How to Hang Wallpaper: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Hanging wallpaper is one of the most transformative things you can do to a room. A single wall of well-chosen wallpaper can completely change the character of a space. While the process takes patience and attention to detail, it is absolutely achievable as a DIY project if you follow the right steps. This guide walks you through the entire process from start to finish.

Tools and Materials You Will Need

Gather everything before you start. Running out to the hardware store mid-project with paste drying on your walls is not ideal.

• Wallpaper (calculate quantity with our wallpaper calculator)
• Wallpaper paste (unless using paste-the-wall or peel and stick)
• Paste brush or short-nap roller
• Pasting table (a folding table works in a pinch)
• Spirit level or laser level
• Tape measure and pencil
• Sharp utility knife with spare blades
• Wallpaper smoothing brush or plastic smoother
• Seam roller
• Sponge and bucket of clean water
• Step ladder
• Plumb line or chalk line
• Wallpaper scissors (for rough cutting)
• Drop cloths to protect floors

Step 1: Prepare Your Walls

Wall preparation is the most overlooked step and the single biggest factor in whether your wallpaper looks professional or amateurish. We have a detailed guide on how to prepare walls for wallpaper, but here is the summary:

• Remove old wallpaper completely. Never hang new wallpaper over old wallpaper. The moisture from the new paste can reactivate the old adhesive, causing both layers to bubble and peel.
• Fill and sand. Fill any holes, dents, or cracks with a lightweight filler. Once dry, sand smooth with 120-grit sandpaper. Wallpaper conforms to the wall surface — every bump and imperfection will telegraph through.
• Clean the walls. Wipe down with a damp cloth to remove dust, cobwebs, and any grease. Sugar soap works well for kitchen walls.
• Apply wallpaper primer or sizing. This is not optional. Primer seals the wall, provides a consistent surface for the adhesive, and makes future removal much easier. Apply a PVA-based wallpaper primer and let it dry completely — usually overnight.

Step 2: Plan Your Starting Point

Where you start hanging matters more than you might think. The goal is to ensure that your pattern looks balanced on the most visible wall and that any mismatch at the final seam (where the last strip meets the first) is hidden in an inconspicuous corner.

• For a single accent wall: Start from the centre of the wall and work outward in both directions. This ensures the pattern is centred and any cut strips at the edges are symmetrical.
• For a full room: Start next to the least visible corner — typically behind a door or beside a large piece of furniture. Work around the room in one direction. The final seam where the last strip meets the first will likely not match perfectly, so you want it hidden.

Step 3: Mark a True Vertical Line

Never trust that a wall, door frame, or corner is perfectly plumb — they almost never are. Use a spirit level or plumb line to mark a perfectly vertical line where the edge of your first strip will go. This is your reference line for the entire wall.

Measure from your starting point a distance equal to your wallpaper width minus 1 cm (the 1 cm will wrap around the corner or serve as a trim allowance). Draw a light pencil line from ceiling to floor using your level.

Step 4: Measure and Cut Your First Strip

Measure the height of the wall at the point where the first strip will hang. Add 10 cm — 5 cm excess at the top and 5 cm at the bottom. This gives you room to adjust and trim.

Unroll the wallpaper on your pasting table with the pattern face up. Use your tape measure to mark the strip length, then cut with wallpaper scissors. For patterned wallpaper, identify where the pattern should start at ceiling height and cut accordingly.

Pro tip: Cut 2-3 strips at once, carefully matching the pattern between them and numbering them lightly on the back with pencil. This ensures continuity and saves time. Check our guide on measuring for wallpaper for more detail on pattern matching during cutting.

Step 5: Apply Paste

The method depends on your wallpaper type:

Paste-the-Paper (Traditional)

Lay the strip face-down on the pasting table. Apply paste evenly with a paste brush, working from the centre outward to the edges. Make sure every edge is fully pasted — dry edges are the number one cause of lifting seams.

Once pasted, fold the strip paste-to-paste (called “booking”) — fold the bottom third up and the top third down so the pasted surfaces meet without creasing the paper. Let it rest for the time specified on the label (usually 3-5 minutes for vinyl, up to 10 minutes for paper). This allows the paste to activate and the paper to expand evenly.

Critical: Every strip must book for the same amount of time. If one strip books for 3 minutes and another for 10, they will expand different amounts, causing misaligned seams.

Paste-the-Wall (Non-Woven)

Apply paste directly to the wall using a short-nap roller, covering an area slightly wider than one strip. Hang the strip directly from the roll — no booking required. This is faster and cleaner. Many modern wallpapers, including most non-woven options in our vinyl collection, use this method.

