How to wallpaper a room

To calculate how much wallpaper you'll need, measure the width of each wall and then divide the total by the width of your wallpaper. This will tell you the number of drops you need. Then, measure the height of the room and multiply it by the number of drops; this will give you the meterage needed. Divide the meterage by the length of the wallpaper roll, minus the pattern repeat which will be indicated on the packaging.

Once you’ve worked everything out, use wallpaper scissors to cut the strips to size.

Top tip: Order and use an extra 10% to allow for cutting and wastage.

Putting up wallpaper can be a messy job, so it’s a good idea to move all your furniture either out or into the centre of the room first. Then you’ll need to cover anything that’s left with dust sheets.

If you had to remove previous wallpaper from your wall, make sure there’s no paper remnants or adhesive left behind as this could potentially show up under your new wallpaper. Use a scraper to remove any tedious areas from the wall.

It’s important to remember to clean your walls thoroughly before applying any wallpaper with sugar soap and a sponge, as well as remove any fixtures or fittings like nails and screws, fill in cracks and holes with filler, and sand down any imperfections. Wait for the wall to dry completely after cleaning before you start papering.

To make sure your first panel of wallpaper is straight, you’ll need to draw a perfectly straight line down the wall to guide your paper placement. This is known as a ‘plumb line’. For this, you can either use a spirit level or a long piece of string with a weight on the end called a plumb bob. Then follow this line when you apply the first piece.

There are two main types of wallpaper: ‘Paste the Wall’ and ‘Paste the Paper’. For both types, you may need to mix the adhesive with water. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions to see how to use your adhesive.

If you’re using 'Paste the Wall' wallpaper, we recommend using a roller to apply the adhesive onto the wall evenly, switching to a pasting brush for corners and more intricate areas. Only apply adhesive on the piece you’re about to hang, not to the entire wall.

If you’re using 'Paste the Paper' wallpaper, lay out your first sheet onto a pasting table, patterned side facing down. Use a pasting brush to apply the adhesive from the centre outwards. To make it easier to apply to the wall, fold it up into a concertina shape and leave it for a couple of minutes to let the adhesive soak in.

You’ll want to wipe down the pasting table with a damp cloth to remove any adhesive that may otherwise stick to the front of your next piece of paper.

Lining up the strip of paper with the plumb line you drew earlier, hang your first strip from the top of the wall, leaving an overlap of a few inches. Then, use a clean brush or roller to smooth it down until you get to the bottom of the wall, making sure to gently press out any air bubbles as you do so.

When it comes to trimming the excess wallpaper edges, press them up towards the ceiling or down onto your skirting board, and use a retractable knife or trimming wheel to cut a straight line where the paper meets the edges.

When hanging your next wallpaper strip, first you’ll want to line it up with the previous strip. Lay onto the wall and adjust it so the patterns match up, leaving no gaps between the edges. Press it down in the same way that you did the first sheet and trim the excess.

Use a seam roller to flatten the seam between the two strips, but be careful not to press too hard if your wallpaper features a textured design as you could flatten this too.

Continue hanging your wallpaper sheets in the same way, using a spirit level or plumb line before hanging each piece to make sure your wallpaper stays consistently straight.

For internal corners, measure the gap between the edge of the wallpaper and the corner. Take measurements from the top, middle and bottom as most corners are not perfectly square. Add 25mm to the longest measurement and mark onto the paper before cutting a vertical straight line at this measurement.

Apply the wallpaper as before, smoothing it into and just beyond the corner, onto the next wall.

For the next step, consider the following:

• If the distance from your previous strip of paper to the corner was more than half the width of the roll, start the new wall with a full width of wallpaper. This also applies if your paper doesn’t have a pattern.

• If the distance to the corner was less than half the width of the roll, mark the remaining distance that would be needed to complete the width of the roll, minus the 25mm overhang onto the next piece of paper and then cut. This will help you when pattern matching.

Mark the width of the paper you’re using onto the next section of wall, measuring from the corner. Use a spirit level or plumb bob to mark a vertical line at this point. Align the edge of the wallpaper to the vertical line so it overlaps into the corner, with the pattern matching as closely as possible. Smooth the paper down and into the corner.

For exterior corners, simply wrap the wallpaper around the corner and gently smooth it down. You may want to crease the paper’s corner to get a sharp line.

Then, before hanging your next piece, measure its width and mark this from the edge of the piece you just hung using a spirit level or plumb line to keep the line straight.

For light switches and sockets, it’s important to isolate the power to the switch before you begin wallpapering. Once completely turned off, hang the wallpaper over the socket or switch and use a pencil to lightly mark the positions of the four corners of the plate onto the paper. 

Make a hole in the centre of these markings and cut diagonally from the hole towards the marks, trimming the excess, but still leaving some extra to tuck behind the socket.

Next, loosen the screws on the socket and feed the excess wallpaper behind it, pushing it down with a smoother. Retighten the screws.

If you’d like to wallpaper behind a radiator, make sure to switch it off and let it cool down first. Once completely cool, hang the wallpaper over the radiator, making a mark where it meets the radiator’s brackets.

Next, cut a slit all the way down the wallpaper from this mark, making sure it’s a straight line.

You can now carefully drop the wallpaper down behind the radiator with the slit accommodating the brackets. Smooth the wallpaper down with a radiator paint roller.

Lining paper is recommended when your wall may have some imperfections that will show through the new paper, like remnants of previous wallpaper that you can’t scrape off, or cracks in the wall. It’s always best to try and remove or fill as many imperfections as possible, but sometimes walls may just have a bit of texture that you don’t want showing through. 

However, if your wall is relatively new, undamaged, and has only been painted previously, you’ll likely be fine to wallpaper without using lining underneath.

There’s no specific scenario where one type will be better than the other. The only thing to consider is that applying adhesive to the wall is slightly easier, making PTW paper preferable for beginners.