Apt.1 2F Japanese Room: Wall Repair Vol.9

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and Amazon.co.jp Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use or have thoroughly researched.

u2192 Back to all English articles

u270fufe0f Originally published: 2021-08-27 / ud83dudd04 Updated: May 2026

Hi, it’s DIY Dad! Running in parallel with the ongoing patching work, I started touch-up painting on the walls. But first u2014 masking. It’s essential, unglamorous work that doesn’t photograph well, but here’s what I have.

2026 DIY Dad Notes: 2F Wall Underlayment and Pre-Wallpaper Prep

2026 DIY Dad Notes: 2F Wall Underlayment and Pre-Wallpaper Prep

ud83duded2 RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

Fusuma Replacement Paper Kits

Fusuma renewal is the fastest Japanese-room refresh u2014 paper, paste, and 2 hours.

Amazon US u2192
Amazon Japan u2192

With the wall underlayment boards up and the patching underway, we’re moving into the final prep phase before wallpaper. Underlay quality is everything.

Drywall Installation Tips

Hang boards vertically u2014 fewer seams
Screws at 300 mm intervals or less
Float boards 5u201310 mm above the floor
Reinforce framing around all openings
Cut outlet and switch holes before hanging

Drive each screw just enough to dimple the surface slightly u2014 gives compound something to grip. Overdriving splits the board face.

Seam and Screw-Hole Patching

Apply mesh tape over all seams
First coat: thick enough to embed the tape
Sand after drying
Second coat: thin and wide
Sand again after full drying

“Thin coats, multiple passes” u2014 one thick coat cracks. DIY Dad found this out firsthand.

Pre-Wallpaper Checklist

All compound fully dry?
Surface smooth to the touch?
No steps or warps across the wall?
Sealer coat needed?
Masking ready u2014 floor, ceiling, tategu?

Actual Cost: 2F Japanese Room Wall Renovation

Drywall (12.5 mm u00d7 910 u00d7 1820 mm): ~u00a52,000 u00d7 10 sheets = u00a520,000
Mesh tape: ~u00a5500
Joint compound: ~u00a51,500
Screws (32 mm): ~u00a5500
Total materials: ~u00a522,500

Wallpaper adds ~u00a53,500 for a 6-mat room. A contractor would charge u00a5300,000u2013500,000 for the same scope. DIY cost: ~u00a526,000. That gap tells the whole story.

First, the masking:

Masking

Masking done u2014 time to paint!

Masking (continued)

What happened here: I’d painted the ceiling and the trim strips white, then spray-painted the columns brown u2014 but forgot to mask the ceiling before spraying the columns. So I ended up repainting the ceiling white to fix the overspray. A completely avoidable rework step, honestly. This blog does not spare the embarrassing details.

That’s all for today. See you next time!