How to hang wallpaper: step-by-step DIY guide

To hang wallpaper, prepare a smooth, clean and dry wall, apply paste to the wall for non-woven wallpaper or to the paper for paper wallpaper, and hang the first strip exactly plumb. Then press each strip on without air bubbles and trim neatly. Below we explain each step.

👷 Calling in a professional is never unnecessary. Is it a high stairwell, a poor or loose surface, damp or mould, or a lot of walls at once? Then call in a paperhanger or plasterer. They see straight away what the surface needs and work faster and more safely.

Non-woven or paper wallpaper: what is the difference?

Most types of wallpaper fall into two groups. With non-woven wallpaper you apply the paste to the wall and hang the dry wallpaper straight into the wet paste. No soaking is needed. Non-woven wallpaper hardly shrinks or stretches, so the seams are easier to match neatly.

With paper wallpaper you apply the paste to the back of the wallpaper. You then fold the strip loosely and let it soak as stated on the packaging. Only then do you hang it. Vinyl and other special wallpapers often have their own method. If in doubt, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

What do you need?

Materials

• Wallpaper that suits your room. Choose rolls with the same batch number so the colour is the same everywhere, and take an extra roll for offcuts and pattern matching.
• Wallpaper paste that suits your wallpaper (non-woven, paper or vinyl). The packaging tells you how to mix it.
• Primer: deep-penetrating primer to prime absorbent or powdery surfaces.
• Filler: lightweight filler (Speedline Filler Light) to fill small holes and cracks.
• Covering: strong protective foil for the floor and blue painter's tape to protect skirting boards and frames.
• A clean sponge, a bucket of clean water and dry cloths for paste residue.

Tools

• A 120 cm spirit level or a 60 cm spirit level and a carpenter pencil for the plumb line.
• A tape measure to measure the height of the wall and the length of the strips.
• A 25 cm roller on a roller frame and a large paint tray to apply the paste evenly.
• A wide Stalco wallpaper brush to apply paste in corners and along edges.
• A soft smoothing brush or wallpaper smoother to press the strips flat.
• An 18 mm snap-off knife with spare snap-off blades: a sharp blade cuts cleanly and does not tear wet wallpaper.
• A wide 150 mm filling knife as a cutting guide at the ceiling and skirting, and a 100 mm filling knife to fill holes.
• A paint scraper, a multifunctional scraper and a 12-litre bucket to remove old wallpaper.
• A grit 120 sanding block to sand filled spots smooth.
• A sturdy household stepladder with 4 steps and a platform and a pasting table or another clean, flat work table.
• An insulated screwdriver set to unscrew the cover plates of switches and sockets.

Personal protective equipment

Wear work gloves with nitrile coating against paste, water and sharp blades, and safety goggles when working overhead, scraping and sanding. Use knee pads when you work low down at the skirting and an FFP2 dust mask when sanding filler and old plaster. Sturdy work trousers and safety shoes with a non-slip sole make the work safer, especially on the stepladder. Choose your own size.

How do you prepare the wall?

A neat wallpapering job starts with the surface. Wallpaper hides very little: every bump, grain or old seam will show later. The wall must be clean, dry, flat and sound.

Removing old wallpaper

Always remove old wallpaper first. New wallpaper over old wallpaper adheres poorly and may come loose later. Wet paper wallpaper with warm water and a sponge or roller, let it soak briefly and scrape it off with the paint scraper. With vinyl and non-woven wallpaper you can often peel off the top layer dry first. Work carefully so you do not damage the plaster. Read more about scrapers and filling knives in our blog on putty knives, sanding tools and scrapers.

⚠️ Do you live in a house built before 1994 and are you unsure about decorative plaster or an old sprayed layer under the wallpaper? Then stop scraping or sanding and have it tested first. Removing asbestos is a job for a certified company.

Filling holes and sanding

Fill nail holes, plug holes and small cracks with lightweight filler (Speedline Filler Light) and the 100 mm filling knife. Let the filler dry as stated on the packaging and then sand it flat with the grit 120 sanding block. Wear your dust mask and safety goggles while you do this. Read which grit to choose in our blog on buying sanding blocks and sandpaper. Is the plaster loose or hollow, or are there large holes? Then plastering is needed first. Read our blog on plastering a wall or call in a plasterer.

