DIY GUIDE · HOME REPAIRS & HANDYMAN

How to hang wallpaper yourself
A weekend for a bedroom. £60–£150 in paper, paste and tools.

Choose the paper and paste, prepare the wall, count rolls with the repeat in, and hang the first drop true.

DIFFICULTY
Moderate
no licence needed
TIME
A weekend
a day to strip, fill and line, a day to hang; a feature wall is a long morning
MATERIALS
£60–£150
for a bedroom in a mid-price paper, with paste, lining paper and tools
A PRO CHARGES
£120–£600
typically £350
  • Every step, start to finish
  • Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
  • Honest about when to call a pro

FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER

Do it yourself, or get a handymen?

Do it yourself if…

  • The walls are sound and dry, and the old paper comes off cleanly
  • You can reach the ceiling line from a step-ladder
  • The paper is a standard roll, paste-the-wall or paste-the-paper
  • You can work patiently: a crooked first drop means starting again

Get a pro if…

  • Stairwells and double-height halls, where the drops are long and the work is at height
  • Expensive, hand-printed or grasscloth papers that cannot be wiped or forgiven
  • Heavy embossed or textured papers, murals on many panels, or ceilings
  • Walls with damp, crumbling plaster, or old paper that tears off the plaster with it

Safety first

  • Use a step-ladder on a level floor, facing the wall, and do not stand on the top three steps without a handhold. HSE names hanging wallpaper as a stepladder task where the lack of a handhold has to be justified.
  • Turn off the circuits for the sockets and switches on the wall before loosening faceplates or cutting paper round them.
  • A steamer is boiling water on a pole. Keep it away from your face and hands, and work in short sections.
  • In an older house, painted paper may have lead paint under it. Do not dry-sand or burn it; strip it wet.
  • Keep snapped-off blade sections in a closed container, not on the floor.

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
WallpaperStandard roll 10.05 m × 53 cm; repeat and match on the labelCount with the calculation below, plus one roll
Wallpaper pasteMixed for the paper type, per the pack's tableOne pack sized for the number of rolls
Lining paperIn grades; heavier hides moreSame area as the wallpaper, if lining
Filler and sugar soapTo repair and clean the wall before liningAs needed

How many rolls

36 m² of wall → 135.8 L for 2 coats. Buy about 136 L.

Drops = room perimeter ÷ roll width, rounded up. Drop length = wall height + the pattern repeat + a trimming allowance top and bottom. Drops per roll = roll length ÷ drop length, rounded down. Rolls = drops ÷ drops per roll, rounded up. A room with a 14 m perimeter and 2.4 m walls, in a paper with a 53 cm width and a 53 cm repeat: 14 ÷ 0.53 = 26.4, so 27 drops; drop length 2.4 + 0.53 + 0.1 = 3.03 m; 10.05 ÷ 3.03 = 3 drops per roll; 27 ÷ 3 = 9 rolls, plus one spare = 10.

Subtract nothing for doors and windows on a patterned paper; the offcuts rarely match. Buy all the rolls from one batch.

Paste-the-wall or paste-the-paper

A paste-the-wall paper is hung dry from the roll onto pasted wall, and is the easiest for a first-timer: no soaking time, no trestle needed. A traditional paper is pasted on the back on a table, folded and left to soak before hanging. The roll label says which it is, and what soak time it needs if any. One maker's own hanging guide is clear that paste-the-wall paper goes up dry.

The paste must match the paper

All-purpose pastes are mixed thicker or thinner for light, standard, vinyl or heavy papers, and the pack has a table. Paste-the-wall papers need a paste made for the method. Heavy embossed and vinyl papers want a stronger mix. Mix with cold water, stir briskly, leave it to stand as the pack says, and stir again before use.

Lining paper first, usually

Lining paper gives an even, uniformly absorbent surface that holds the paper and hides fine cracks. The same maker recommends lining before wallpaper for the best result, and for the best of all, crosslining — hanging the lining horizontally so its joins never sit under the wallpaper seams. Lining paper comes in grades; a thicker grade hides more.

Pattern repeat and match

A plain paper or a free match can be hung from any point. A straight match lines up across the drop at the same height. An offset or drop match shifts every other drop by half the repeat. The roll label shows the repeat in centimetres and the match type, and the repeat decides how much paper each drop wastes.

Batch numbers

Every roll carries a batch number for its print run, and two batches of the same design can differ in shade. Buy all the rolls you need, plus one, from the same batch, and check the numbers before you open any.

