Historic Home Wallpaper Installation

Our Process

Working in a historic home requires patience, expertise, and a methodical approach. Our process is designed to address the specific needs of older structures:

1. Detailed Site Evaluation: We carefully inspect the walls for signs of moisture, failing plaster, calcimine paint, or other issues common in older homes that could compromise the installation.
2. Protection of Historic Details: We meticulously mask and protect original hardwood floors, antique moldings, wainscoting, and period fixtures before any work begins.
3. Plaster Stabilization & Repair: We address cracks and imperfections using specialized patching compounds designed to flex slightly with the movement of older homes, preventing future cracking.
4. Surface Sealing: We apply high-quality, penetrating primers (such as Gardz or similar products) that soak into porous plaster, binding the surface and creating a stable base.
5. Lining Paper Application (If Necessary): For highly uneven walls, we install a layer of blank lining paper horizontally. This bridges minor gaps and provides a perfectly smooth, uniformly absorbent surface for the final wallpaper.
6. Precision Hanging: We carefully install the decorative wallpaper, using laser levels to maintain straight lines despite settling floors or ceilings, and employing specialized techniques to navigate uneven corners.
7. Final Review: We conduct a thorough inspection to ensure the pattern is perfectly matched and the historic character of the room has been beautifully enhanced.

Materials & Surfaces

Historic homes often feature unique materials, both on the walls and in the wallcoverings chosen for them. We are experts in handling:

• Lath and Plaster: The standard wall surface in homes built before the 1940s, requiring delicate repair and stabilization.
• Calcimine Paint: An old, chalky paint often found in historic homes that must be properly sealed before any adhesive will stick to it.
• Reproduction Wallpapers: Authentic period designs (Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Deco) that often come untrimmed and require hand-cutting of the selvedge edge before hanging.
• Anaglypta and Lincrusta: Heavily embossed, paintable wallcoverings historically used to mimic ornate plasterwork or tooled leather, requiring specific soaking and handling techniques.
• Hand-Blocked Prints: Artisanal wallpapers where the pattern is stamped by hand, requiring extreme care to avoid smudging the delicate inks.
• Lining Paper: An essential material in our historic restoration toolkit, used to create a smooth, stable substrate over imperfect plaster.

Pricing Factors

Wallpaper installation in historic homes is generally more labor-intensive than in modern properties. Pricing factors include:

• Extent of Wall Preparation: The condition of the existing plaster is the biggest variable. Extensive patching, crack repair, and stabilization will increase the cost.
• Need for Lining Paper: If the walls require a layer of lining paper before the decorative paper can be hung, this adds an additional step of labor and material cost.
• Type of Wallpaper: Untrimmed reproduction papers, delicate hand-blocked prints, or heavy embossed materials require more time and specialized skill to install than standard modern rolls.
• Architectural Complexity: Historic homes often feature intricate moldings, picture rails, ceiling medallions, and numerous windows/doors, requiring meticulous, time-consuming cutting and fitting.
• Room Height: Victorian homes, in particular, often feature 10 to 12-foot ceilings, requiring scaffolding and additional labor time.

Timeline & Prep Checklist

Because of the necessary preparation, historic home projects require a realistic timeline. Here is how you can help prepare:

• Expect a Longer Process: Understand that proper plaster repair and the application of primers and lining paper require adequate drying time. A room that takes one day in a modern home might take three days in a historic property.
• Clear the Space: Please remove all furniture, rugs, and fragile antiques from the room. We need ample space to set up scaffolding and work safely around delicate historic features.
• Address Structural Issues First: If you have active leaks, severe foundation settling, or major plaster failure (where the plaster is pulling away from the lath), these structural issues must be resolved by a contractor before we can begin cosmetic wallpapering.
• Protect Valuables: While we take extreme care, the preparation process can generate fine dust. Please ensure adjacent rooms are closed off and sensitive items are protected.

Why Choose Us

Entrusting your historic home to a contractor requires confidence in their expertise and respect for the property.

• Specialized Experience: We have a deep understanding of historic building materials and the traditional techniques required to work with them successfully.
• Preservation Focus: We prioritize methods that protect and stabilize your home's original features rather than causing further damage.
• Meticulous Craftsmanship: We possess the patience and skill required to handle delicate reproduction papers and navigate complex, out-of-plumb architecture.
• Respect for Your Home: We treat your historic property with the reverence it deserves, ensuring a clean, safe, and respectful work environment.
• Trusted by Homeowners: We have successfully completed numerous installations in some of the Bay Area's most beautiful historic neighborhoods.

Areas We Serve

We proudly provide professional wallpaper installation and removal services throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Our service area includes:

• ✓ Oakland
• ✓ Fremont
• ✓ Hayward
• ✓ Concord
• ✓ Berkeley
• ✓ Antioch
• ✓ Richmond
• ✓ Daly City
• ✓ San Mateo
• ✓ San Leandro

If you don't see your city listed, please contact us to see if we can accommodate your project.

Frequently Asked Questions