Wow. This is a tough project.
The Hubs and I put wallpaper in the ceiling shortly after we moved here, 13 years ago. That was… well, 13 years ago. I was 13 years younger! Ugh, it’s a tough, tough project. My daughter and I are doing all the labor. After a very shaky start (the wallpaper wouldn’t stick to the ceiling), we finally got things going.
The seams are still wet. When it dries, they will be invisible. I'll be painting the ceiling, too!
The wallpaper is embossed. It simulates a tin ceiling (the original tin ceilings from the early 1900s are still in the garage, too– it was the old kitchen before it was the garage). I like it because it hides the wavy Sheetrock. 
It’s hard to Sheetrock and spackle the joints on these ceilings and walls. Nothing is straight or plumb. The wallpaper hides a lot of the flaws. And wallpaper adds a touch of whimsy and charm, I think.
I purchased the pre-pasted wallpaper, but after wetting the adhesive, it was BARELY tacky. It was like the insipid adhesive on an envelope. NO WAY was it going to hold the weight of such heavy paper, 9 feet up. And it didn’t. :S It all came crashing down. 
So I went to my local local home improvement store (not the Big Box. but the “local” one, Jay-K), and the guy there was incredibly helpful. He gave me some paste, told me how to dilute it, and it WORKS! The stuff is amazing.
Moral of the story: skip the pre-pasted junk. Use wallpaper glue in the can.
So we’ve halfway done. I wanted to get more done, but I had tech problems (no Internet on a Friday night after 5pm, grrrreat) and had to solve that. An hour later, we didn’t have the heart to continue. We’re pooped. This is really strenuous work!
I made some scaffolding. How do you like it? It suits me fine– I like heights– but my daughter is a little uneasy.
It’s quite sturdy, but oh is it heavy to move. :S
I can’t wait until all this tough labor is done. I’m getting too old for this…
August 14, 2010 at 5:59 am
Wow, that makes me really tired to read about putting wallpaper on the ceiling. Glad you explained why you were doing it because I wound have had to think you were off your rocker. You certainly should be in House Beautiful when you get all done.
Take it easy. Have a great week end.
August 14, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Oh, that ceiling is going to be fabulous when you’re done! I can only imagine how tough it is getting it up there, though. Keep your eye on the prize – I think that’ll be the best way to power through it.
August 14, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Oh my gosh! What hurts more–your arms or your neck???
August 16, 2010 at 1:01 am
I hate working with pre-pasted wallpaper! No more of that for me! Now it’s paint straight on the walls! Actually, I am in the process of pulling off old wallpaper… and painting what used to be wallpapered! My goodness, I can’t IMAGINE trying to get wallpaper to stick to the ceiling! To think, you have gravity to contend with! :O
And pretty cool-looking scaffolding! But I agree with your daughter… I’m afraid of heights… unless I’m strapped into a 55mph rollercoaster holding on for dear life and getting flipped upside down at rapid speeds. Then, I’m okay with heights.
LOL
Great work, guys!
August 16, 2010 at 10:46 am
That scaffold won’t pass OSHA muster, but it looks fine. I’ve painted with much worse than that. That is very hard work, but the end product sure looks great.
August 18, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Nothing is straight here either, and mine is nowhere near as old as yours! Your ceiling is going to look fabulous!
August 22, 2010 at 11:26 am
Our aunt is a professional wallpaperer (wallpaperer?) and she and her husband put this up in their kitchen. Looks great!
I had a similar issue in our bathroom (wavy ceiling drywall and a number of seams) which I solved by buying the sand you can pour into a gallon of ceiling paint and then put on with a textured roller. Totally hides flaws!