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I know you’re just dying to know which type of wallpaper paste won out in my head-to-head challenge.  Was it Roman 880?  Was it Dynamite 780?  Oh, the suspense.  Oh, the drama.  This is the post you’ve been waiting for all your life.

Okay, not really.  Wallpaper paste isn’t exciting, but I will tell you that you will appreciate this post if ever you’re installing unpasted wallpaper!

By the way, I was paid heaps of money by the brand I’m going to encourage you to use and I bought stock in their company.  I’m just kidding.  I bought both pastes with my own money and I have no affiliation with either brand.  I compared them on my own, primarily because I ran out of the first gallon and had to run out and buy whatever I could find locally to finish the project, so I had to use two brands and there was a noticeable difference.

The first paste, Roman PRO-880 was the product recommended to me by the professional painter (from Gray Painting) who painted our foyer and stairs.  I didn’t know if I could find it locally, so I just ordered it from Amazon.

The painter also shared his secret with me – thin down the paste with water, so it is at a consistency where it will flow.  In the container, it’s almost like a loose Vaseline consistency.  Once thinned with water and stirred, the paste flowed off a stir stick nicely and was easy to roll onto the paper.

It was workable, it had a nice amount of tack but could still slide around to get it in just the right place.  I also had very little squeeze-out and bubbles.

When I ran out with four strips left to hang, I picked up the Dynamite 780 locally.  This product was suggested as one that would be comparable to the Roman PRO-880 I ran out of.

As soon as I started working with it, I completely understood the comparison of over-beaten mashed potatoes to wallpaper paste.  I actually said to my mom, “This is what they’re talking about!”

This paste was thick and seemed to dry quicker.  I wanted to dilute it with water as I did the Roman brand, but it specified on the container to not dilute.  There was more squeeze-out and I had to spend more time smoothing out bubbles.  It was not nice to work with after the ease of the Roman 880.

Now, there may be some trick to the Dynamite 780 that I wasn’t tipped off to and I’m sure there are people out there who love it, but I personally felt like the Roman PRO-880 was much easier to use.  It’s the one I would use again and the one I would suggest to others.

So, that one is the winner for me!

I will write an entire post about hanging unpasted wallpaper with step-by-step instructions soon, for those who are considering it.

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    39 Comments

    1. Sharon

      Love your sense of humor at the start of your post!!! You go girl!!!!

      • Marian Parsons

        I was smiling as I wrote it. 🙂 Glad it amused!

    2. Darcy

      The paper looks so good!!!! And I love random tips like this post shares – I think it also shows authenticity as a blogger. 🙂

    3. Amy Enserro

      The room looks wonderful!

      • Marian Parsons

        Thank you!

        • Lisa P

          Oh I love this kind of post—excellent information that I will come back to when I get around to wallpapering my main floor powder room—and it made me laugh too! LisaP Thanks, Marian!

      • Anita

        Love this room!! So pretty! Can you please make shams out of the lovely mustard striped linen, and put them where the current yellow shams are? Not that it’s my house or anything! 😉 😀 I just see it in my head and think it might be the missing link that makes the transition from the pretty, slightly cool tan wallpaper (that plays soo nicely with the tan headboard!), to the pretty, quite warm yellow cover. 🙂 Whatever you do, you have my vote!! It all looks lovely and those green hydrangeas are the perfect touch!!

    4. Sarah

      So this comment is totally unrelated to this post (although I had to smile at how you began your post bc I was thinking when I saw the title “I don’t care about wallpaper paste” ? lol) but I keep seeing your dried hydrangeas in these photos and wanted to know if you sprayed them with anything after they were dried? I have dried some of the same kind and have trouble with petals falling off at the slightest bump… Thank you!
      P.s. This room is looking gorgeous!!!

      • Marian Parsons

        I know. It’s not exactly the most exciting topic!

        The dried hydrangeas were not sprayed with anything. I think it helps that they are in a room where they aren’t used very much. They will shed some, but not too much. We’ve been moving them around as we’ve been working and they’ve done pretty well.

        • Jenny Golay

          Thanks so much!

    5. Jenny Golay

      The chair rail looks great, as does the wallpaper!!

      And I love your shutters. I’m considering shutters for my bedroom windows and am wondering if you could share where ones like yours can be obtained.

      Thank you!

      • Marian Parsons

        Mine are from Select Blinds and I have been so happy with them. They are the faux wood plantation shutters.

    6. Deborah Raney

      You are KILLING me!! I just want to see the full room reveal! Every day I wake up thinking THIS will be the day Marian finally posts the reveal! But no. Wallpaper paste! Haha! But by George, I’ll come back here every day until you finally, finally post that reveal because I LOVE how it’s all coming together! Just gorgeous! At least what I can see of it. 😉

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha! I want to share it, but it’s not all finished, yet! 🙂

    7. Bj

      Your wallpaper looks great. I’m sure you and your guests will enjoy it for years to come.
      I sold and installed wallpaper for many years in its hey day! The store were I worked had accounts with just about all the wholesale wallpaper distributors. There were 100’s of books for our customers to browse.
      Because of the different manufactures process and the different backings there was not a one glue fits all requirements. Many times the wallpaper manufacturer required a specific glue for the specific type paper you were using. I don’t know if that is still true today, but I would be sure to check out the manufacturer’s glue specifications. If you have a problem with the wallpaper the glue you use could void their warranty.
      Roll on Wallpapers!

