Ideal Home's guide to hanging wallpaper

Make decorating easy with our simple how to hang wallpaper guide

A. 1. Work out how many rolls of wallpaper you will need by using our handy calculator – www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk. If the paper has a large pattern repeat, make sure to allow extra (see next step). It's also important to check your rolls all have the same batch reference number so that the printed colours match exactly. Carefully remove any old wall covering or flaky paint, and then wash the walls down with sugar soap to remove any greasy marks or dirt. Make sure they are smooth, clean and perfectly dry before you start papering. For particularly uneven walls, it's worthwhile putting up lining paper first. This is inexpensive – and hanging it will give you some good practice before tackling the real thing!

2. Cut your first length of wallpaper so it overlaps the ceiling and skirting by at least 5cm at each end. Subsequent lengths must be cut to allow for the pattern repeat. For example, if your drop is 240cm and the pattern repeat is 25cm, you will need to cut lengths of 275cm to allow for one whole pattern repeat, plus the 5cm at each end. Mix up the paste, following the instructions. Using a pasting table and pasting brush, apply paste to the paper, working from the centre outwards, making sure the edges are covered. Avoid getting paste on the printed side. Loosely fold both ends of the paper into the centre, pasted sides together (ensuring you don't crease the paper). Then loosely fold in half again. This prevents the paste from drying out before you hang, allowing you to prepare two or three lengths at a time.

3. Always start papering in the middle of a wall or chimney breast and work outwards so that the paper lengths meet in an inconspicuous place in the room. Use a plumb line to mark a vertical line on your wall, then begin by unfolding the top half of your first prepared strip, slide the paper onto the wall so that it's lined up, and then unfold the rest. Smooth out any bubbles, working from the centre out. Carefully trim off any excess at the top and bottom, using a craft knife and a metal rule. Now hang a second piece of wallpaper, making sure that you match the pattern exactly. Wipe off any excess paste from the wallpaper with a damp sponge as you go along and lightly seal the matching edges with a seam roller after hanging each new piece of wallpaper.

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