Serving Portland Metro & Surrounding Areas
📞 (971) 441-5900 | ✉️ info@perfectpaperhangers.com

Historic Home Wallpaper

Preserving the charm of older homes with expert care.

Service overview

Historic homes require a gentle touch and specialized knowledge. Our historic home wallpaper service focuses on preserving the integrity of original walls—often lath and plaster—while beautifully installing period-accurate or modern wallcoverings that complement the home's architecture.

  • Plaster wall assessment and preparation
  • Installation of liner paper for structural support
  • Handling of delicate, traditional paper materials
  • Period-appropriate styling advice

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Historic home wallpaper restoration

Our process

  1. Structural Assessment: We carefully evaluate the condition of older plaster walls for cracking or instability.
  2. Gentle Preparation: We repair minor plaster damage and apply specialized primers designed for older walls.
  3. Liner Installation: When necessary, we install a blank liner paper to bridge minor imperfections and provide a stable base.
  4. Careful Application: We use traditional techniques to hang the final wallpaper, respecting the home's unique quirks.
  5. Detailing: Careful trimming around historic molding, picture rails, and baseboards.

Discuss Your Historic Home

Materials & surfaces

Working in older homes often means working with traditional materials:

  • Lath and plaster walls
  • Reproduction wallpapers (e.g., Bradbury & Bradbury)
  • Unpasted, traditional paper
  • Anaglypta and Lincrusta textured papers

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Preservation Mindset & Plaster Prep

Our approach to historic homes is rooted in preservation. We understand that walls in century-old homes are rarely perfectly plumb or smooth. Instead of aggressive sanding that can damage fragile plaster, we utilize techniques like bridging liners and specialized primers to create a beautiful finish that respects the home's history. We celebrate the character of older architecture while giving it a fresh, elegant update.


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Pricing factors

Historic home projects often require more time and care:

  • The extent of plaster repair required
  • The need for liner paper installation
  • The delicacy of the chosen wallpaper (e.g., untrimmed reproduction papers)
  • Intricate architectural details that require careful cutting

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Timeline & prep checklist

Because preparation is key, these projects can take slightly longer. We ask homeowners to:

  • Inform us of any known structural issues with the walls
  • Remove valuable antiques or fragile items from the workspace
  • Allow extra time for specialized primers or liners to dry completely

Plan Your Restoration

Why choose us

Not every installer knows how to handle a 100-year-old home. Perfect Paperhangers brings patience, traditional skills, and a deep respect for historic architecture to every restoration project, ensuring your home's legacy is preserved and enhanced.


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Areas we serve

We serve historic neighborhoods across the Portland Metro area, including:


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FAQ

What is liner paper? +
Liner paper is a blank, heavy-duty paper installed horizontally across the wall before the decorative wallpaper is applied. It bridges minor cracks in plaster and provides a smooth, uniform surface for the final paper.
Can you wallpaper over cracked plaster? +
Minor hairline cracks can often be stabilized and covered with liner paper. Severe structural cracks will need to be repaired by a plaster specialist before we can install wallcoverings.
Do you install untrimmed reproduction papers? +
Yes. Many historic reproduction wallpapers come untrimmed, meaning the selvedge edge must be carefully hand-trimmed by the installer before hanging. We are experienced in this traditional technique.
How do you handle out-of-plumb walls? +
Walls in historic homes are rarely perfectly straight. We use specialized layout techniques to minimize the visual impact of out-of-plumb corners and ceilings, ensuring the pattern looks balanced.
Is it safe to remove old wallpaper from plaster? +
It must be done very carefully. Aggressive scraping or steaming can cause old plaster to crumble. We use gentle removal methods to protect the underlying wall structure.
What is Anaglypta? +
Anaglypta is a heavily textured, paintable wallcovering popular in Victorian and Edwardian homes. We are skilled in installing these dimensional papers.
Do you work around historic wood trim? +
Yes, we take extreme care when cutting and trimming around original baseboards, picture rails, and crown molding to ensure they are not scratched or damaged.
How long does a historic installation take? +
Due to the extensive preparation and careful handling required, historic installations typically take 20-30% longer than standard modern residential installations.