# English pulp



## Hanger in VT (Aug 5, 2008)

I've been a paperhanger for over 30+ years, but these days here in NW Vermont there isn't much wallpaper work. Over the past 10 years, I have been hanging paper only about 10 days per year, and painting the rest. I must be getting a bit rusty, as I just finished hanging a bathroom for a decorator who gives me quite a lot of work, and the customer was 'less than thrilled with the quality'. The job was tight & clean, nice seams, straight & plumb...but there were several small tears that I was unable to avoid. I pasted the strips one at a time & carried them directly to the wall without delay (after booking them for 2 minutes or so). I worked carefully, used a new blade for each cut, and was gentle as I could be, but the paper would tear when cutting against the grout line, and against the ornate molding. I replaced a strip or two, but did not have enough paper to replace two other strips with small 1" tears. Within 4-5 minutes, the paper turns into mush, much like wet kleenex.

My question is: is there anything else one can do when hanging english pulp paper papers to avoid tears? Any help would be much appreciated, as I have more of this miserable crap to hang next week. Thanks.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Be extra careful?


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## Hanger in VT (Aug 5, 2008)

chrisn said:


> Be extra careful?



Extra careful? Damn...why didn't I think of that? Seriously, I was hoping maybe there was some technique, or new blades or something that might help. I live in a rural area, and never get to talk to other paperhangers. Some old dogs can learn new tricks, no?


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## ProWallGuy (Apr 7, 2007)

Did you use a liner?
And what type of paste? Different pastes work better/worse with pulps.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Are the tears from the blade pulling, bunching, and tearing even though you are using a new blade every cut? 

Against the grout, change blade more often. Grout dulls blades quick.

Which blades are you using? I hope not a #12 American Razor Blade. If so, use #9 or even better PAL #9 Keen (black)

For the intricate returns, try more relief cuts, firmer pressure on your trim guide, or even an artist spatula as a trim guide to get into the intricate curves - second one from left is my favorite:










Also, on some of the intricate returns, I do not do a "drag cut" with my blade but a "press" cut. I.E. I press the blade through the cut rather than pull it across the paper - this is when I have real wet toilet paper.

If the rips are from cutting only, and not tearing from the weight of the paper tearing at a corner, your blade is not sharp enough.

For the real soggy stuff I am now using some imported Japanese 9mm snap off blades. As another paperhanger commented, they are "scary sharp". They don't stay sharp as long as the regular Tajima silvers, but sometimes they are simply necessary.

what blades are you using, what paper is it, and what paste? And are the rips/tears ONLY from cutting?


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## Hanger in VT (Aug 5, 2008)

I primed the walls with guardz, hung a liner sideways, primed the liner with guardz, hung the paper with thinned down heavy duty clear ( a mistake, I know, but it was all I could find in NW Vermont), and used black OLFA blades. I found a female paperhanger from the NGPP’s website, and she was able to repair the wallpaper to the homeowner’s satisfaction. For the rest of the job, the HO decided she will fly in her own paperhangers from NYC. I will do the painting.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Valeree or Sue ? Or both? 

wonderful people :thumbup:

BTW, not that it would have an effect on your tearing, but priming a blankstock liner with Gardz defeats much of the benefits of a liner. Two of the many benefits of a liner are to absorb excess moisture and lock the seams quickly. gardzed blankstock prevents those. Some folks like to "size" the blankstock with a thinned paste. I prefer un sized. 

Olfa black are "OK" but dull very quickly, IMO.

I would have to see you in action to know if I could offer you any tips.


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