Getting the Curl Out of Wallpaper

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

March 27, 2003

Q. The wallpaper in my home has begun to curl at the seams. Is there any way to make the seams smooth again without removing the paper? -M. Olsen, Huntington

A. You'd think it would be obvious: Just reglue the seams with a wallpaper paste. But wallpaper seams, particularly those on vinyl wallcoverings, don't respond well to regluing. Several adhesives are made to repair and bond curling seams. One is Stick-Ease by Roman Adhesives, which is formulated to quickly bond seams, borders and overlapping edges. A neat feature about Stick- Ease is that it is an all-purpose adhesive - it bonds with all types and weights of wallpaper and it sticks to wood, plaster and metal, too. It sells for about $4 a tube at paint and wallpaper stores.