Hang a mural wallpaper

1. Prepare the surface
If your walls are ready for the wallpaper you’re about to hang, the result will be so much better. For your mural wallpaper to look its best, the surface should be a solid colour, so if you already have patterned wallpaper, it needs to be removed or painted over. It’s also important to make sure the walls are clean and completely dry, and that there are no holes or uneven areas. If there are, simply fill them and sand them down.

2. Get your tools ready
The right tools make more of a difference to the final result than you might think. What you’ll need is a roller, bucket, non-woven adhesive, folding rule, pencil, sandpaper, brush, filling knife, wallpapering tool, scissors, sponge, craft knife, spirit level, and your mural wallpaper.

3. Cut the strips
Take out your roll of mural wallpaper and a pair of scissors. Then cut each strip at the marked lines.

4. Arrange the strips in numerical order
Each strip is numbered, so to make things easier once you get started, it’s a good idea to place the strips next to each other in numerical order.

4. Make a guide line
With a guide line on the wall, the first strip will be much quicker to position straight, which is important for making sure the rest of the wallpaper strips line up correctly. Measure about 49 cm from the corner and draw a vertical line using a spirit level.

5. Apply paste
Now start pasting the walls. Use a smaller brush up by the ceiling, along the edges and along the skirting board, and roll the rest of the wall surface with a thin, even layer of paste. Roll one strip-width at a time with a little extra margin, as this makes it easier when it’s time to hang the next strip.

6. Hang the first strip
Starting wallpapering from the right? Then hang the last strip in the numbering first. But if you’re starting from the left, hang the first strip first. Start by attaching the strip at the ceiling and make sure the wallpaper strip follows the drawn guide line.

7. Smooth it out
Use your wallpapering tool to smooth the strip from top to bottom to remove any air bubbles trapped underneath.

8. Trim neatly
Trim away the excess wallpaper at the ceiling and along the skirting board using a craft knife.

9. Wipe away paste
If any paste has got onto the wallpaper or trim, simply wipe it away with a damp sponge. Just remember not to rub the wallpaper with it.

10. Hang the next strip
Once you’ve hung the first strip, simply continue with the second in numerical order. Position it as close to the first strip as possible, without overlapping. Also make sure the pattern matches; if it doesn’t, simply slide the strip up or down until it lines up. Smooth the wallpaper with the wallpapering tool as before, trim neatly at the ceiling and floor, and wipe away any paste to avoid leaving paste residue on the wallpaper.

11. Continue with the remaining strips
Now continue hanging the strips in the same way until the entire wall is fully wallpapered.

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