seam method.
What Should I Do Around Outlets and Switches?
Turn off electricity at the breaker before removing outlet or switch covers or trimming near an electrical opening.
Do not apply water, Roman E-Z Hang, wallpaper paste, or cleaning solution inside electrical boxes. Cut conservatively and trim only enough wallpaper for the electrical opening to remain safely beneath its cover plate.
If you are uncomfortable working near an electrical opening, consult a qualified wallpaper installer or electrician.
Can Wallpaper Be Installed Near Heat, Water, or a Backsplash?
Wallpaper may be installed in kitchens and near sinks when it is placed outside areas exposed to direct water, repeated splashes, hot grease, steam, open flames, or extreme heat.
Wallpaper should not be used as a waterproof or heat-resistant backsplash. Water can enter through panel seams, edges, outlets, fixtures, and unsealed openings even when the wallpaper base material is water resistant.
Near a stove, fireplace, or other heat source, maintain all clearances required by the appliance manufacturer and applicable building codes. Wallpaper should never replace a required heat-resistant or noncombustible surface.
How Do I Clean Installed Wallpaper?
For routine care, gently remove dust with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. When necessary, use a soft cloth lightly dampened with clean water.
Do not saturate the wallpaper or scrub the printed surface. Avoid abrasive sponges, bleach, ammonia, degreasers, solvents, disinfectant sprays, adhesive removers, and household cleaners containing silicone.
Test any cleaning method in an inconspicuous area first. Clean textured wallpaper carefully because liquid and residue can settle into the surface.
How Do I Remove Peel and Stick Wallpaper?
Begin at an upper corner and pull the wallpaper slowly downward at a low angle, keeping the removed material close to the wall rather than pulling it directly outward.
Work gradually and support the panel as it releases. Pulling quickly or directly away from the wall can place unnecessary stress on the paint.
If the paint begins lifting, pause the removal. The paint may be uncured, unstable, poorly bonded, or incompatible with the adhesive. Supplemental paste or other installation aids may also change the removal process.
Wall preparation, paint condition, paint quality, and installation method all influence how the wallpaper releases from the wall.
Can Removed Peel and Stick Wallpaper Be Reused?
Peel-and-stick wallpaper is not guaranteed to be reusable after removal.
A panel may lose adhesion, stretch, crease, collect dust, or become distorted while being removed. Reuse would also require a clean release liner large enough to protect the entire adhesive surface.
Small decorative pieces may sometimes be relocated successfully, but full-height wallpaper panels should not be purchased with the expectation that they can be repeatedly removed and installed in different rooms.
Can I Mix Different Wallpaper Materials on the Same Wall?
We do not recommend mixing different wallpaper materials on one continuous wall.
FABRIC Peel & Stick, PREMIUM Peel & Stick, CANVAS Peel & Stick, EASY-HANG Prepasted, CLASSIC Traditional, SELECT Traditional, and GRASSCLOTH Traditional have different textures, base colors, opacity levels, thicknesses, adhesives, and surface finishes.
The same artwork may look different when printed on different materials. Order every panel for one continuous wall in the same material.
Can I Mix Panels From Different Pattern Scales?
No. Panels printed in different pattern scales will not align with one another.
The repeat measurement describes the size of the complete repeating artwork. Confirm your selected pattern scale before ordering and install only panels produced in the same scale on a continuous wall.
Should I Save Leftover Wallpaper?
Yes. Save clean, undamaged wallpaper scraps for small repairs, installation testing, or color reference.
A leftover full panel will align only where its position belongs within the pattern sequence. It should not be treated as a universal replacement panel for any part of the wall.
Store leftover wallpaper loosely rolled in a clean, dry, climate-controlled location away from sunlight, heat, moisture, dust, and pressure that could crease the material.
Label it with the design number, wallpaper material, pattern scale, panel number, order number, and purchase date.
What If I Need Help During Installation?
If you have a question during installation, pause before trimming or permanently altering the affected panel and contact American Decals for guidance.
Please include your order number, wallpaper material, pattern scale, panel number, and clear photographs of the wall and wallpaper. Keeping the remaining panels, labels, and order information nearby will help us assist you more efficiently.