Olfa Wallpaper Knife Review by a Decorator

The Olfa wallpaper snap knife is usually stocked in a couple of different sizes. My personal favourite is the Olfa L5AL X which feels solid and has a tin opener on the back.

You can pick them up from a lot of different trade counters, including Crown Decorating Centre, Johnstone’s Dec Centre, Dulux Dec Centre and Brewers. Unless you have a trade account, it will probably be cheaper to buy your Olfa Knife online by clicking here.  When buying a knife, you should pick up a pack of extra blades.

The Olfa knife is widley regarded as the best best knife for wallpapering amongst professional decorators. They are very much on the list of the best wallpapering tools available.

My Olfa Wallpaper Knife Review

The knife itself is easy to grip and is razor sharp. Wallpaper does tend to blunt a knife fairly quickly, but you get a few extra cuts out of this tool before having to snap the blade and renewing its sharpness. When you’ve worked your way through the blade, just slide it down through the bottom of the knife and put a new one in. Everything is very easy and straight forward and the knives do stay sharp longer than others.

Olfa knives come from Japan!! The nation that gave us the Samurai sword are still at the cutting edge of knife technology. I don’t know how they do it, but the Olfa seems so much sharper than anything else out there.

Just be careful when you do come to snap the blades. I’m a bit lazy and just snap them off against my steps or wallpaper table, but they can flick off in any direction. Pick them up as you go along too, because it hurts a lot when you kneel on them!!

I don’t think there is anything else to say. I’m a professional decorator so I have used countless brands over the years. I have read a few times about people importing special blades from abroad to use, but I don’t see the point. This are genuinely the best knife for wallpapering off the shelf. You simply cannot buy better. Click here to see current prices.

Summary

Other Wallpaper Tools to Look out for

OK, we’ve established the Olfa knife is the best in the business, I just wanted to talk about some of the other standout wallpapering tools on the market.

First are the Axus Shears, which are produced by the same company as the Olfa Knife. These shears are robust and razor sharp. They’ll cut wallpaper right to their tip. They’re so good that decorators recently voted them the best available, and I tend to agree. Click here see the latest prices.

Next, to accompany your Olfa Knife, you’ll need a vinyl smoother. This tool does two jobs; it smooths the paper out, and it acts as a straight edge to cut your paper with your knife. Click here to see latest prices.

The last wallpapering tool I’m going to mention is the Hamilton 9-ring hanging brush. This is on the expensive side, but they’re well-made and will last forever.  Click here to see latest prices.

FAQs

Which Olfa knife is best for wallpaper?

It depends on the person using it. I have big clumsy hands and find it difficult to use smaller, fine, wallpapering tools. I find it a lot easier to use the 12mm Olfa blade than I do the smaller one. However, I have a good friend who is the complete opposite.

What knife is best for cutting wallpaper?

We have surveyed Decorators online and found that an overwhelming majority name Olfa the best knife for cutting wallpaper.

How do you cut wallpaper perfectly?

We cut lengths on a pasting table. The lengths are slightly longer than the wall and allow for the pattern repeat. Then we apply each length to the wall and flatten with a vinyl smoother. Once flat, we hold the vinyl smoother against the ceiling line, and trim with a knife. This gives you the perfect cut. We do the same for the skirting line.

What is the best tool to scrape wallpaper?

You can either use a vinyl smoother or hanging brush. Having both will make things easier, because the hanging brush is better for working the paper around external corners and around obstacles, whereas a vinyl smoother is perfect for the flat bits.

Should wallpaper be cut at corners?

Yes. Hang the first drop and cut it so it goes around the corner a couple of millimetres. Then overlap it with the second drop, matching the pattern on the second wall. Ensure everything stays plumb, otherwise you’ll have issues with pattern run-off.