of necessary tools, with the exception of an old table or, better, a 

 couple of broad, smooth boards supported on light trestles, making 

 a table about two feet wide and nearly as long as the room. 



Do not cut the paper, piece by piece, as needed. Cut several 

 at a time, but before doing this, the paper should be trimmed. Lay 

 a bolt across the feet in an ordinary sitting posture, draw the end 

 up over the knees, and with the right hand, shear off the margin 

 with a clean, even cut, and roll up the ready trimmed portion with 

 the left hand, proceeding in this way until the whole bolt is 

 trimmed. 



Always begin with the ceiling, and as there are 12 yards in a 

 bolt, a little head-work will quickly determine which way the paper 

 should run to cause the least waste, though the shorter width is the 

 easier to handle. 



In cutting wall paper, never cut odd lengths, but always a 

 certain number of repeats. The repeat is usually from 13 to 17 

 inches long, and marked by a dot or print on the margin. The 

 ceiling pieces must be cut to the nearest repeat longer than the 

 width of the room. After the first cut, there need be no measure- 

 ment, as one lays the second piece over the first and cuts to the 

 same repeat mark, and so on until a whole bolt is cut, before be- 

 ginning to paste and hang. 



This done, the worker will have a number of pieces lying upon 

 each other. Do not separate them. Simply turn the whole bunch 

 face downward on the long table. Have a pot of smooth flour 

 paste at hand, and with the brush quickly and thoroughly w r ash 

 over the first or uppermost sheet, and when done, fold each end in 

 towards the centre, leaving 10 to 12 inches of the pasted side ex- 

 posed at the middle of the piece. The first attempt at folding in 

 the ends will, doubtless, be a failure, as it requires quickness and 

 decision. Smooth these folds flat, and do not fear that the sharp 

 break in the paper will do any harm. 



The sheet is now ready for hanging, the most difficult part of 

 all. Along one side of the ceiling draw a cord parallel to the side 

 wall, and about 16 inches from it, marking its position at intervals 

 with a pencil. Take up the pasted paper, paste side up, and hold- 

 ing it over your head on upturned palms, carefully fit the un- 

 trimmed margin to the line marked, at a point equidistant from 

 either end, and with a stroke or two of the smoothing brush paste 

 it fast. For one person alone to hang the ceiling requires great 

 dexterity, and an assistant to hold one end while you brush on the* 

 other will be indispensable at first, and at all times helpful. The 

 weight of the paper, if not supported, would immediately tear 

 itself away from the wall, so while the assistant holds one end, and 

 with the left hand retaining the central part already placed, loosen 

 the corner of the fold with the right thumb and finger, and pull it 

 down part of its length, after which its own weight will gradually 

 unfold it, while with bold strokes of the smoothing brush it is 



