MyHammer Newsroom UK

Hanging Wallpaper takes time and patience, so be warned: if you are short on either of these then you are better off leaving it to a professional. We do not guarantee results with our tips below and as always, our motto is that if you do not have any experience it is better to find a professional decorator. If you do decide to DIY, you will need the following materials:

* Wallpaper

* Scissors

* Wallpaper Paste

* Pasting Table

* Pasting Brush

* A tape measure

* A seam roller

* A Spirit Level

* A blunt pencil

* Paper hanging Brush

* Plumb line

The first thing to do is to make sure that the wall is free from dirt or grease and that there is no flaking plaster. If there is flaking plaster, take a look at the section on plastering. The wall surface must be free of cracks, holes or loose plaster. You can make sure that the wall surface is smooth by simply sanding it lightly.

One of the first things to consider is how much wallpaper you will need. It is a good idea to measure the height of the wall in a few different places as it is almost never even all the way round.

You need to start by marking your starting point with a pencil. Take the plumb line or spirit level and ensure that the line is straight as this will be your leading edge, then note how many lengths of paper you will need to reach the corner. The corners of the rooms will most likely not be 100% vertical – we’ll come to this later. The length of the paper should be the length of the wall, with a 10cm allowance for trimming.

You are now ready to paste the paper. Place a length of paper face down on the table and apply the paste as evenly as possible with your pasting brush. You can get prepared paste or prepare your own, just check the pack for instructions. Allow the paper to soak for as long as indicated.

NB: You can fold the wallpaper into a concertina, but make sure not to crease the edge – this makes it more manageable and easier to hang.

Once the first sheet is ready, hold the top against the wall and allow about 5cm of additional paper above the top of the wall. Make sure you align the paper with the vertical start line which you drew in pencil. Let the paper hang loosely from the top and then use your papering brush to flatten the wallpaper against the wall, moving from top to bottom. Make sure the stick is as smooth as possible to avoid any air bubbles forming. You should have about 5cm of additional paper at the top of the wall. You can then use your scissors or a ruler to push the paper right into the corner between the wall and the ceiling/skirting board. Once you’ve established the crease line, pull the paper off the wall a little and trim away the excess wallpaper. Simply smooth the paper back on to the wall and admire your work!

With subsequent lengths, make sure you align any pattern correctly before hanging the paper. Place the paper loosely on the wall again and then make sure the edges push up against one another. Once aligned and hung, you can use the seam roller to smooth the edges down.

When you paper into a corner you should be aware that the corner will never be 100% vertical. For this reason, you should paper into the corner leaving about 2cm surplus paper – wallpaper around the corner and use scissors or a ruler to crease the corner edge then trim away the surplus paper, leaving 2 cm of paper. You will then hang the next piece of paper over this surplus, making sure that it is 100% vertical. The surplus paper means that any imperfections, however vertical the corner is, are safely masked.

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Tags: wallpaper

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