How to hang wallpaper

Wallpaper is less forgiving than paint. Uneven walls, a crooked first drop or poor pasting show straight away. Take it slowly and the result is worth it.

You will need

• Wallpaper, with all rolls from the same batch number
• Paste suited to the paper (check the label: some are paste-the-wall)
• Pasting table, brush or roller, bucket
• Plumb line or spirit level, pencil, tape measure
• Smoothing brush or plastic smoother, sharp knife with spare blades, scissors, seam roller
• Clean sponge and water

Steps

1. Prepare the wall. Strip old paper, fill and sand, and make sure the surface is smooth and dry. Seal new or very porous plaster with a thinned coat of paste or a sizing product so the paper can be slid into place.
2. Plan where to start. Start at the least noticeable spot, usually a corner behind the door, so any pattern mismatch at the end is out of sight. With a large pattern, centre the first drop on a chimney breast or focal wall instead.
3. Mark a vertical line. Walls are rarely straight. Use a plumb line or level to draw a true vertical one roll-width from the corner, less a couple of centimetres for overlap.
4. Cut the drops. Measure the wall height and add about 10cm for trimming. Cut several drops at once, matching the pattern from one to the next, and number them on the back.
5. Paste and soak. Paste evenly, fold the paper paste-to-paste and leave it for the time on the label so it does not bubble later. For paste-the-wall papers, paste the wall instead.
6. Hang the first drop. Line it up with your pencil line, smooth from the centre outwards to push out air, then crease into the ceiling and skirting and trim with a sharp blade.
7. Butt the next drops. Slide each drop up to the last so the edges meet without overlapping, match the pattern, then smooth and trim. Run a seam roller lightly along each join.
8. Clean as you go. Wipe paste off the face of the paper, the ceiling and the skirting straight away with a damp sponge.

Around switches and sockets, turn the power off, hang the paper over, cut a small cross, loosen the faceplate and tuck the paper behind it. Change knife blades often; a blunt blade tears wet paper.