How to hang wallpaper
Contents |
[edit] How to Prepare Your Walls for Wallpaper
[edit] Step 1: Remove Wall Plates & All Decor And Move Furniture Out Of The Way.
Before installing your new wallpaper, you'll need to take a few preparatory steps.
- First, remove all decor and wall plates from the area where you'll be working.
- Then, move any furniture out of the way so you'll have plenty of space to manoeuvre.
- Once you've prepared the area, you're ready to begin installing your new wallpaper.
[edit] Step 2: Repair Any Damage.
- Before you can instal new wallpaper, you need to repair any damage to the existing walls. Cracks, holes, and other imperfections will show through the new wallpaper, so it's important to take care of them before you begin.
- With a little patching compound and some elbow grease, you can make your walls look new again.
[edit] Step 3: Smooth The Walls With Sandpaper.
- Smooth the walls with sandpaper to create a smooth surface for the wallpaper to adhere to. In addition, sanding will remove any paint or other roughness from the wall's surface.
- When sanding, wear a dust mask and goggles to protect your eyes and lungs from the dust. Begin with coarse-grit sandpaper and then move on to finer-grit sandpaper until the walls are completely smooth.
- Once you have finished sanding, vacuum the walls to remove dust.
[edit] Step 4: Wash The Walls And Allow Them To Dry.
- Wash the walls and let them dry. This will remove any dirt or residue that may prevent the wallpaper from adhering properly.
[edit] Step 5: Prime The Walls.
- The final step in preparing your walls is to prime them. This will help to create a smooth surface for the wallpaper to adhere to and also help to prevent any air bubbles from forming.
[edit] How to Hang Wallpaper
[edit] Step 1: Measure All Your Walls & Draw A Central Plumb Line.
- Use a tape measure to determine the dimensions of your wall.
- Use a pencil to mark the halfway point on each wall.
- Use a level to draw a straight line along the length of each wall, making sure to intersect the marks at the halfway point.
[edit] Step 2: Figure How Many Strips Of Wallpaper You'll Need.
Before you begin, calculate how many strips of wallpaper you'll need to paper your wall. To do this, measure the height and width of the wall and multiply these numbers together. Then, add 10% to allow for pattern matching and trimming.
If you have windows or doors in the room, deduct their measurements from the total wall area, so you don't purchase too much wallpaper. Also, take into account any pattern repeats in your wallpaper design.
[edit] Step 3: Measure The First Strip Of Wallpaper.
Hang the first strip of wallpaper using a plumb line and level as a guide. To determine the amount of wallpaper you need, measure the wall height from the floor to the ceiling and add two inches for trimming.
Hang the first strip of wallpaper along the ceiling line, aligning one end at the corner and allowing the extra paper to extend past the other.
Use a utility knife to score (not cut) through both layers of paper where they meet at doorways or windows; this will make it easier to remove or reposition the strips later if necessary.
[edit] Step 4: Cut All Of The Whole Wallpaper Strips.
Hang your first strip of wallpaper at the top corner of the room. But before you start, cut off the excess paper at the top and bottom of the strip so it will fit perfectly.
Then, use a level to ensure it's straight before applying adhesive to the back. Once it's in place, smooth out any bubbles with a wallpaper brush. To avoid air bubbles under your paper, start in the middle of each strip and work toward the edges using a smoothing tool. Finally, trim any excess paper along baseboards or moldings with a sharp blade or scissors before hanging subsequent strips.
Continue to hang all of your strips, making sure to overlap the seams by about an inch. When you get to the last strip, cut it to size, and then use a sharp utility knife to trim any excess around the room's edges.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Licensing construction in the UK
As the latest report and proposal to licence builders reaches Parliament.
Building Safety Alliance golden thread guidance
Extensive excel checklist of information with guidance document freely accessible.
Fair Payment Code and other payment initiatives
For fair and late payments, need to work together to add value.
Pre-planning delivery programmes and delay penalties
Proposed for housebuilders in government reform: Speeding Up Build Out.
High street health: converting a building for healthcare uses
The benefits of health centres acting as new anchor sites in the high street.
The Remarkable Pinwill Sisters: from ‘lady woodcarvers’ to professionals. Book review.
Skills gap and investment returns on apprenticeships
ECA welcomes new reports from JTL Training and The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership.
Committee report criticises UK retrofit schemes
CIOB responds to UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report.
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Comments
[edit] To make a comment about this article, click 'Add a comment' above. Separate your comments from any existing comments by inserting a horizontal line.