Learn how to wallpaper with these expert tips for a professional finish

Contemporary living room with blue wallpaper behind blue chair and plants
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Knowing how to wallpaper is the perfect way to transform a room with a fresh new look. You can keep it simple with plain wallpaper ready for painting, or hang patterned wallpaper to add personality and panache.

But like all well-executed DIY projects, you need to plan ahead. You’ll need to calculate how many rolls are needed to ensure you don’t come up short on a project. And for a stable, smooth base for your wallpaper, you’ll need to know how to hang lining paper.

To finish, check out the pro tips and techniques in this guide to help get a smart, professional-looking finish.

Gary Tidman, Lead Designer, Only Lifts
Gary Tidman

Gary Tidman is a seasoned home improvement and construction expert with over 35 years of hands-on experience across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Gary has tackled everything from bespoke residential builds to complex retrofits in heritage and modern properties.

Kevin Keen-President Keens Buildings
Kevin Keen

Kevin has been in the industry for 25 years and handles everything, from the distribution and installation of portable structures to financing and manufacturing. He can speak with authority on every aspect of construction.

Eric Bramlett, Owner of Bramlett Real Estate
Eric Bramlett

Eric Bramlett is the owner of Bramlett Real Estate. He has extensive experience in real estate development and brokerage management. They have won multiple industry awards and been featured in top media outlets such as Axios, Bloomberg and Forbes.

Steve Jenkins is a freelance content creator with over two decades of experience working in digital and print and was previously the DIY content editor for Homebuilding & Renovating. 

He is a keen DIYer with over 20 years of experience in transforming and renovating the many homes he has lived in. He specialises in painting and decorating, but has a wide range of skills gleaned from working in the building trade for around 10 years and spending time at night school learning how to plaster and plumb.

He has fitted kitchens, tiled bathrooms and kitchens, laid many floors, built partition walls, plastered walls, plumbed in bathrooms, worked on loft conversions and much more. And when he's not sure how to tackle a DIY project he has a wide network of friends – including plumbers, gas engineers, tilers, carpenters, painters and decorators, electricians and builders – in the trade to call upon.