Question: When hanging wallpaper to fit next to a window frame or door frame I have trouble getting a snug fit.

I tried precutting or trimming the strip of wallpaper to the correct width ahead of time, but it never makes a neat fit.

The same holds true when trimming the wallpaper to fit across the top edge of the window. Can you help?

Answer: Don’t precut the width to fit against the window frame. Start by putting up a full width strip of wallpaper, letting the excess width lap over onto the window frame.

Use your wallpaper smoothing brush to push the paper into the corner made where the paper overlaps the frame and use a wide putty knife to crease the paper firmly against the edge of the window frame.

Then use a razor blade to trim off the excess by running the blade down inside the corner formed between the wall and the edge of the frame. Excess wallpaper at the top of the window frame is trimmed in the same way, but it is usually best to first cut off part of the excess with a scissor, cutting diagonally upward toward that top corner of the frame.

Question: I plan to insulate my unfinished basement ceiling to insure a warmer floor in the room above.

Should this insulation be put up between the joists with its vapor barrier facing down on the bottom or facing up on the top of the insulation, and is it a good idea to also put drywall up under this insulation?

Answer: Insulation should have its vapor barrier facing on top in this case – that is, facing the warmer side of the floor.

Nailing up a layer of drywall under this insulation will help keep the insulation from sagging later on.

Question: We live in an old house that has embossed metal ceilings which have been painted many times with a flat oil paint. This paint is chipping and flaking off so I have to remove all this old paint. How can I do this without damaging the metal ceilings?

Answer: Use a non-flammable, semi-paste paint remover and wear goggles to protect your eyes, as well as a hat and old clothing that covers your arms, legs and body.

Apply the paint remover liberally with a large brush or long-handled deep-nap roller, then scrub the softened paint off with a stiff bristle brush dipped into a detergent solution. There are also spray-on paint removers you can use, but these can be a bit more hazardous to work with.