Wallpaper a ceiling

Prepare the ceiling, then paste and hang paper in lengths across the shorter width, working safely from a platform.

WC-01Clear the room and protect everythingMove furniture out or into the middle of the room and cover it with dust sheets. Lay dust sheets over the whole floor - wet paste on flooring is a nightmare to shift. Take down curtain poles, blinds or anything fixed close to the ceiling line if it will get in the way.

2 each · Dust sheets

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1 roll · Masking tape

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WC-02Set up a safe working platformCeilings need a stable, level platform, not a single stepladder stretching. Use two pairs of steps with a proper scaffold board or staging board between them, set so you can reach the ceiling comfortably without stretching sideways. Move the platform along as you work rather than leaning off it.

1 each · Staging board (hire)

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WC-03Isolate the light circuit before touching any fittingIf a ceiling rose, light fitting or smoke alarm is in the way, turn off that circuit at the consumer unit before you loosen or remove any cover. Don't rely on the wall switch being off - isolate at the board. Check the fitting is dead with a socket tester or by trying the light before you touch bare terminals.

WC-04Fill and sand the ceilingFill any cracks or small holes with multi-purpose filler, let it dry fully, then sand flush with the surrounding surface. Wipe away all dust with a damp cloth - paper won't stick well over dust or loose flakes. Scrape off any badly flaking old paint or paper first.

1 tub · Multi-purpose filler

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1 pack · Sandpaper (assorted grit)

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WC-05Seal a porous or new ceiling with sizeIf the ceiling is bare plaster, or has been painted with matt emulsion that soaks up water fast, brush on a coat of diluted wallpaper paste (size) first. This stops the paper drying out and lifting before it grips. Leave it overnight to dry before you hang anything.

1 box · Wallpaper size/paste

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WC-06Mark your first guide lineWork across the shorter dimension of the room so each length is shorter and easier to control. Measure your paper's width in from one wall and snap a chalk line across the ceiling at that distance, checked square rather than just measured off the wall - walls are rarely straight. Hang your first length to this line, not to the wall edge.

1 each · Chalk line

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WC-07Measure, cut and paste each lengthMeasure the ceiling width and cut each length about 100mm longer, so you get roughly 50mm turning onto each wall. Paste evenly on the table, working from the centre out, then fold the paper concertina-style, paste side in, without creasing it hard. Leave it to soak for the time stated on the paper's label before hanging.

3 each · Ceiling paper (10m roll)

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1 box · Wallpaper paste

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1 each · Pasting table

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WC-08Hang the first lengthRest the folded paper over a spare roll or cardboard tube so it doesn't drag while you work. From the platform, unfold one section at a time against the ceiling, aligning it to your chalk line, and press it up with a paperhanging brush working from the centre outward to push out air and wrinkles. A second person feeding the paper up to you makes this much easier.

1 each · Paperhanging brush

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WC-09Trim edges and work around light fittingsTrim the turned edge at each wall junction with scissors or a sharp knife run against a straight edge, cutting into the crease rather than sawing at it. At a ceiling rose or fitting (circuit already isolated), snip the paper with small cuts to fit around the fixing, tuck it neatly behind the cover plate, and only refit the cover once the paper is dry.

1 each · Wallpaper scissors

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1 each · Trimming knife

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WC-10Hang remaining lengths and butt the joinsHang each following length butted up to the last, matching any pattern rather than overlapping it, which shows as a ridge once painted or dry. Run a seam roller gently along each join to bed it down without squeezing paste out. Wipe off any paste on the surface straight away with a damp sponge before it dries and marks the paper.

1 each · Seam roller

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1 each · Sponge

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WC-11Final trim and check for lifting edgesTrim the last length to fit against the final wall the same way as the first. Go back over every join and edge while the paste is still workable, pressing down any lifting corners or bubbles with the brush. Leave doors and windows closed and heating off while it dries to stop it drying too fast and shrinking at the joins.

WC-12Clean up and put the room back togetherWash the pasting table, brush, scissors and roller before the paste dries hard on them. Bin offcuts and used dust sheets once the ceiling has fully dried, usually 24-48 hours. Refit any light fitting covers, put the furniture back and remove the platform.

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