Will “Paperhanging Interior Decorator” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Apply sizing to seal surfaces and maximize adhesion of coverings to surfaces.

• Apply acetic acid to damp plaster to prevent lime from bleeding through paper.

• Cover interior walls and ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, using hand tools.

• Remove paint, varnish, dirt, and grease from surfaces, using paint remover and water soda solutions.

• Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.

• Set up equipment, such as pasteboards and scaffolds.

• Measure and cut strips from rolls of wallpaper or fabric, using shears or razors.

• Apply thinned glue to waterproof porous surfaces, using brushes, rollers, or pasting machines.

• Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.

• Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.

• Trim excess material at ceilings or baseboards, using knives.

• Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints.

• Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles.

• Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces.

• Remove old paper, using water, steam machines, or solvents and scrapers.

• Mix paste, using paste powder and water, and brush paste onto surfaces.

• Smooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper.

• Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives.

• Apply adhesives to the backs of paper strips, using brushes, or dunk strips of prepasted wallcovering in water, wiping off any excess adhesive.

• Mark vertical guidelines on walls to align strips, using plumb bobs and chalk lines.