How to Hang and Apply Traditional Wallpaper
Hanging our 150gsm paste-the-wall paper, from marking your first vertical line to trimming the last length, and why this kind of wallpaper is far easier than the paper most people remember
Traditional paste-the-wall wallpaper is hung dry onto a pasted wall. You mark a vertical line, paste an area slightly wider than one length, hang the paper straight from the roll or from a cut length, smooth from the centre outwards, butt the next length against it and trim top and bottom. There is no soaking, no folding and no pasting table.
This is our standard paper: 150gsm, super-matte, smooth, non-woven, butt-joined, on a 48cm × 10.05m roll. It is the easiest wallpaper there is to hang, and the method below is the one to follow if this is your first time.
Why paste-the-wall is easier
Older wallpapers were paper-backed. Paste was applied to the paper, the paper was folded onto itself and left to soak, and it expanded while it waited, which is why so many people remember wallpapering as a fight with a wet, growing, tearing sheet.
Non-woven paper does not absorb water in the same way, so it does not expand and does not need soaking. That changes three things:
- The paste goes on the wall, so you never handle a wet, heavy length.
- Nothing expands, so a length that lines up when you hang it still lines up when it dries.
- You can slide the paper on the wet paste for a minute or two to get the join exactly right.
It also means you can hang straight from the roll on a full-height wall. Offer the roll up, hang, then cut at the skirting, which is faster than measuring and cutting every length.
What you'll need
- Ready-mixed paste-the-wall adhesive, and a bucket
- Paste brush for edges and a short-pile roller for the middle
- Tape measure, pencil, spirit level or laser level
- Snap-off knife with plenty of spare blades, or wallpaper scissors
- Broad filling knife to trim against
- Smoothing brush or plastic smoother
- Seam roller
- Clean, dry white cloths
- Step ladder, dust sheets, and a clean surface to cut on
We supply wallpaper only, so adhesive and tools come from a decorating merchant. Ask for a ready-mixed paste-the-wall adhesive, which is the only type you need for this paper.
Before you start
- Check the wall is solid, clean, dry, flat and dust-free, with any new paint cured for thirty days.
- Check your rolls. Open them all and confirm the design and colourway are what you ordered before you hang anything.
- Let the rolls sit in the room for a few hours if they have come in from the cold.
- Work out where the first length goes.
Step 1: Mark your vertical line
Measure 48cm out from your starting point and draw a light pencil line from ceiling to skirting with a spirit level or laser. Every length is hung to this line, not to the corner. Corners are never truly vertical, and a pattern hung to one will drift further out with every length.
Step 2: Cut your first lengths
- Measure the wall height and add 3cm at the ceiling and 3cm at the skirting. That margin is there to be trimmed off once the length is on the wall.
- Round that up to the next whole multiple of the pattern repeat, which is listed on the product page.
- Cut two or three lengths, matching the pattern against the previous one before each cut.
- Number the back of each length in pencil so they go up in the order you cut them.
Cut a few at a time rather than the whole wall. Ceilings run out of level and you will want room to adjust.
Step 3: Paste the wall
Paste an area about 60cm wide, slightly wider than the 48cm length, from ceiling to skirting.
- Cut in the edges with a brush: into the corner, up to the ceiling line and down over the skirting.
- Fill the middle with the roller, evenly, without puddles.
- Take the paste past where the seam will fall. A dry strip at the edge of a length is the single most common cause of a seam lifting a fortnight later.
Step 4: Hang the length
- Carry the length up dry.
- Set the top first, leaving your 3cm overlap above the ceiling line.
- Line the edge against your pencil line and let the rest fall down the wall.
- Check the edge is still on the line before you smooth. While the paste is wet the paper will slide a centimetre or two.
Step 5: Smooth it out
Work from the centre of the length outwards and downwards with the smoothing brush or plastic smoother, in steady overlapping strokes, pushing air and surplus paste towards the edges.
Do not scrub at it. This paper is thin and smooth, and over-working it stretches the length very slightly, which shows up as a gap at the seam once it dries and pulls back.
Step 6: Trim top and bottom
- Crease the paper into the ceiling line and along the top of the skirting with the back of the smoother.
- Hold a broad filling knife along the crease and cut against it with a sharp blade.
- Snap the blade on every couple of cuts. A dull blade drags and tears damp paper, and that ragged edge cannot be fixed afterwards.
If paste gets on the face of the paper, lift it straight away with a clean, slightly damp white cloth. Never scrub, and never use a wet sponge or a coloured cloth. This is paper and ink, and paste dried onto a super-matte surface leaves a mark you will see in daylight.
Step 7: Hang the next length
- Paste the next section of wall, again slightly wider than the length.
- Bring the next length up beside the last one and set the top.
- Match the pattern at eye level first, then slide the length sideways until the two edges meet.
- Smooth, then run a seam roller gently down the join.
The edges butt. They never overlap. Our designs are a straight match, so the pattern lines up across at the same height on every length.
Step 8: Work round the room
Keep going in one direction until you come back to where you started. That is why the starting point should be the most inconspicuous place in the room, behind a door, or the corner you see least from the doorway. The last join in a room is almost never a perfect pattern match, and that is normal on every wallpaper in every house.
Step 9: Let it dry
Close the windows, leave the heating at its normal setting and let the wall dry for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Drying it fast is what opens seams, because a draught or a blast of heat dries the surface before the paste behind has gripped.
Small bubbles while the paper is damp are normal and almost always disappear.
Getting the best from a super-matte paper
The finish on our traditional paper is deliberately flat, which is what gives the colour its depth. It also means the surface shows what you do to it:
- Keep your hands and tools clean. Paste on a smoothing brush transfers to the next length.
- Do not over-roll the seams. Firm pressure on a matte surface can leave a faint shine.
- Handle cut lengths by the edges, and do not crease them.
- Fold a length loosely, printed side in, if you need to carry it, but never crease the fold.
Where this paper works best
Bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, nurseries, studies and hallways with ordinary traffic. For a room that takes knocks and steam, such as a kitchen, a bathroom or a busy family hallway, our heavy-grade paper is the better choice. For a rented flat, look at our peel and stick paper.
Do I paste the wall or the paper?
The wall. This is a non-woven paste-the-wall paper, so the adhesive goes on the wall and the paper is hung dry.
Does the paper need soaking or booking first?
No. Soaking and folding belongs to older paper-backed wallpapers and to most American papers. Non-woven paper goes straight onto the pasted wall.
Can I hang it straight from the roll?
Yes, on a full-height wall. Hang from the top and cut at the skirting. Cutting lengths first is easier around windows, doors and low ceilings.
What paste should I use?
A ready-mixed paste-the-wall adhesive. Nothing else is needed for this paper.
How much can I move the paper once it's up?
A centimetre or two, for the first minute or two while the paste is wet. After that, lift the length off and re-hang it rather than dragging it.
Should the seams overlap?
No. Butt-join, edge to edge. An overlap leaves a permanent ridge.
How long before I can put furniture back?
Twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and keep furniture slightly off the wall for the first day so the air can move behind it.
