How to hang wallpaper
In this guide, we'll show you how to hang 'paste the wall' wallpaper. With “paste the wall” wallpaper, there’s no need for a pasting table, which means you might be able to save up to 30% of your time compared to traditional wallpaper hanging methods.
Hanging wallpaper steps:
Hanging wallpaper essentials
Safety first
Remember to keep adhesives, chemicals and scissors out of reach of children. Always ensure good ventilation during application and drying of wallpaper adhesives. If hanging wallpaper around a stairwell, get someone to help you as you’ll be working at height with heavy lengths of wallpaper.
1. Prepare the wall
The walls must be clean, dry, healthy, straight and smooth. If you’re wallpapering on plaster, plasterboard or wood, apply a universal primer the day before so the wall can get a good grip of the wallpaper. If your walls are covered with gloss or silk paint, sand them down and then apply a universal primer. If they’re covered with matt paint, wash them with a cleaning product that contains baking soda and let the walls dry for 24 hours before wallpapering.
Hanging lining paper prevents the new wallpaper from shrinking when it’s hung, which leads to gaps between the lengths of paper. You may also want to hang lining paper if your walls have any stains or small imperfections in the surface, as it will help to disguise this. For more information, take a look at our how to hang lining paper guide.
2. Mark the wall
Use a spirit level to trace a vertical line 50 cm from the corner of the wall (if your roll measures 53 cm in width). This makes sure that you start wallpapering from a perfectly straight hanging mark and the remaining 3 cm will allow you to avoid imperfect corner junctions (if the corner is not straight) which you can focus on once you’ve finished wallpapering the whole wall.
4. Apply wallpaper paste
With a pasting brush or a roller, start applying the wallpaper paste on the wall in a thin, even layer, from the vertical line you’ve just traced onwards, starting at the top and working your way down across the width of a roll. Use a stepladder to reach the ceiling.
5. Apply the wallpaper
Place the wallpaper roll on the floor, align it to the vertical line and start unrolling it up to the top of the wall; keep 2-3 cm on the ceiling to allow a straight cut.
Carefully position the wallpaper against the wall and double check the strip’s alignment against the vertical mark. Once you’re happy this is straight, use a wallpaper smoother to smooth it from the centre to the edges to smooth out any air bubbles and wrinkles.
“Paste the wall” wallpaper is easy to reposition: If the strip is not positioned as you want it, slowly take it off and reposition it.
6. Trim excess
Trim any excess paper on the top and bottom with a knife and a ruler. To make the job easier, use a wallpaper cutting guide.
You can then flatten out the seams with a seam roller and then repeat for the rest of the wall, making sure the seams line up each time.
Wallpapering around difficult areas
Unless you’re wallpapering a completely flat feature wall, you’ll probably need to wallpaper around some obstacles. Here we outline how you can wallpaper around:
Wallpapering around sockets & switches
To wallpaper around any switches or sockets, cover these with the wallpaper strip and use the snap off knife to cut around them. For a neater finish, you may want to unscrew the socket from the wall. If you do this, always turn off the power first.
Wallpapering around doors & windows
To wallpaper around doors and windows, cover the openings with the wallpaper strip, mark the angle with your finger and use the scissors to cut the excess paper. Be mindful of leaving some extra centimetres on the window or door case. Cut the wallpaper at a 45 ° angle at the mark left by your finger.
Smooth it out with the wallpaper smoother and cut the excess paper with the snap off knife.
Wallpapering around radiators
Ideally, you’d remove the radiators before wallpapering, but if this isn’t an option, you can still wallpaper behind them. Measure the dimension from the ceiling or window edge to the radiator fixings, adding 2 to 3 cm for the cuts around window casings/ceiling. If the wallpaper has patterns, add the length needed to align them to the adjacent strip.
Using a pair of scissors or a ruler and a snap off knife, cut the necessary wallpaper length and hang it on the wall. Smooth it out around the fixings of the radiator.
Choosing wallpaper
Before you choose your wallpaper, there are a few things you’ll need to consider.
Wallpaper calculator
Our Wallpaper Calculator helps to estimate the amount of wallpaper you’ll need for your project.
Are all the rolls of wallpaper the same batch number?
Make sure all the rolls have the same batch number printed on the label, as the colours and in some instances, the finish, can vary between batches.
Wallpaper ideas
Wallpaper can completely transform the look and feel of any room. However, with such a huge range of different styles, colours and patterns available, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to start.
If you’re not sure which wallpaper is right for your home, take a look at our wallpaper ideas and bedroom wallpaper ideas guides.