Priming

Brush or vacuum the dust off the wall. Prime absorbent surfaces, such as new plaster, plasterboard or sanded spots, with deep-penetrating primer. This stops the paste from drying out too quickly and lets you slide the strips into place more easily. Let the primer dry as stated on the packaging before you start wallpapering.

Damp and mould

Never wallpaper a damp wall or over mould. Find the cause of the damp first. Tackle small mould spots as described in our blog on removing mould from walls. For recurring damp or large patches, call in a professional.

Switches and sockets

Around switches and sockets you only work on the cover plates. First switch off the circuit in the fuse box that supplies the switches and sockets on this wall. Check that the power is really off, for example with a lamp plugged into that socket. Then use the insulated screwdriver set to unscrew only the cover plates. Leave the wall boxes and wiring alone.

⚠️ Do you see loose wires, a loose wall box or damage to the electrics? Stop and have a registered electrician take a look. Work on the electrical installation is not a DIY job.

Protecting the room

Lay strong protective foil on the floor and tape off skirting boards and frames with blue painter's tape. Do you still want to paint the ceiling or another wall? Do that before wallpapering, see our blog on painting a wall. Read more about masking and covering in our blog on masking tape and protective film.

How do you wallpaper a wall, step by step?

Preferably work in pairs: one person measures, cuts and pastes, the other hangs and smooths. Make sure the room is well lit and free of draughts, bright sun or high heating, so the paste does not dry too quickly.

1. Choose your starting point. Preferably start next to a window or in a corner that is not very noticeable, and work away from the light. That way the seams are least visible.
2. Mark a plumb line. Measure one strip width minus about 1 cm from the corner. Use the 120 cm spirit level and the carpenter pencil to draw a thin, vertical line there from ceiling to skirting. Walls and corners are rarely perfectly straight; the first strip along this line determines whether the rest hangs straight. Mark a new plumb line on every new wall.
3. Cut the strips to size with extra length. Measure the height of the wall in a few places with the tape measure. Cut each strip about 5 cm longer at the top and bottom, so you have room to trim neatly. Number the strips on the back and mark which end is the top.
4. Watch the pattern repeat. With patterned wallpaper the design must continue from strip to strip. The label shows the pattern repeat and whether it is a straight or offset match. Lay the strips side by side on the table, match the pattern and add one repeat to the length.
5. Mix the paste. Mix the wallpaper paste in a clean 12-litre bucket as stated on the packaging and let it stand for the stated time. Always use paste that suits your type of wallpaper.
6. Apply the paste in the right place. For non-woven wallpaper, use the 25 cm roller to roll an even layer of paste onto the wall, slightly wider than one strip. Do corners and edges with the wide Stalco wallpaper brush. For paper wallpaper, paste the back of the strip on the table, fold both ends loosely towards the middle (paste side to paste side, without a sharp crease) and let the strip soak as stated on the packaging. Give every strip the same soaking time, so all strips expand equally.
7. Hang the first strip along the plumb line. Place the strip at the top against the ceiling with some extra length and let it drop down along the plumb line. Slide it exactly against the line with flat hands.
8. Smooth the strip. Smooth the strip with a soft smoothing brush or wallpaper smoother, working from the middle up, down and out to the sides. This pushes air and excess paste out. Wipe paste off the front straight away with a damp sponge.
9. Trim at the top and bottom. Press the wide 150 mm filling knife firmly into the corner against the ceiling or skirting and cut along the blade with the 18 mm snap-off knife. Move the filling knife along each time and keep the blade in the wallpaper. Snap off a section of blade regularly: a blunt blade tears wet wallpaper.
10. Butt the seams. Hang the next strip tight against the previous one, without overlap and without a gap. This is called butting. Slide the strip into place and check that the pattern matches. Press the seam gently; too much pressure squeezes paste out of the seam.
11. Finish corners, windows and sockets. In an internal corner, let the strip run a few centimetres around the corner. Mark a new plumb line on the new wall and let the next strip start there. At a window or door, hang the strip over it, make a diagonal cut to the corner of the frame and trim the rest along the filling knife. At a socket (circuit off, cover plate removed), hang the strip over it, cut a small cross in the middle, fold back the flaps and trim them inside the edge of the cover plate.
12. Let it dry and finish off. Let the wallpaper dry as stated on the packaging, without draughts and without turning the heating up high. Then screw the cover plates back on and switch the circuit back on.