    8. Karen Stuart

      It looks fabulous! What a difference this made to the room!!! So inviting. Did this room have flat walls or was there any texture?

      • Marian Parsons

        The walls were flat.

    9. Sue Anderson

      I was on the edge of my seat! Which one? Which one? Then Roman was the winner! That’s the one I used! I feel so lucky I picked the right one but then again it was the only one at Home Depot. LOL. Anyway I did not thin it and it dried out quickly and I had to really slather it on to keep it moist enough to handle in dry Colorado in the summer. So the ambient temperature and humidity level makes a big difference.

      • Marian Parsons

        Ha, so funny! Well, you chose wisely!

    10. Marlene Stephenson

      Thanks for this information, it is what i needed with the paper i have picked out.

      • Marian Parsons

        Fantastic! I’m glad this was a timely post for you.

    11. Theresa

      I appreciate this info. Although I could not imagine using unpasted wallpaper by choice, I suppose if I found a pattern I loved and it wasn’t prepasted, I would go for it. By the way, I LOVE the frame of the mirror against the new wallpaper. Beautiful!

      • Marian Parsons

        I was very hesitant to use unpasted, but I actually prefer it now!

    12. Kathleen

      That paper is gorgeous!!! Love all your tips and blogs!!

    13. Donna

      I actually had the same question about the hydrangeas. Did you spray them with anything to keep them from “shedding” and fading? Love love the wallpaper- just getting ready to try wallpaper fro the first time and I’m happy to learn from your experiences.

      • Marian Parsons

        No, I didn’t. They do shed sometimes, but I think it helps that they are in a room that isn’t used frequently, so they don’t get disturbed very much. When they were on the dining room table, my boys would pick at them constantly.

    14. Dale

      I’ve been waiting for your advice bc I’m about to tackle papering with unpasted paper, which I haven’t done in YEARS. Thanks! I’ll go with the Roman 880!

      • Marian Parsons

        Glad to hear it! One commenter made a good point to make sure it’s compatible with your paper, but based on what I read it will work with most.

    15. Janice

      Please don’t reupholster the headboard! It looks so tasteful against the new wallpaper.

      • Marian Parsons

        I think it looks fine, but I want to make it pop!

        • Donna

          Is that what the yellow stripe is for….oh that is going to look great!!! I love the color choices in this room so very much. Its turning out to be an absolutely gorgeous room!

    16. Mary Anne Berry

      It’s looking so beautiful…I can’t wait for the reveal! I’m thinking about wallpaper for our entry, but the wall has a lot of texture. Have you ever removed texture…or skimmed over existing texture? Not sure I’m up to the process, but after seeing the results here, I’m really wanting to try!

      • Mary S

        Mary Anne,
        I sanded an entire 3 bedroom house bc I HAD to wallpaper (in the 80’s). Just let me say it was a monumental MESS!! Unless you’re really mad at yourself, my advice is don’t do it!!!
        Mary

    17. Teresa

      I absolutely love the wallpaper that you chose and cant wait to see the full room reveal. Adding the chair rail really made the wallpaper pop! I have been debating about doing a accent wall in our dining area with a grass cloth wallpaper. Thank you for sharing your opinions on the two wallpaper pastes and how each performed because I know nothing about wallpaper paste!

    18. Anna

      sorry if you’ve already addressed this but I’m too lazy to go searching and should be doing homework anyway 😉 so…

      Was your wall smooth before you wallpapered? Hubby always insisted on doing a skim coat (I think that’s what it’s called) before I was “allowed” to install wallpaper. No wallpaper over textured wall! Just wondering what your experience says to do.

      Thank you!! <3 (dang! that looks dumb. I wish I knew how to do those cute heart thingys)

    19. Lynne

      The wallpaper and room looks beautiful! I’m a long way from attempting hanging wallpaper but you sure are inspiring and encouraging! Thank you

    20. Peggy

      Same exact thing happened to me. I used a Roman paste for my paste the wall wallpaper. I didn’t thin it. I ran out with just a few strips left. I could only find one kind locally and it wasn’t Roman. It was thinner and dripped and the paper didn’t slide on the wall as well.

    21. Alaina Moeller

      The room turned out perfect and I think your choice of wallpaper is wonderful. You have a way of making a project look so easy. I have always wanted to try wallpapering but I have been reluctant, with your advice on products maybe I will give it a try. Are you planning to do a tutorial on the wainscoting? I am curious where you purchased the trim and what size is it?

    22. Diane Harrington

      Did you ever write a step by step instruction for wallpaper? If so, can you point me in the right direction?

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