A standard roll here is 10.05 m long and 53 cm wide; check yours, because some designs and imports differ.
Hang a sample piece on the wall for a day before ordering a room's worth.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Preparing the wall — by what you are papering over

Find your wall below. The paper is only as good as the surface under it, and every case ends with a clean, dry, sound wall.

Old wallpaper

The usual starting point.

  1. Strip it all; new paper over old lifts at the seams and bubbles
  2. Score vinyl or painted paper so water or steam can get behind it
  3. Steam or soak a section at a time and scrape at a low angle so you do not gouge the plaster
  4. Wash the paste residue off with warm water and let the wall dry fully
Painted plaster

Emulsion on a sound wall.

  1. Wash with sugar soap and rinse, to remove grease
  2. Key a sheen finish lightly so paste can grip
  3. Fill cracks and holes and sand them flat
  4. Size the wall with diluted paste, or line it, so the paper can be slid into place
New plaster

Bare, pink, very absorbent.

  1. Let it dry completely, which takes weeks
  2. Seal it with a coat of size or a diluted paste mix as the paste pack says
  3. Line it; bare plaster sucks paste out and the paper shrinks back at the seams
  4. Check for any fine cracks after drying and fill them first
Uneven or cracked walls

Old walls with patches, hairline cracks and dips.

  1. Fill the worst of it and sand flat
  2. Hang a heavier grade of lining paper, horizontally
  3. Leave the lining to dry for a day before papering
  4. For badly cracked plaster, a thicker fibre liner bridges more
Kitchens and bathrooms

Steam, splashes and grease.

  1. Use a vinyl or washable paper and a paste with a fungicide
  2. Clean grease off with sugar soap and rinse twice
  3. Keep paper away from direct splashes behind taps and hobs
  4. Let the room ventilate fully while the paste dries
Older houses

Lath and plaster, many layers of old paper and paint.

  1. Strip carefully: old lime plaster can come away with the paper
  2. If the paper is painted, the paint underneath may contain lead; do not dry-sand it
  3. Wet the paper rather than steaming hard on fragile plaster
  4. Line the walls after any patching

THE JOB

How to hang wallpaper, in order

  1. Set up and turn off the power to the wall

    30 min

    Clear the room, lay dust sheets and set the step-ladder and a bucket of clean water where you will work. Turn off the circuits for the sockets and switches on the walls you are papering, and loosen their faceplates a few millimetres so the paper can be trimmed and tucked behind. Mix the paste as the pack's table says for your paper and let it stand. Read the wall prep above for your wall and make sure it is done.

    • Unroll every roll a little and check the batch number and that the pattern is the right way up
    • Keep a damp sponge and a clean towel on the ladder
    • Work towards the light: start by the main window and work away from it, so seams do not cast shadows

    Mistake to avoid: Papering round tight faceplates. You cut round them by eye, and the edge always shows.

  2. Strip, fill and line the walls

    1 day

    Strip all the old paper, wash off the residue and let the walls dry. Fill and sand. Then hang lining paper, horizontally if you are crosslining, butted at the joins and trimmed at the corners. Let it dry for a day. This is the part that decides whether the wallpaper lies flat, so do not skip it on a wall that needs it.

    • Butt lining joins edge to edge without overlap
    • Leave a tiny gap at the ceiling and skirting rather than tucking lining into the angle
    • Lightly sand any lining joins that stand proud

    Mistake to avoid: Hanging wallpaper the same afternoon as the lining. The lining is still damp, and both shrink as they dry, opening every seam.

  3. Mark the first plumb line

    15 min

    Measure from the corner of the first wall a distance a little less than one roll width, so the first drop will turn a few millimetres onto the next wall. Hang a plumb line from the ceiling at that point, or use a long spirit level, and draw a vertical pencil line the full height of the wall. This line, not the corner, is what the first drop's edge follows.

    • On a wall with a chimney breast, centre the first drop on the breast instead
    • Draw a new plumb line on every wall after turning a corner
    • Use a hard pencil and a light line; soft pencil shows through thin paper

    Mistake to avoid: Hanging the first drop against the corner. Corners are rarely vertical, and the pattern drifts further off with every drop.

  4. Cut the drops with the pattern in mind

    30 min

    Measure the wall height and add the trimming allowance at top and bottom. For a patterned paper, decide where the pattern should sit at the ceiling line — a complete motif just below the ceiling looks best — and cut the first drop from there. Cut each next drop by matching its edge against the last one on the table, so the pattern lines up, and number them on the back in pencil.

