Papering Fordham's period walls
Old plaster tends to be hard in one place and crumbly in the next. We strip the existing paper, check the surface by hand, and fill or patch before hanging lining paper, horizontally where the finish paper will run vertically. Where stripping brings plaster away, our plasterers can skim a section before we carry on.
Fordham has 29 listed buildings and a conservation area. In a listed home, ask the conservation officer at East Cambridgeshire District Council before taking out historic finishes. For heritage designs such as William Morris, see our designer wallpaper hanging page.
Feature walls and newer Fordham homes
Nearly 30% of the area's homes were built in 2000 or later. Their walls are usually flat plasterboard, which suits bold papers, murals and a feature wall behind a bed or sofa. Board needs sizing or a suitable primer first, so the paper can be stripped later without tearing the surface.
Two-thirds of Fordham households own their home, and paper is a longer-term choice than paint. We hold samples against the wall to judge the scale of a pattern and decide where the repeat should fall. Simon, our wallpaper specialist, takes on the expensive rolls.
Fordham at a glance
- 19 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 24 minutesOSRM routing
- 18%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 9%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
- 1,176householdsCensus 2021
- 29listed buildingsHistoric England
- 67%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
How we approach wallpapering
We'd measure the room, count rolls against the pattern repeat and set out from the focal point, often the chimney breast or the wall you see on entering. Old paste is washed off, joins are butted and rolled, and every length is checked against a plumb line. Offcuts are cleared at the end of each day. The full method, products and FAQs are on our wallpapering page.