Whether you are looking to apply lining paper to your walls or a decorative paper to reinvent your space, a flush and seamless finish is key. Check out our top 5 tips on how to wallpaper your room and achieve a professional finish.

Calculate Wallpaper

First calculate the amount of wallpaper needed. To do this you must determine the meterage required. Measure the width of each of the walls you will be wallpapering and divide by the width of the wallpaper to give you the number of drops. Then measure the height of your wall and multiply by the number of drops to get the meterage required remembering to allow for a little extra whilst accounting for any repeating patterns (if applicable).

Prepare Your Wall

Once you have your wallpaper it is time to prepare your walls. If you are papering over existing wallpaper, then it is a good idea to stick down any seams that may have lifted with wallpaper paste, to ensure a flush finish. If papering over paint then it is worth checking that there are no hard lumps of paint that have drip dried, which could cause an uneven finish if not removed beforehand. Once you are satisfied that the walls are smooth it is a good idea to wipe them down with a clean damp cloth and leave to dry for a couple of hours.

Cut Your Lengths

Once your walls are dry, you can prepare your wallpaper. It is best to choose a corner without any obstacles to start papering. With this in mind, measure the length of your wall and mark out where you will need to cut the roll. Before you cut the paper, it is worth holding the first roll of paper up to the wall to check the fit. Tweak as necessary and once you are happy you can cut the wallpaper to the required length.

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Hang Wallpaper

Next, you will need to lay your wallpaper face down onto a wallpapering table and apply your paste directly onto the reverse of the paper. Then carefully lift the paper from the top corners, so to avoid getting any of the adhesive on your hands. Hold the paper up to the wall and use the ceiling and corner to align the paper and help determine the correct positioning. Be sure to overlap the paper slightly over the corner, which will lead to a seamless finish upon completion.

Once you are satisfied with the position, use a clean soft wallpaper brush to smooth the paper onto your wall. It is important to start at the top of the wall and move your brush from side to side in a downwards motion. This will minimise the possibility of air becoming trapped between the wallpaper and wall, causing bubbles to form.

Once you have done this, it is time to cut your next strip. If you are using patterned wallpaper remember to remove any excess paper from the top of the roll, so the pattern starts in line with the first piece you have applied to your wall. Once you have worked your way around the room and moved onto your final strip of wallpaper, you should be able to position the final edge in alignment with the corner that you started.

Negotiate Obstacles

If you have any wall lights, shelf brackets or corners that prevent you from laying your wallpaper as above, then it is important to prepare your length of paper with the obstacle in mind. Cut the wallpaper to length as in step 3 then measure where the obstacle lies and make any necessary incisions in the wallpaper.

For more DIY tips why not check out our earlier blogs on 8 Tips for Replacing or Restoring Coving and 8 Tips for Painting Interior Doors.