    • For an offset match, alternate drops from two rolls to waste less
    • Mark the top of each drop on the back with an arrow
    • Cut three or four at a time, not the whole room

    Mistake to avoid: Cutting all the drops to the wall height without allowing for the repeat. Half the pieces then cannot be matched to their neighbours.

  5. Paste: the wall, or the paper

    15 min

    For paste-the-wall paper, roll paste onto the wall a little wider than one drop, covering the edges well. For paste-the-paper, lay the drop face down on the table, paste it evenly from the middle out to the edges, and fold it loosely, paste to paste, into a concertina — booking it — then leave it to soak for the time on the roll label. Paste and hang drops in sequence so each has the same soak time.

    • Paste a couple of centimetres beyond the width of the paper on the wall, as one maker advises
    • Keep paste off the table edges and the paper's face
    • Soak every drop for exactly the same time, or they stretch differently and the seams open

    Mistake to avoid: Leaving paste-the-paper drops to soak for different lengths of time. They expand by different amounts and the pattern stops matching.

  6. Hang the first drop to the line

    15 min

    Climb the step-ladder with the drop folded over your arm. Open the top fold and place the paper at the ceiling with the overlap at the top, sliding it until its edge sits exactly on the plumb line. Brush or smooth it down the centre first, then out to the edges, working air out. Open the lower fold and continue down the wall. Check the edge against the line all the way down.

    • Do not stretch the paper to meet the line; slide it
    • Work from the middle out, never from one edge across
    • Keep a hand on the ladder when reaching — HSE names hanging wallpaper as a stepladder task where the handhold needs thought

    Mistake to avoid: Smoothing from one edge to the other. It pushes the paper sideways off the line and traps a bubble at the far edge.

  7. Trim at the ceiling and skirting

    10 min

    Run the back of the scissors or the blade of a filling knife along the angle at the ceiling to crease the paper, pull it back, cut along the crease, and brush it back in. Do the same at the skirting. For a cleaner cut, hold a wide filling knife in the angle and run a sharp blade along it. Wipe any paste from the ceiling, skirting and the paper's face with a damp sponge straight away.

    • Snap off a fresh blade section every few cuts
    • Wipe paste off the face while it is wet; dried paste leaves a shine
    • Keep the offcuts off the floor; they stick to everything

    Mistake to avoid: Cutting wet paper with a dull blade. It drags and tears instead of cutting, and the edge looks chewed.

  8. Hang the next drops and roll the seams

    3 hr

    Paste for the next drop, place it at the top so the pattern matches the first, and slide it until its edge butts tight against the first drop — touching, not overlapping. Smooth it down as before. After a few minutes, press the seam gently with the seam roller; on embossed paper, press with a brush instead so the pattern is not flattened. Work round the room drop by drop, checking every few drops with the level that you are still true.

    • Butt the seams; overlaps show as a ridge under any light
    • If a seam opens, lift it, add a little paste and press it back
    • Do not roll seams on embossed or flocked papers

    Mistake to avoid: Overlapping the seams to be safe. The double thickness shows as a line under any light, and vinyl on vinyl does not stick.

  9. Corners, windows and sockets

    2 hr

    At an internal corner, cut the drop so it turns just a few millimetres onto the next wall, hang it, then hang the offcut on the new wall to a fresh plumb line, overlapping into the corner. At a window, hang the drop over the opening, cut diagonally into the corners of the reveal, and trim to the frame. At a socket with the power off, hang over it, make diagonal cuts from the centre to the corners of the box, trim, and tuck the paper behind the loosened faceplate.

    • Never wrap a whole drop round an internal corner; it creases and pulls off the vertical
    • Paper the reveals of a window before the drop that covers the face
    • Refit faceplates only when the paste is dry

    Mistake to avoid: Cutting the paper too short round a window. As the maker's guide warns, trim long, press into the frame, then cut — you cannot add paper back.

  10. Finish, clean up and let it dry

    30 min

    Go round the room in good light and look for bubbles, lifted seams and paste on the face. A bubble in fresh paper often flattens as it dries; leave it overnight before you do anything. Wipe the skirtings and ceiling line clean. Wash brushes and rollers in warm water. Leave the room to dry at an even temperature, without blasting heat into it, and refit the faceplates once the paper is dry.

    • Keep the leftover roll and an offcut for repairs
    • Write the batch number on the inside of a cupboard door
    • Do not hang pictures for a few days

    Mistake to avoid: Turning the heating up high to dry the paper fast. It shrinks quickly at the seams and they open.