Step 6: Hang the First Strip

This is the most important strip. If this one is straight, the rest will follow.

1. Unfold the top half of your booked strip (or take the dry strip if paste-the-wall).
2. Position the top of the strip at the ceiling line with about 5 cm of excess overlapping onto the ceiling. Align the edge precisely with your vertical pencil line.
3. Once aligned, press the top section onto the wall with your hands, then use a smoothing brush to work from the centre outward, pushing out air bubbles.
4. Release the lower half of the booked strip and smooth it down the wall in the same manner — centre outward, top to bottom.
5. Check alignment with your level. If the strip has shifted, gently peel it back and reposition. The paste remains workable for several minutes.

Step 7: Trim at Ceiling and Baseboard

Use the back of your wallpaper scissors or a broad knife to crease the wallpaper firmly into the joint where the wall meets the ceiling (or crown moulding). Then run a sharp utility knife along the crease to trim. Pull away the excess. Repeat at the baseboard.

Change your blade often. A dull blade will tear wet wallpaper instead of cutting it cleanly. Replace the blade every 3-4 cuts for best results.

Step 8: Hang Subsequent Strips

Butt each new strip against the previous one — edges touching but not overlapping. Slide the strip into position before the paste sets to match the pattern precisely.

After positioning each strip, run a seam roller gently along the joint between strips. This presses the edges firmly against the wall and prevents them from curling as the paste dries. Do not over-roll — heavy pressure on textured or embossed wallpaper will flatten the design.

Wipe any paste that squeezes out at the seams immediately with a clean, damp sponge. Paste left to dry on the surface will leave a shiny residue that is difficult to remove.

Step 9: Handling Corners

Corners are rarely perfectly straight, so you should never try to wrap a full-width strip around a corner. Instead:

Inside Corners

1. Measure from the edge of the last full strip to the corner at the top, middle, and bottom. Take the largest measurement and add 2 cm.
2. Cut a strip to this width and hang it, wrapping the 2 cm around the corner onto the next wall.
3. Mark a new plumb line on the next wall, the full wallpaper width from the corner. Hang the remaining offcut (or a new strip) against this plumb line, overlapping the 2 cm wrap.

Outside Corners

Wrap the strip around the corner by about 3-4 cm onto the next wall. Then hang the next strip to overlap this wrap, aligned to a new plumb line. On vinyl wallpaper, use a vinyl-over-vinyl adhesive at overlapping seams because standard paste will not bond vinyl to vinyl.

Step 10: Cutting Around Obstacles

Doors and Windows

Hang the strip over the door or window frame, letting it drape over the opening. Cut diagonally toward the corner of the frame at a 45-degree angle, then trim along the frame edge with a knife. Smooth the wallpaper above and beside the frame.

Electrical Outlets and Switches

Turn off the power at the breaker first. Hang the strip over the outlet, feel for the box through the paper, and cut an X from corner to corner. Fold back the four flaps and trim them so the wallpaper tucks neatly behind the cover plate.

Step 11: Let It Dry

Wallpaper paste typically takes 24-48 hours to dry completely. During this time:

• Keep windows closed — drafts can cause edges to dry faster than centres, leading to curling
• Maintain a consistent room temperature
• Do not run heaters or fans directly at the walls
• Avoid bumping or touching the wallpaper

Pattern Matching Tips

Pattern matching is what separates a professional-looking job from an amateur one. Here are the key principles:

• Straight match: The pattern aligns at the same point on every strip. This is the simplest to match — just line up the motif at the seam.
• Half-drop match: The pattern on alternating strips drops by half the repeat distance. Number your strips and remember that strips 1, 3, 5 will start at one point and strips 2, 4, 6 start half a repeat lower.
• Always match the pattern at eye level — about 150 cm from the floor. The eye naturally goes to the middle of the wall, so any slight mismatch at the ceiling or baseboard is far less noticeable.
• Step back after every 2-3 strips and look at the wall from across the room. It is easier to spot a misaligned strip from a distance.

When to Call a Professional

While DIY wallpaper installation is perfectly doable, some situations benefit from professional help:

• Rooms with many angles, soffits, or unusual architecture
• Grasscloth, silk, or other delicate natural-fibre wallpapers
• Ceilings
• Stairwells with very tall drops
• Commercial installations requiring perfect results

Ready to Start?

Before you pick up a paste brush, make sure you have calculated your wallpaper quantity correctly with our wallpaper calculator. Browse our peel and stick collection if you want a paste-free installation, or explore our full range of patterns and materials in the showroom. If this is your first time, you might also want to start with our guide on preparing walls for wallpaper — proper prep makes every subsequent step easier.