How to Hang Lining Paper

How to Hang Lining Paper

Lining paper is an ideal way to hide imperfections on walls, such as small cracks or uneven plasterwork. While repairing the walls is the ideal solution, lining paper can provide a temporary solution. It can also prevent stains from coming through when painted, for example, salt deposits from chimney breasts.

It can also be used as a base for wallpaper, which can help with positioning and preventing shrinkage. Lining paper can be painted over just like an ordinary wall.

Special types of lining paper can also be purchased to keep mould and condensation at bay, or to insulate walls to keep the cold out.

You will need to completely clean the walls and go back to plaster/paint walls for lining paper. So, remove any wallpaper currently on the walls with a wallpaper steamer.

 

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Choosing lining paper

Firstly, it is important to choose the correct lining paper for the job. Look at the Grade, Application, and Width.

Grade

This is essentially the thickness of the paper. This ranges from 800 to 2,000 generally. The former or thinnest can cover hairline cracks and colour changes over plaster or paint. The latter is for heavy plastering imperfections. Somewhere in the middle is generally good for general imperfections.

Width

This varies between 500 and 1000mm wide. The wider the paper, the more cumbersome to hang, but it does mean fewer sheets are needed which can create a more even look without joins.

Application

You can either paste the wall or paste the paper. Both require different adhesives. Pasting the wall can be easier as it doesn’t result in needing to lift heavy paper. It can be less messy and the paper isn’t as fragile to hang as it isn’t wet.

But some papers do require you to paste the paper instead. Therefore, check before you buy.

If pasting the wall, use a wallpaper roller and tray. If pasting the paper, use a pasting brush.

 

Step By Step: Hanging Lining Paper

 

You will need:

• Lining paper (see our FAQs for how much)
• Wallpaper paste or adhesive
• Dust sheets
• Work platform
• Wallpaper pasting brush
• Wallpaper roller and tray or pasting brush
• Wallpaper scissors or cutting wheel
• Tape measure
• Utility knife
• Pencil
• Wallpaper smoother

Always wear PPE when doing DIY. You will need coveralls, safety goggles, and a dust mask. Clear the room as much as possible, too; this will prevent damage to items and make the job easier.

Remove any existing wallpaper. Use a wallpaper steamer and follow our guide. You don’t want to keep adding layers of paper onto existing layers as this will damage your walls over time.

• How to remove woodchip wallpaper
• Wallpaper removal tips

 

Method:

1. Prepare the walls

Firstly, prepare the walls. What needs to be done depends on your walls. You may wish to line your walls to cover imperfections, in which case you just need to sand your walls using a handheld sander. Fill in any major holes and imperfections before allowing to dry and sanding.

Even though lining paper covers imperfections, the more perfect your base wall is, the better your lining paper will sit (and the easier it will adhere to the wall).

If the wall has been freshly plastered or skimmed, use a wall sealer as a base. Follow the product instructions. This will stop the wall absorbing the paper paste and will prevent it shrinking as much.

 

2. Cut the length of paper

You should know how high your walls are now from the lining paper calculations in our FAQs. Unroll a length of paper onto a flat surface (you may wish to use a pasting table). Using the tape measure, measure the height on to the paper and mark with a pencil.

Fold the paper to make it easier to cut with the wallpaper scissors or trimming wheel. Cut enough lengths to line one wall at a time.

 

3. Apply adhesive

The easiest way to do this is by rollering on the adhesive to the wall. Roll as much as needed for the first length of lining paper and then hang the paper as in step 4.

If you’re pasting the paper, line up one long edge with the edge of the pasting table and start in the centre of the sheet and brush outwards, covering the paper on the table.

Then adjust the paper so the unpasted section is on the table and brush the adhesive onto this. Follow the instructions on soaking times. This will ensure the paper hangs well and sticks to the wall without bubbling.

 

4. Hang the paper

Smooth the first section onto the wall, allowing 50mm of overlap onto the adjacent wall. Use a wallpaper smoother to remove bubbles or creases. If there is overhang on the ceiling or skirting, this can be trimmed off using the utility knife once the wall is complete.

Keep going with the next sheets of paper until the wall is done. You should have an overlap on the next adjacent wall, too. Keep going until the whole of the room is covered.

 

5. Wait to paint

Leave at least 24 hours (extend to 48 hours if the room is cold or damp) for the lining paper to dry before painting over it or hanging wallpaper. If the wallpaper paste hasn’t dried, the lining paper may start to peel or blister. So, the longer you can leave it, the better.

 

FAQs

How much lining paper do I need?

Essentially, you take the width of the paper required and multiply by the height of the room, then divide by how long the paper is. But no room is a square box; follow our steps below:

1. Measure the width of where will be lined in metres. This may be one feature wall but is usually a whole room. Divide the total perimeter (P) or width by the width of the lining paper (WL).

2. Take the wall height (H) and multiply by the number of widths needed (WN) as outlined in step one, then divide by the length of the lining paper roll (LR), which is usually 10m.

3. Measure areas such as doors and windows which won’t be covered, if applicable. The width multiplied by the height is the door/window area. Add these together for the total area (TA) then subtract this from the number which makes up the total perimeter in step 1 (P). This will give you your new width needed.

4. If you need to round up by a lot, you may have plenty left over, so might have room for mistakes. If not, consider purchasing an additional roll just in case.

 

Which direction should I hang lining paper?

This may seem odd if you’re only used to wallpaper, but you can hang lining paper horizontally as well as vertically.

Horizontal is good if you’re wallpapering over the top of the lining paper. This way the seams don’t fall in the same place, which can cause bumps and imperfections. This is called cross-lining. A laser level could help ensure you follow the room horizontally.

Vertically is best if painting over the top. It is easier to smooth vertical lining paper, making a more seamless base for paint.

If you’d rather hang vertically to paper over, start the wall with a half-width of lining paper instead. This way, if your wallpaper if the same width as the lining paper, you’re sure the edges of both won’t meet in the same place.

 

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