How to wallpaper a room

Whether it’s a feature wall or a full room, wallpaper can add a touch of style to your home. But if you want it to look its best for years to come, hanging wallpaper is a job that shouldn’t be rushed.

We’ve spoken to Which? Trusted Traders for their tips on what you’ll need, the steps to follow, and how to wallpaper around windows and other tricky areas.

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How to wallpaper: step-by-step

1. Check the wallpaper batch numbers

Wallpaper colours can vary slightly between batches. Rather than discovering this when the paper’s already unrolled (or worse, up on your walls), check the batch numbers of each roll before you start, to make sure all rolls are from the same batch.

2. Clear the room

Wallpapering is a fiddly enough task without making life more difficult for yourself.

Move furniture and any other obstacles well out of the way of the walls, allowing enough room to move your ladders around. And make sure that the floor and any items you can’t get out of the room are covered, to protect them from wallpaper paste splashes.

3. Prepare the walls

For wallpaper to adhere firmly and smoothly (and stay stuck for the long-term), walls must be clean, dry, and smooth. 

You may need to ‘size’ the walls to improve adhesion and make the paper hang better. Which? Trusted Trader Jessie Petherick, of Decoforce in Stoke-on-Trent, explains: ‘When a surface has never been wallpapered, you need to size the wall. First, clean it of any grime and dust (especially on porous and newly plastered surfaces). Then dilute a bucket of 50% water and 50% wallpaper paste, brush it over the wall and leave to dry.’

If the walls are covered with old wallpaper, remove this (see How to remove wallpaper), repair any holes with filler, thoroughly sand the walls down and clean them, and apply a universal primer the day before you apply wallpaper. Jessie recommends a product called Gardz by Zinnser, available from popular DIY shops including Johnstone's Decorating Centre and Brewers.

If your walls have stains or imperfections, you may wish to apply lining paper under the wallpaper to minimise the risk of them showing. Lining paper can also help prevent wallpaper from shrinking after it’s hung, which can lead to gaps between sheets. 

4. Marking the starting point

Use a spirit level and pencil to mark a vertical line 50cm from your start point (or a couple of centimetres less than your wallpaper width. This will make sure that you start from a completely vertical line (don’t rely on corners being perfectly straight). 

If you’re papering a whole room, it’s best to start from a less conspicuous area, as the pattern won’t line up perfectly between the first and last sheet of wallpaper. 

5. Cut wallpaper to size

Roll out the wallpaper on a flat surface. Measure the height of your wall, then add 10cm to allow for trimming. Mark the cut line with a ruler and pencil, then cut the first sheet of wallpaper with scissors.

When cutting subsequent sheets, hold the wallpaper roll up against the previous piece to make sure the pattern lines up, allow a few extra centimetres at the top and the bottom, then cut. This may feel wasteful, especially if your wallpaper has a large repeat pattern, but it’s necessary for a perfect finish.

6. Apply wallpaper paste

Where you apply this depends on whether you’ve bought paste-the-wall or paste-the-paper wallpaper. Make sure the paper you buy states what type it is. And buy a good-quality wallpaper paste, as scrimping on cheap paste could be a false economy.

How to apply paste for paste-the-paper wallpaper

With traditional wallpaper, you lay the paper out flat, pattern facing down, over a trestle table, and apply a thin, even layer of paste using a pasting brush or roller, working out from the middle to the edges. You’ll then need to carefully concertina – or loosely fold – the paper and allow the paste to soak in, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to clean up excess paste from the table, to avoid getting it onto the front of subsequent wallpaper strips. 

How to apply paste for paste-the-wall wallpaper

Paste-the-wall wallpapers are seen as easier and quicker to hang. They don’t require soaking and can be more easily repositioned. With this type of paper, you use a pasting brush or roller to apply a thin, even layer of paste to the wall. Start at the vertical line you’ve drawn, and paste to the full width of the wallpaper.   

7. Apply the wallpaper

Starting from the top, line up your first sheet of wallpaper with the vertical line you’ve drawn, and apply to the wall. Allow a few cm at the top and bottom for trimming. Use a wallpaper smoother, or a brush or roller, to smooth the surface and remove any bubbles, working out from the centre.

