The short answer
Wallpaper installation in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea often means preparing older block or plaster walls before hanging. We repair, smooth and prime surfaces, help choose humidity-tolerant papers and install with careful layout, typically in one to two days per room.
Much of the housing in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is older and smaller in scale than in newer parts of Broward County: concrete-block houses, garden-style condos, low-rise buildings near the sand. Those homes have charm, but their walls often come with plaster finishes, textured paint, layers of old paint and the occasional crack from decades of heat and humidity. Hanging wallpaper well in that setting starts long before the first strip goes up. Creative Wallpaper Installer drives down from Pompano Beach, about seven miles north, to paper rooms in this town. Here is how we approach older walls, which papers suit beach living, and what to plan for.
Working with older walls
Block homes from earlier decades often have interior walls finished with plaster directly on masonry, or furring strips and drywall over block. Both can take wallpaper well, but both tend to have surface problems that need addressing first. Typical issues we find include:
- Textured or orange-peel paint that will show through smooth papers.
- Hairline cracks in plaster, often near window and door corners.
- Several layers of paint, sometimes glossy, that prevent good adhesion.
- Patches where earlier wallpaper was removed and left adhesive or torn drywall behind.
- Walls that are noticeably out of plumb, which affects pattern alignment.
How we prepare the surface
Prep is matched to what we find. Cracks are opened slightly, filled and taped where needed so they do not reappear. Texture is knocked down and skim coated to a smooth finish. Gloss paint is sanded or deglossed. Old adhesive is washed off. Once the wall is sound and smooth, we apply a primer made for wallcoverings, which helps paste grip and protects the wall for future removal.
This work can take as long as the hanging itself on some walls, but it is what keeps seams tight and the surface flat for years. Skipping it is the most common reason wallpaper in older homes starts to fail.
Choosing papers for life near the sand
Living a few steps from the beach means humid air, salt and sand. Rooms are often opened to the breeze, and the air conditioning works hard in the wet season from May through October. For bathrooms, kitchens and entries, vinyl and vinyl-coated papers handle moisture and cleaning. Non-woven papers are a reliable all-around choice for bedrooms and living areas because they are dimensionally stable and easy to remove later.
Delicate options such as traditional pulp papers, silks and natural fibers can work in the right rooms, but they need stable conditions and less direct sun. We are glad to talk through options if you are deciding between a few samples.
Condo units and building logistics
Garden-style and low-rise condo buildings in town usually have simpler rules than tall towers, but most associations still want to know when a contractor is coming. Some ask for a certificate on file, limit noisy work to certain hours, or require that debris leave the property rather than go in the community dumpster. Let us know what your board or manager expects and we will plan around it.
Units that share walls with neighbors bring one more consideration. Party walls between units are often concrete block, which is solid and quiet to work on, but the electrical boxes set into them can be shallow or slightly crooked. We check every outlet and switch location so the paper can be cut neatly and the cover plates sit flush once they go back on.
Planning the layout
Older rooms are rarely square, and ceilings may dip or slope slightly. We measure carefully and decide where to start so the pattern is centered on the most visible feature, and where to end so the final mismatched seam is tucked into a corner nobody looks at. For strong horizontal patterns, we check how the ceiling line runs so the design does not appear to drift.
We also confirm roll counts before you order. Pattern repeat, room height and the number of openings all affect how much paper you need.
The day of installation
Floors and furniture are protected, and plates, vents and fixtures are removed. Strips are measured, cut and pasted according to the paper's instructions, then hung in sequence, matched, smoothed and trimmed. We clean paste from seams and trim as we go.
When the walls are done, we reinstall fixtures and clear away all scraps and packaging. Leftover rolls should be kept in a cool, dry closet with their labels intact. Most rooms take one to two days, depending on prep and complexity. We provide the same service in Oakland Park, Wilton Manors and Lighthouse Point.
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