The mistakes that show

  • Hanging the first drop to the corner instead of a plumb line
  • Skipping the lining paper on a poor wall
  • Cutting the drops without the pattern repeat
  • Overlapping seams
  • Uneven soak times on paste-the-paper

Stop here and get a decorator

  • The plaster comes away with the old paper over large areas, or sounds hollow
  • The wall is damp or stained, or mould returns after cleaning
  • The job is a stairwell, a double-height hall or a ceiling
  • The paper is expensive or hand-printed and you are unsure of the technique
How to hire a wallpaper hanger →

Wallpaper bubbles after hangingAir trapped, or a patch of thin paste. Leave it overnight; many flatten. If not, slit the bubble with a sharp blade, inject a little paste and smooth it flat.
Wallpaper seams openingPaper overstretched, uneven soak times, or the wall too absorbent. Lift the edge, add paste, press back, and next time size or line the wall.
Pattern does not match at the seamsDrops cut without the repeat, or soaked for different times. Rehang the offending drop from a correctly cut piece.
Wallpaper peeling at the topNot enough paste at the edges, or a greasy or dusty wall. Paste the edge and press it back; on new work, clean and size first.
Shiny marks on the paperDried paste on the face. Wipe gently with a barely damp sponge; on delicate papers, test a corner first.
Drops drifting off verticalThe first drop was hung to a corner. Drop a new plumb line and correct on the next wall; the drift cannot be undone on this one without rehanging.
Visible join in a cornerA drop wrapped round the corner. Cut it to turn just a little onto the next wall and hang the rest to a new plumb line.
Paper shrinking back from the ceiling lineTrimmed too tight, or dried too fast. Fill the gap with a matching flexible decorators' filler or paint the line.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Wallpaper, per roll, mid-price£13–£16
Lining paper, per roll£7–£10
Wallpaper paste£5–£12
Wallpaper stripper or steamer£10–£45
Total, a bedroom£60–£150
DIY total£60–£150
A wallpaper hanger charges per room
LOW
£120
TYPICAL
£350
HIGH
£600
Wallpaper Hanging price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

The paper is the variable; a designer paper can cost more per roll than the whole of this list. A decorator's price is for speed and the awkward corners.

RATHER NOT?

Wallpaper hangers near you, with prices shown

The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

Let it dry slowly

Keep the room at a normal temperature for a few days. Fast heat opens seams.

Keep a spare roll

Store it flat, in its wrapping, with the batch number. You will need it for a repair.

Dispose of the waste

Old stripped paper and offcuts go in the general waste, not the paper recycling, because of the paste and vinyl. Large amounts go to the household waste recycling centre. Leftover paste can be left to dry and binned; do not pour it down the drain.

Clean the tools

Wash brushes, rollers and the table in warm water while the paste is still wet.

Hanging wallpaper: questions people ask

Divide the room's perimeter by the roll width for the number of drops, work out how many drops fit in a roll with the repeat included, and divide. The worked example above shows the method; always buy one extra roll from the same batch.

On a poor or patched wall, yes. One maker recommends lining before wallpaper for the best result, and crosslining — horizontally — so the seams never coincide.

Next to the main window, working away from the light, or centred on a chimney breast for a large pattern. Always from a plumb line, never the corner.

Paper that hangs dry from the roll onto a pasted wall. It needs no soaking and no pasting table, and is the easiest type for a first-timer.

Leave them overnight first; many disappear as the paper dries. If one stays, slit it, add a little paste, and smooth it flat.

On the Locufy UK price guide wallpaper hanging costs £120–£600 per room, typically £350. Stripping, lining and difficult papers raise it.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Painting a roomHanging pictures and mirrorsResealing a bath, shower or sinkRestoring a piece of wooden furnitureRegrouting tilesSpray painting small items outdoorsAssembling a bed, table, desk or sofaAssembling flat-pack furniture
All 90 DIY guides →How to hire a wallpaper hanger →Wallpaper Hanging price guide →Wallpaper hangers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Graham & Brown — how to hang wallpaper (paste the wall, plumb line, lining and crosslining, trimming round windows)
  2. HSE — types of ladder and using them safely (stepladders; hanging wallpaper without a handhold)
  3. HSE — construction hazardous substances: lead (lead in older paint)
  4. GOV.UK — dispose of household waste: DIY waste and the recycling centre
  5. Wickes — wallpaper (10.05 m × 53 cm rolls), price check October 2026
  6. Wickes — lining paper, price check October 2026
  7. Wickes — wallpaper paste, price check October 2026
  8. Wickes — wallpaper stripper and steamers, price check October 2026