How to Wallpaper a Room

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Updated: April 8, 2019

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Wallpaper has been used in homes since the 16th century to brighten and finish living
spaces, and it is still a great way to add spice to a room lacking in liveliness. Wallpaper
comes in a variety of colors, styles and textures, and may brighten up a child's room or
add quiet overtones to a den. It's a great weekend project to tackle yourself, and you
can learn to approach the job smartly by learning how to buy wallpaper, how to prep
your walls, and how to hang it cleanly.
Part 1
Buying Wallpaper
1.
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Determine how much wallpaper you'll need to wallpaper a room. Measure the
height of each wall from the floor to the ceiling and the length of each wall with a
measuring tape.
 If the walls are square, you can add the lengths of the wall together, then multiply this
number by the height of the walls to calculate the total area.[1]
 At the store, read the total area each roll of wallpaper covers and divide the area of your
room by this number to estimate how many rolls to purchase. When hanging wallpaper,
you will use more than the actual area of the room because you need to match the
patterns on the wall, so buy extra.
2.
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Choose the right kind of texture for the room. Wallpaper comes in many different
materials, featuring lots of different features to consider, depending on the job and the
room. Some are more difficult to hang, while some are easy for the first-time user.[2]
 Vinyl wallpaper is the most common variety, and is easy to hang and remove. Canvas-
backed vinyl paper is moisture-resistent and versatile, making it very appropriate for
hanging in bathrooms and basements. It's generally prepped with adhesive, which
means it's easy to hang and handle.
 Embossed wallpaper is textured and patterned, making it ideal for covering the
imperfections in walls. It's also easy to paint over and lined with adhesive, which means
it'll be versatile for years to come.
 Textile-based wallpaper is more difficult to hang, because you'll have to hang with
clear adhesive paste, which is more time-consuming but also gives you more control
over the final product. Flocked textile wallpaper features raised patterns for a
professional effect, but are difficult to clean.[3]
3.

3
Choose an appropriate pattern for the room. While it'll take some extra time to hang,
patterned wallpaper can add a unique theme to any room. If you want to buy a
 wallpaper with a distinctive pattern, make sure you take care to match-up the pattern
and avoid clashing. You can also make the room seem larger using patterned
wallpaper.[4]
 Use horizontal patterns to make the room seem wider. If you've got a tall and skinny
room, you can make it seem cozier using horizontal patterns. Imperfectly squared
rooms, however, can be affected slightly by using horizontally-patterend wallpaper,
making it seem worse.
 Use vertical patterns to make the ceiling seem higher. If you've got low ceilings,
vertical-patterning can help trick the eye.
4.

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 Choose pasted or pre-pasted wallpaper. In general, if you can, you'll want to get self-
adhesive wallpaper, which is the easiest to install. To do so, you'll simply peel the
adhesive strip off the back of the paper and press it firmly and evenly onto the wall,
making it super-easy to use. Other varieties are often more involved.
 Pre-pasted wallpaper is similar to self-adhesive, except you need to activate the paste
on the back of the paper, usually with water or another activator provided by the
manufacturer.
 Dryback wallpaper requires that you also purchase wallpaper adhesive to use in the
hanging of the paper. These types of wallpaper are often more intricate and expensive,
but also more difficult to hang, especially alone.

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