How to Hang Wallpaper

This is our full step-by-step method. Read it through once before you start. Take your time on the first strip — once you've hung one, the rest fall into rhythm.

What you'll need

Your wallpaper (all rolls from the same batch)
Wallpaper paste suited to your paper (check the product page)
A pasting brush or roller
A sharp snap-off knife and plenty of fresh blades
A wallpaper smoothing tool (a plastic smoother)
A clean sponge and bucket of water
A pencil, tape measure, and a spirit level
A stepladder
A wide filling/putty knife (to guide your trim cuts)

Step 1 — Prep the wall

Walls must be clean, dry, smooth, and sound. Fill any holes, sand bumps, and wipe off dust. This step decides how good the finished job looks — don't skip it. See Prepping Your Walls for the detail.

Step 2 — Find your starting line

Walls are never perfectly straight, so don't trust the corner. Measure out from your starting corner slightly less than the width of your roll, and use a spirit level to draw a true vertical pencil line. This line — not the wall — keeps your wallpaper straight all the way along.

Step 3 — Cut your first drop

Measure your wall height and add about 10cm — 5cm spare top and bottom for trimming. Cut your first strip. If there's a pattern, lay the next strip beside the roll to match the pattern before cutting, so the design lines up.

Step 4 — Paste

Paste-the-wall: roll paste onto the wall, covering an area a little wider than one strip.
Traditional paste: paste the back of the strip, fold the pasted sides gently to the middle (don't crease), and leave it to soak for the time on the instructions.

Always follow the timing on your wallpaper's own instructions.

Step 5 — Hang the first drop

Line the edge of the strip to your pencil line, leaving your 5cm overlap at the ceiling. Smooth from the centre outwards and top to bottom with your smoother, pushing out air bubbles as you go. Don't stretch the paper.

Step 6 — Trim top and bottom

Run your filling knife into the join at the ceiling and skirting to crease the paper, then cut along it with a fresh, sharp blade. Change blades often — a dull blade tears. Wipe any paste off the surface with your damp sponge straight away.

Step 7 — Hang the next drops

Bring each new strip up against the last so the edges butt together — touching, not overlapping — and the pattern matches. Smooth, trim, wipe. Repeat across the wall.

Step 8 — Corners, windows and doors

Don't try to wrap a whole strip around a corner — walls aren't square and it'll wrinkle. Cut the strip to wrap about 2cm around the corner, then start a fresh plumb line on the new wall. Around windows and doors, hang the strip over the opening, then trim it to fit.

Common first-timer questions

Bubbles? Small ones usually vanish as the paper dries. For a stubborn one, smooth it firmly to the nearest edge.
Edges lifting? A dab of overlap/seam adhesive and a firm press fixes it.
Pattern drifting? Usually uneven soak times on traditional paste — keep every strip's timing identical.