Repeat for each subsequent wallpaper strip, taking care to align the pattern with the previous strip. Smooth down the join between each piece of paper.

If you’re using paste-the-wall wallpaper, you can reposition any wallpaper strips you’re not happy with by slowly peeling them off and re-laying (provided you act fairly quickly).

8. Trim excess

Use a ruler and a sharp knife, or a wallpaper trimming wheel, to trim excess paper from the top and bottom of each sheet as you go.

It’s a good idea to keep a clean sponge and bucket of water handy to clean up any excess paste as you go.

How to calculate how much wallpaper you need

Wallpaper rolls typically measure 10m in length and 0.53m in width, although this can vary. To calculate how much you need, start by measuring the width of each wall you plan to wall paper, and totting up the total. Divide the total by the width of your wallpaper, to work out how many lengths of wallpaper you need.

Next, measure the height of the room and multiply it by the number of wallpaper lengths, to work out the total meterage you need. 

Divide the meterage by the length of a wallpaper roll and round it up to the next whole number, to give you the rough number of rolls you need. It’s a good idea to add an extra roll or two to allow for pattern repeats and wastage. You can always return unopened rolls if you don’t need them. 

Here’s an example, for wallpapering a single wall measuring 5m long by 2.5m high, using a standard-sized wallpaper roll:

5m (width of wall) ÷ 0.53m (wallpaper roll width) = 9.43 (number of wallpaper lengths)

2.5m (height of wall) x 9.43 (number of lengths) = 23.6 (total meterage)

23.6 ÷ 10m (length of the wallpaper roll) = 2.4 rolls of wallpaper

Rounded up to the next whole number, this means you need at least three rolls of wallpaper. 

What do you need to hang wallpaper?

To prepare the walls

• Sugar soap or other suitable wall cleaner
• Wallpaper paste (for sizing) or primer
• Filler (for any holes in the wall)
• Sander (for imperfections or gloss/silk paint)

To hang wallpaper

• Wallpaper adhesive
• Wallpaper smoother (a firm brush or roller can also work)
• Sharp knife (such as a snap-off knife) or wallpaper trimming wheel
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Spirit level
• Pencil
• Step ladder
• Paste brush or roller
• Paste tray
• Clean sponge and water
• Drop cloth or plastic sheeting to protect the floor and any furniture
• Trestle table (if you’re using ‘paste-the-paper’ wallpaper)

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How to wallpaper around a window and other obstacles

You’ll need to wallpaper around doors, windows and other obstacles, and the chances are that the edges of windows and doors won’t perfectly align with the edges of the wallpaper, so you’ll still need to cut full lengths of wallpaper. 

Wallpapering around a flush window

If you're wallpapering around a flush window, the process is similar to wallpapering around a door. Hang the wallpaper from the top of the wall as normal, and allow it to cover the opening. 

Cut around the shape, allowing a few centimetres around the frames. Use a ruler to mark a 45-degree angle at the corners, and make a short snip to the edge of the frame. Smooth the wallpaper down around the frame and cut off excess paper with a sharp knife. 

Wallpapering around a recessed window

Wallpapering around a recessed window is a little more complicated.

Hang the wallpaper from the top of the wall as normal, and allow an overhang into the window recess. Smooth the wallpaper down several inches above the recess, then cut horizontally along the edge of the overhang, and make another cut along the edge of the window sill so that you can fold the paper into the window reveal. Smooth it down and cut off the excess.

To paper the overhang, cut and fit the next piece of wallpaper to cover the wall above the window and fill in the overhang. Cut and fit another strip to fit the wall below the window. Keep an eye on pattern continuity. When you get to the opposite side of the window, repeat the process to paper around the other window reveal.

The upper corners of the window overhang will then need filling in with 'off cut' pieces of wallpaper. This is quite a fiddly process of pattern matching, overlapping and double-cutting – your best bet is to look up some videos on YouTube for guidance on how to do this.

