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Tips for hanging wallpaper

Wallpaper has come back into vogue in recent years but if you have never hung wallpaper before we have some general guidelines for you.

 

How much wallpaper to buy

To work out how much wallpaper you need

  • Measure the width of the walls you are covering and divide by the width of the paper
  • The standard wall paper width is 0.53m but make sure the one you are using isn’t any different
  • Then measure the height of your walls and multiply by the number of wallpaper widths to cover the area
  • Lastly divide by the length of the wall paper on the roll; the standard length is usually 10m but again check first
  • The figure you arrive at is the amount of rolls of wallpaper you need
  • It is best to buy a couple of spare rolls to allow for mistakes and pattern matching

 

Getting started

  • Move furniture out of the room if possible – we know it’s obvious
  • Cover the floor area where you are working
  • Before tackling the walls paint ceilings and woodwork
  • If your walls are newly plastered, then paint with watered down paste and allow it to dry
  • Prepare your walls – fill in any cracks and sand these when dry for a smooth surface
  • If your walls are in a bad state, paper with lining paper first. Hang lining paper horizontally where you will be using wallpaper
  • Now you are ready

 

Hanging wallpaper

  • Set up a table to use to paste your wallpaper and have all your tools ready: wallpaper paste and brush, seam roller, wallpaper brush, Stanley knife, plumb line
  • If you are just papering a feature wall start in the middle and work towards the edges; this applies to chimneybreasts as well
  • If you are papering all around a room, start in the corner diagonal to the door. Work your way back to the door both ways finishing in the corner
  • Cut your first strip of wall paper to just longer (about 10cm) than the height of the wall
  • You should match the pattern before cutting any subsequent lengths. Do this by holding up to the first piece on the wall and continue in this way
  • Paste all over the back of your paper with wallpaper paste; fold each end over on itself and leave for paste to soak in for about 6 minutes before hanging
  • Use a plumb line to mark the wall so that your first piece of wallpaper will hang straight
  • Apply wallpaper using your wallpaper brush (not the paste brush) to smooth it down and get rid of any air or paste bubbles
  • Use a damp clean sponge to remove any paste from the front of the wallpaper
  • Match the next piece and hang in the same manner making sure they join up but don’t overlap
  • Make a crease in the top and bottom overhangs of paper and trim with the Stanley knife or scissors

 

Follow this video guide if it is easier.

 

Of course if you are looking for texture on your walls, why not try our wall panels? These can be painted to match your décor. There is an easy to follow installation video on our main site.