• Paste
• Dust sheet or floor protection
• Paste brush or roller
• Sharp knife or snap off blade
• Plumb bob or laser level
• Clean sponge & bucket of water
• Smoothing brush or plastic smoother

• Tape measure
• Straight edge or metal ruler
• A pencil
• Scissors
• Soft cloth
• Felt or soft roller
• Ladder

To ensure a perfect finish, walls should be prepared correctly; all holes should be filled, walls should be smooth, dry and cleared of any debris. Walls must be primed and if necessary cross line with lining paper. Lining paper helps to even out slight imperfections acting as a base for your wallpaper. Turn off the power and remove all faceplates and socket covers.

Do not hang over glossy or non-porous areas. Painted walls should be rubbed down to remove grease or soiling and glossy paint should be rubbed down with sandpaper.

Pre paste porous wall surfaces such as plasterboard or chipboard. Never hang over new plaster or un-primed walls.

Foil background designs can be damaged if high levels of alkaline are present in the walls. If in doubt, prepare the walls with an alkaline resistant primer before hanging. We recommend lining walls where highly metallic papers are being installed. If lining paper is being installed it should always be hung horizontally, following manufacturer’s instructions, and be allowed to dry completely.

Where in the room to begin:
Start in the most inconspicuous corner of the room. Either behind the door or a large piece of furniture, as this is where the pattern repeat will not match once the room is complete.

First drop:
The most important step is making sure the first drop (strip of wallpaper) is straight and level. This will affect all other drops of wallpaper on that wall, so it is vital to spend time getting the first drop correct.

This process of ensuring the first drop is straight should be repeated on starting each new wall. Don’t assume your walls are perfectly straight.
Measure out from the left hand corner of the wall the width of the paper minus 1cm and mark with a pencil.

Place a laser level or plumb bob at this mark and draw a straight, vertical line top to bottom on the wall. (This is your plumb line).

Once your first drop is ready, apply your paste to the wall using a roller or brush. Paste should be well stirred to remove any lumps before applying. Paste the walls with a a thin layer of paste and evenly. Only apply paste one drop wide plus 10-20cm. Do not apply paste to the whole wall, as it will dry and become unusable. Paste as you go, pasting just wider than the drop you are hanging. Any excess paste on the ceiling, skirting etc. should be gently removed with a clean wet sponge before it is allowed to dry.

Being careful not to crease it, loosely roll your first drop so the top and back of the wallpaper is on the outside. Making sure the pattern is the correct way up, apply your first drop to the wall, letting the wallpaper overlap 5cm at the ceiling, and 1 or 2cm at the adjoining wall. Hold the wallpaper at the top and move into a straight position using your plumb line as a guide. Whilst the paste is wet you can slide the top of wallpaper into the perfect position so it lines up on the plumb line. Unroll your drop along the plumb line, leaving 5cm at the bottom.

Using the wallpaper brush or smoothing tool, working top to bottom gently press the strip to the wall. Remove any air pockets by smoothing out from the middle towards the sides of the wallpaper. Wash off excess paste on the ceiling, skirting and wallpaper with a damp sponge and clean water. Do not allow any paste to dry on the surface of the wallpaper. Finally use a felt roller for smoothing.

Using your straight edge and a sharp knife trim the excess wallpaper along the ceiling and skirting. For a perfect finish always use a sharp knife or blade and make the cut in one clean movement.

Subsequent drops:
Once the first drop is in place, paste the next section of the wall. Before hanging the next drop, ensure you have allowed for the pattern match as well as 5 cm extra top and bottom.

Hang your second drop of wallpaper as per the first, using the edge of the first drop as your guide. Joins should be tightly butted and never overlap. Avoid squeezing paste out of the joints. Wash off any excess paste after hanging each drop with a clean wet cloth. If necessary, you can then use a seam roller for the seams. Hands should be kept clean and dry.If the edges of the wallpaper do not stick to the wall properly, you need to apply more paste in those areas. Carefully apply paste under the edge with a small brush, being careful not to stretch the wallpaper.

After hanging one roll, the wallpaper should be inspected, the decision to continue is the responsibility of the decorator.

Corners:
Working around the room one drop at a time, ensure each new wall is treated as per the first drop, and hung straight using a plumb line. Corners should be wallpapered using two separate drops. One drop should overlap the adjacent wall by 1 or 2cm, the other should be lined up into the corner. Do not attempt to push wallpaper into a corner.

Plug sockets & light switches:
Ensure the power is off. Plug sockets and light switches should have the facia removed, wallpaper should be laid over the top, carefully cut a cross diagonally from corner to corner. The excess can be cut in at the sides using a sharp knife and metal ruler. The rest of the drop must be firmly in place before light switches or plug sockets are cut in.

Drying:
Allow the wallpaper time to dry slowly at room temperature; do not attempt to dry it quickly as shrinkage may occur.

Paste:
We recommend using a traditional style, starch based, ready mixed tub paste marked for non-woven wallpapers. PVA or PVC type adhesives are not suitable as they may cause surface staining or adhesion problems.

Panel designs:
Where wallpaper rolls or drops are numbered the hanging should be done in sequence to create the panel design.