How to wallpaper around sockets and switches

Cover sockets and switches with the wallpaper and use a sharp knife to cut around them. If you wish, you can unscrew the sockets from the wall so that the edge of the wallpaper runs underneath them. Turn off the electricity to the room before doing so. 

How to wallpaper around radiators

Jason Savage, of Novitas Decorators Ltd in London, a Which? Trusted Trader, recommends that radiators should always be removed before wallpapering: 'If you can't, then you can only get the wallpaper down to a certain point,' he says. 'This will lift over time as the radiators get hot and cold.’

Jessie agrees that removing radiators is best, but if you can't then turn them off at least 24 hours before you start decorating. 'Hang the paper until it goes behind the radiator,' he says, 'and use a long object like a piece of cardboard in the same way as you would use a wallpaper brush to flatten the paper to the wall.’

How to wallpaper around pipes

Pipes can be tricky obstacles. One solution, according to Jason, is to box the pipes in first. 

Otherwise, Jessie suggests loosening the pipe brackets where possible, then applying the paper behind: 'If it's paste-the-wall paper then you can easily slide it behind the pipes and align appropriately. 

'With paste-the-paper wallpaper, it may be best to let it dangle and carefully align it. If you've applied paper on either side and risk paste going on it, then pop to your local decorating centre and get a roll of masking film to protect what you've already done.’

How long does wallpaper take to dry?

Wallpaper typically doesn’t take too long to dry. According to Jason, you should be fine to put fixtures and fittings back in place the following day. Give it 24 hours to be on the safe side. 

How to remove wallpaper

Before stripping wallpaper, you’ll need to do a bit of preparation. Clear the room of any items you can, and cover the floor and any remaining items with dust sheets. Apply masking tape and plastic sheeting to sockets and switches to minimise the risk of water getting in. But turn off the electricity for the room too, just in case any liquid does sneak through. 

It can help to score the old wallpaper with a wallpaper scoring tool first, to loosen the adhesive and make removal easier. It will create tiny holes all over the paper. Don’t use a knife or scissors for this, as it can damage the wall. 

When stripping paper, you should wear safety goggles  to protect your eyes, and protective gloves if dealing with chemicals.   

Some online guides recommend using a wallpaper steamer to remove old wallpaper, but both our experts advised against this. Jessie says it’s ‘expensive and long-winded’, while Jason warns that it can risk damaging the plaster underneath. 

‘The best way to remove wallpaper is to use a roller on a roller pole with hot water and washing up liquid, or wallpaper stripper solution,’ adds Jason. ‘Once you've soaked all the walls, go back to the beginning and resoak. Do this as many times as needed to easily remove the paper. Multiple times is not uncommon. The secret to removing wallpaper is to let the water do the work.’ 

Meanwhile, Jessie recommends a product called Pretty Boy, available from Brewers, Mypaintbrush.co.uk or from Amazon. 

‘It’s an eco-friendly, multipurpose product and makes wallpaper removal a breeze,' he says. 'I use a garden weed pump to spray the walls horizontally till I reach the top, then wait up to 15 minutes and repeat the process a few times. This breaks the wallpaper paste from the wall, and a scraper removes it effortlessly.’

Make sure to clean up stripped paper regularly to avoid it sticking to the floor coverings.  

Can I remove wallpaper with just water?

It’s possible to remove wallpaper with water, especially if mixed with washing up liquid as Jason suggests, but it may be time consuming, depending on the age of the wallpaper and strength of the adhesive. A specialist wallpaper stripper is likely to get the job done more easily. 

How to clean walls after wallpaper removal

Whatever removal method you’ve used, you may end up with some small bits of wallpaper still stuck, and some residue. It’s important to get these off to ensure a smooth wall before redecorating. 

Brushing with a stiff brush will help get some of it off. Any remaining bits may need the help of a stripping knife (and potentially some more chemical stripper). When all residue has been removed, rinse the wall with a clean sponge and water, and allow to dry. 

If you need a professional, use Which? Trusted Traders to search for a reliable tradesperson in your area.