Hanging Wallpaper
Special Techniques

Find out the special techniques you should use for non-standard wallpapers. Wallpapering techniques for vinyl, relief, embossed, paste-the-wall or ready pasted papers, and more...

If you have chosen a standard type of wallpaper, hanging wallpaper can be fairly straightforward, (see tips on how to wallpaper, here…)

If you have a chosen a different type of wallpaper, it can make wallpapering that little bit more difficult. (See the wallpaper primer for some different types of wallpaper). But, you still don’t need to worry… it’s really all not so difficult – but a few basic techniques will help to make sure you get that neat and professional finish….

Relief and Embossed Wallpapers
Vinyl Wallpapers
Paste-the-Wall Papers
Ready Pasted Wallpaper
Flock Paper
Expanded Polystyrene Lining Paper
Fabric Wallpaper



Always follow instructions provided by the manufacturers of any wallpaper or paste you use.

Special Techniques for Relief and Embossed Papers

• Use lining paper
• Use heavy duty paste, applying it thoroughly to the whole area
• Allow the paste to soak in for 10-15 minutes
• Don’t use a seam roller, as this will squash the relief pattern. Instead, just tap lightly with a paper hangers brush.
• Don’t wrap the wallpaper around corners. Instead, trim the paper from both sides so they meet neatly at the angle.
• If you choose the historical wallpaper, Lincrusta, get a professional to hang the wallpaper for you.

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Special Techniques for Vinyl Wallpapers

• For:
  • Paper-backed vinyl wallcoverings: apply paste as for standard wallpapers
  • Cotton-backed vinyl wallcoverings: apply paste onto the wall and leave for a few moments before applying the paper to the wall
• Use a wallpaper paste with a fungicidal ingredient.
• Vinyl wallpaper usually won’t stick back onto itself, so you should try to avoid overlaps, and just neatly butt joins up against each other.
• For corners:
  • create an overlap as usual (Find out how to do this, here…)
  • then slice through both layers of wallpaper neatly, with a knife
  • remove the waste – the 2 edges should then butt up neatly together
• Otherwise, you can always just glue the overlapping ‘flap’ with some wallpaper repair glue.

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Special Techniques for Paste-the-Wall Papers

• Just, quite literally, paste the wall a little wider than the wallpaper width. (I really like this technique for hanging wallpapers, it's very easy!)
• Apply the wallpaper carefully, making sure that you don’t get any of the paste on the patterned side of the paper.

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Special Techniques for Ready Pasted Wallpaper

• Because these wallpapers are pre-pasted, you just need to activate the paste. You do this by soaking in cold water. You can buy troughs that are specially designed for soaking these wallpapers.
• Cut your length of wallpaper, and leave it rolled loosely.
• Soak the roll in the trough, as per the instructions on the roll.
• Lift the top of the roll, and then lift it up to the top of the wall. The length should unroll naturally, and the excess water just drain away.
• For very long lengths, it can be easier to keep the length of wallpaper rolled up, and not unroll it until you have stuck the top to the wall. Unroll the rest of the length gradually, as you apply the length to the wall.
• Carry on with hanging the wallpaper in the usual manner.

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Special Techniques for Flock Wallpaper

• You should be very careful not to get any excess paste onto the flocked side of the paper, when hanging flock wallpaper.
• Joins should butt up neatly and not overlap. Use the corner technique for vinyl wallpapers.
• Place a piece of clean, dry lining paper over the top of the flocked wallpaper, and then smooth out any air bubbles with the paper hangers brush, over the top of the lining paper. This will help to protect the flocking.

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Special Techniques for Expanded Polystyrene Lining Paper

• You need to use a special adhesive for hanging this wallpaper, not just ordinary paste.
• The lining paper is easy to hang, and just needs smoothing with your hand, or a clean, dry paint roller.
• The edges should be butted neatly next to each other, and glued with a strong adhesive to keep from curling up.
• Leave the lining paper to dry for at least 72 hours before hanging the top wallcovering, which you should hang with fungicidal paste.

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Special Techniques for Fabric Wallpaper

• Paper-backed fabric wallpaper can be applied normally, taking care not to get any excess paste on the fabric.
• Un-backed fabric can be glued directly to the wall, or onto insulation board.
• If you glue directly to the wall:
  • check first to make sure that the glue will not mark the fabric, or show through
  • paste the wall, smoothly and evenly
  • smooth the fabric carefully onto the wall
  • take care not to stretch or distort the fabric
  • overlap the joins initially
  • then wait for the paste to dry and slice through both layers carefully with a knife, to get a neat finish
  • the 2 edges should now butt together neatly – glue them down with a little extra adhesive
• If you prefer, you can stretch the fabric over insulation board. Wrap the fabric right over the edges, and glue over the back. The panels can then be glued or pinned onto the wall.

Return to the list of wallpaper types

Hopefully these tips will make hanging wallpaper much easier, and will help you to get a really professional finish.

Have you chosen the wallpaper you want to use yet? See the wallpaper primer for some different types of wallpaper.

For more tips and basic instructions on how to wallpaper, click here…

For tips on how to hang wallpaper in problem areas, click here…

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