Essential Tips for Hanging Wallpaper - A Beginner's Guide

Have you been thinking about redecorating at home? Whether you've recenlty moved into a new house or need to give your old house a bit of a makeover, redecorating with a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper can make all the difference.

Wallpapering can be a tricky job for beginners, so you'll want to be as careful as possible so that you don’t end up with wonky wallpaper! If you haven’t had much experience with DIY around the house, take a look at our step-by-step guide to hanging wallpaper below.

What You'll Need

The most important thing to think about when hanging wallpaper is how much mess you’re about to make! With that in mind, make sure you have plenty of newspaper or old sheets you can cover the floor with, along with old clothing you don’t mind getting covered in wallpaper paste.

Our Harris Taskmasters Wallpaper Hanging Set is the ideal pack to get you started, given that it includes a stripping knife, seam roller, paper hanging brush and trimming knife. In addition, you will also need wallpaper paste, a pasting table such as our Harris Taskmasters Paste Table, a pencil and a plumb line.

1. Assess the Wall Surface

Image credit: Anton Estrada

Before you start trying to hang new wallpaper, it’s worth checking the old surface first. Old wallpaper will need to be removed using a stripping knife or our Earlex Wallpaper Stripper. Once the old wallpaper has been removed to the best of your ability, check for any imperfections such as holes - use filler to smooth over holes and wait to dry before moving on.

2. Measure & Cut

Using our Rolson Auto Lock Tape Measure, measure the wall height and width, along with the width of the wallpaper strips you’re planning to apply. This will help you work out exactly how many widths you’ll be able to apply before needing to cut a strip in half or one that is overlapping if the pattern allows. Based on these measurements, you can cut the paper using your trimming knife to the required length and width.

3. Apply Paste & Stick

Lay your length of wallpaper out on your pasting table before covering the blank side with a liberal coating of Bartoline Ready Mixed Wallcovering Adhesive or Solvite Ready to Roll Wallpaper Adhesive, which are both strong and smooth so you don’t end up with an uneven surface. Take your time to line up the wallpaper with the ceiling or coving, all the way down to the floor or skirting. You can always trim again if necessary to get the exact length.

B&M Top Tip: use a plumb line to help you line up your wallpaper, which will make sure each length is perfectly straight. Alternatively, choose a wallpaper design with a vertical pattern to make it much easier for you to line up correctly.

4. Smooth onto the Wall

Press each width of wallpaper lightly onto the surface of the wall when first applying. Once it is attached, you can then smooth out every width of paper you have affixed using a wallpaper hanging brush, which will allow you to remove any air bubbles or imperfections. Pressing too hard might make the wallpaper move out of line so be careful.

B&M Top Tip: when smoothing, you will often find that excess paste or adhesive will emerge from underneath the wallpaper. Use a piece of kitchen roll or newspaper to wipe down the seam, removing any excess paste.

5. Trim & Repeat

Make sure to smooth the paper up to each edge and trim as required. You can either cut using the trimming knife or use a pencil to mark a straight line, before peeling back the wallpaper and cutting using scissors. Discard excess wallpaper trimmings and wipe off any excess paste before moving on. Repeat the same steps to apply the next section of wallpaper until you have covered the entire surface.

Have you finished redecorating your home? Remember to share all your best interior design pictures over on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for everyone to see!