Which mistakes are easy to make?

• Wallpapering over old wallpaper, dust or an absorbent wall without primer.
• Starting without a plumb line, so all strips run crooked.
• Too little extra length, or not allowing for the pattern repeat.
• Paste in the wrong place: hanging paper wallpaper without soaking, or pasting the back of non-woven wallpaper when the packaging does not ask for it.
• Varying soaking times with paper wallpaper, so strips expand unevenly and seams open up later.
• Cutting with a blunt blade, which tears wet wallpaper.
• Letting paste residue dry on the front.
• Mixing rolls with different batch numbers.
• Standing on a chair or table instead of a sturdy stepladder.

How do you work safely?

• Stepladder: use a sturdy household stepladder with 4 steps and a platform on a flat, clean floor. Open it fully, do not stand higher than the instructions allow and move the ladder rather than reaching far to the side. A chair, table or stool is not a ladder.
• Hands: work gloves with nitrile coating protect against paste and sharp blades. Always cut away from your body.
• Eyes: safety goggles against paste splashes when working overhead and against dust when sanding.
• Knees: knee pads when trimming along the skirting.
• Dust: an FFP2 dust mask when sanding and scraping.
• Clothing and feet: work trousers and safety shoes with grip; paste on the floor is slippery.
• Blades: keep snapped-off blade sections in a closed container or wrap them in tape before throwing them away.

Read more about working safely in our blog on safe working on the construction site.

💡 Put trimmed offcuts straight into a rubbish bag. Wet strips on the floor are slippery and stick to your shoes.

👷 For a high stairwell, a void, a ceiling or many rooms at once, a professional is never unnecessary. A scaffold is often needed there, along with experience in handling long strips. A paperhanger works faster and more safely, and the result is neater.

Frequently asked questions

Should I apply the paste to the wallpaper or to the wall?

That depends on the wallpaper. With non-woven wallpaper you apply the paste to the wall. With paper wallpaper you paste the back of the wallpaper and let it soak. The label or packaging tells you what applies to your wallpaper.

Can I hang new wallpaper over old wallpaper?

We advise against it. The wet paste can loosen the old layer, so everything comes away later. Remove old wallpaper and make the wall smooth, clean and dry.

How many rolls of wallpaper do I need?

Measure the width of the walls and the height. Work out how many strips you get from each roll: the roll length divided by the wall height plus extra length and pattern repeat. Always take an extra roll with the same batch number.

Do I need to prime the wall?

Yes, on absorbent surfaces such as new plaster, plasterboard and sanded spots. With deep-penetrating primer the paste dries out less quickly and the wallpaper adheres better. Follow the drying time on the packaging.

What do I do about air bubbles?

Smooth larger bubbles out to the side straight after hanging. Small blisters in fresh wallpaper often disappear as it dries. If a bubble remains after drying, prick it with a sharp blade and press it down.

Can I wallpaper around sockets myself?

Yes, if you only unscrew the cover plates after switching off the circuit in the fuse box. Leave wall boxes, wires and everything behind the cover plate alone; that is work for a registered electrician.

Read also: our blog on painting a wall, our blog on putty knives, sanding tools and scrapers and our blog on masking tape and protective film.

Where can you find everything for this job?

At Saniso, the online store for DIYers and professionals, you will find tools, materials and personal protective equipment for your job.

• Browse our construction tools and our workwear and safety.
• Create a customer account and order easily.
• Working on a bigger project or want to hand over the job? Request a project quote.
• Book a showroom visit, at least 24 hours in advance.
• Not sure which material suits your job? Get in touch with us.

In doubt about the approach? Feel free to call in a professional.

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