Looking to learn how to hang wallpaper flawlessly? Read our quick step-by-step guide today.
Wallpaper can be an incredible way to bring a room to life with personality, vibrancy and originality. From vintage floral designs to subtle, abstract styles that speak of contemporary sophistication, there are a range of colour palettes and patterns to choose from to reflect your individual style. If you’re ready to transform your bedroom or living area with head-turning wallpaper, it’s key to handle the task with precision and accuracy, which is where our wallpaper hanging tips come into play. From expert techniques on how to put up wallpaper like a professional, to all the tools required to complete your job to the highest possible standard, our useful guide contains all the essentials to have your room looking incredible.
Master this challenging decorating task in no time at all with our handy tips on how to wallpaper a room and quickly become a wallpaper hanging hero!
Before delving into our how to hang wallpaper expertise, it’s important to properly prepare the room to avoid mess and damage to the surrounding area. Begin by moving all furniture from the room and laying down a Seriously Good Double Protection Dust Sheet. We highly recommend taping the dust sheet in place with some Essentials Masking Tape to avoid unnecessary accidents. If you are using a ladder to apply your wallpaper, always refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines as this may require adjusting the dust sheet for safety purposes.
To ensure your walls are immaculate and ready to receive new wallpaper, we recommend checking out our guides on removing old wallpaper, fixing a hole and fixing a crack in the wall. Once you’ve achieved enviably smooth walls free from imperfections and debris, it’s time to head onto the next vital step!
When it comes to applying wallpaper flawlessly, this next step is small but vital. Look at the roll of wallpaper you’re looking to purchase and locate the batch numbers. Before you buy more than one roll of paper check that all batch numbers match. Different batch numbers can have very slightly different pigments which will instantly ruin the pattern when 2 batches sit on the wall alongside one another with different tones. Be sure to check batch numbers in-store to avoid your first wallpaper faux pas!
In this step of how to hang wallpaper, you’ll learn how to wallpaper a room perfectly from the first attempt. Begin in the centre of the wall and make a small pencil mark at the top. Hold a Seriously Good Plumb Bob up against the mark, then make a second mark where the plumb bob settles at the bottom. This technique will create an accurate straight line to hang your wallpaper against. To ensure even more accuracy before hanging, you can take a length of timber cut-to-size and draw a pencil line between the two existing marks.
An equally important step is measuring the height of your wall and paper to ensure a seamless application. Start by rolling out a length of your stunning new wallpaper on the Seriously Good Paper Hanging Table to make sure all measurements are correct.
Your table can be laid out indoors or outdoors depending on what your preferences are. Next, measure your wall height against the paper, factoring in 100mm at each end, then begin to cut your paper with the Seriously Good Paper Hanging Scissors. Taking an Essentials 2 Litre Paint Kettle, mix some wallpaper paste and apply to the back of the paper using a Seriously Good Paste Brush. Present your paper up to the wall and take care to line this up with your pencil line.
Use the Seriously Good Paper Hanging Brush to smooth the paper to the wall. Work from the top and centre of the paper downwards ensuring that no creases or air bubbles are left. Once you’re satisfied that the paper is applied smoothly to the wall, use the Seriously Good Paper Hanging Knife to trim the excess lengths at the top and bottom.
Well done, you have your first piece of wallpaper up and looking amazing!
The next step on how to hang wallpaper, is to repeat the process of measuring a length of paper with 100mm of additional space at the top and bottom, apply the paste and present it to the wall. Move the second piece up or down until the pattern matches the first piece. Lightly press onto the wall and smooth down with the paper hanging brush. To complete the process, use the Seriously Soft Seam Roller to roll the seams between the pieces of wallpaper for a beautifully smooth join. You’ve now mastered the art of applying wallpaper like an expert, simply repeat until your wall is covered!
Steps five and six will deal with technically complicated sections of the room. Jump to this section to see how to hang wallpaper around detail areas such as a light switch or door frame!
If you’re looking to learn how to hang wallpaper around a door frame, you’ve come to the right place! Start by hanging your wallpaper as normal, then cut a diagonal line in the wallpaper following the corner of the door frame using your paper hanging scissors. Next, smooth the wallpaper into the edges of the door and carefully trim with the Seriously Good Paper Hanging Knife. This expert tip will help you achieve a precise and enviable finish.
To apply wallpaper around more intricate areas such as a light switch, hang the wallpaper as normal, over the light switch! You then need to cut a small hole using your paper hanging knife or scissors. Widen the hole by cutting an X connecting the edges of the light switch or plug socket fixture. Trim the triangular pieces away leaving a hole with the light switch underneath. Now unscrew the switch cover slightly and use the Essentials Wallpaper Smoother to push the paper under the switch for a perfect finish. Finally, clean the switch off with a Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth to remove any dust and watch your wallpaper shine.
Head to our Tip Exchange or Let’s Plan section today for more decorating inspiration and take your home to the next level.
