Wallpaper a staircase — HomeGraft

Learn to hang wallpaper neatly up a staircase, matching pattern on the sloping wall and trimming tricky angles safely.

WS-01Clear and protect the stairwellTake down pictures, stair runners and any loose switch plates. Lay dust sheets over the stairs and landing and tape them down so they can't slip underfoot. Set your ladder or steps up on a firm, level tread with plenty of working room — never balance on the handrail or stand on the string. Plan how you'll move the ladder along the stairwell in stages as you work.

2 each · Dust sheets

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1 roll · Masking tape

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WS-02Strip old paper and check the wall typeScore old paper, then soak with warm water and washing-up liquid or use a steamer, and strip back to bare wall. Once bare, tap the wall in a few places: a solid, dull knock means solid brick or block; a firmer-then-hollow sound at regular gaps means plasterboard on studs; an even hollow sound with the odd lump felt through means dot-and-dab. In houses built before about 1950, a slightly springy, uneven wall under the stairs is often lath and plaster — treat it gently and don't scrape hard.

1 hire · Wallpaper steamer (hire)

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1 each · Scoring tool

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WS-03Prepare the surface for the wall typeOn solid brick or block, fill cracks with all-purpose filler, sand smooth, then size the wall with diluted paste so it doesn't drink the paste too fast. On plasterboard on timber or metal studs, fill any screw or nail pops and make sure joints are flush before sizing the same way. On dot-and-dab, press gently over the whole wall — if an area feels soft or moves, get a decorator or plasterer to reset the loose dab before you paper over it. On lath and plaster, brush on diluted PVA to bind flaking plaster, and avoid over-wetting your paste, which can soften old lime plaster further.

1 tub · All-purpose filler

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1 litre · PVA adhesive

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1 pack · Sandpaper

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WS-04Mark your plumb line and plan the patternUsing a spirit level, draw a true vertical line near the top of the stairs, about one paper-width in from the corner. Dry-hang your first length against this line to check the pattern reads level with the handrail rather than the sloping string, since true-vertical hanging looks right even on a raked wall. Start at the top of the stairs and work down, so any small pattern mismatch ends up in the least visible spot near the floor.

1 each · Pencil

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WS-05Measure and cut the first dropsMeasure ceiling to skirting at the tallest point of each drop, adding 100mm extra top and bottom for trimming. On the wall alongside the stairs, always measure the longest edge of the drop, not the shortest, so you don't cut short. Cut lengths on a pasting table, matching the pattern between drops before cutting.

6 roll · Wallpaper rolls

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1 each · Pasting table

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1 each · Tape measure

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WS-06Paste and hang the first lengthPaste evenly, or roll paste straight onto the wall for paste-the-wall paper, and fold loosely to carry it without cracking creases. Hang against your plumb line, smoothing outward from the centre with a paperhanging brush to push out air bubbles. Move the ladder in stages as you go rather than overreaching from one position.

1 pack · Wallpaper paste

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1 each · Paperhanging brush

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WS-07Work down the sloping wall by the stairsEach drop along the raked wall needs a different length and a different angled cut top or bottom to follow the string line. Hold each length against the wall and mark the angle in pencil before cutting, rather than guessing. Keep every pattern line running true vertical, even though the wall behind it is sloped.

WS-08Cut around fixtures and cornersAt a dado rail, spindles or a newel post, snip into the paper with scissors first to relieve it, then trim close with a snap-off blade and straight edge. At external corners, wrap no more than 25mm of paper around the edge and overlap the next length on top, so it doesn't tear. At internal corners, cut and overlap rather than trying to fold one length right into the angle.

1 each · Snap-off blade

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1 each · Straight edge

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WS-09Trim, roll and clean the seamsTrim excess at the ceiling line and skirting with a snap-off blade run against a straight edge, wiping the blade clean regularly. Run a seam roller lightly over joints once the paste has started to grab. Wipe away excess paste with a clean damp sponge straightaway, as dried paste can leave a stain or gloss patch on the paper.

1 each · Seam roller

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1 each · Sponge

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WS-10Tidy up and let the paper dryRemove dust sheets carefully so trimmed offcuts don't scatter, then bag up waste paper and paste scraps. Wash brushes, the pasting table and bucket while the paste is still wet, as it sets hard once dry. Leave doors and windows slightly open for gentle airflow, and keep radiators or heaters away from the fresh paper so it dries evenly without shrinking at the seams.

2 each · Bin bags

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