How to hang lining paper

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. We based this walk-through on the Homebase video "How To Prepare a Wall for Wallpaper with Primer & Lining Paper", a clear step-by-step that covers priming, pasting, and hanging cross-lined paper before decorating. Worth a watch — especially the bit about getting your lengths straight without a plumb line.

1. Strip back and fill any holes

If there's old wallpaper on the wall, it needs to come off first. Lining over it just traps moisture and leads to bubbles later. Use a scorer, soak with hot water or stripper, and take your time.

Once bare, fill any cracks, nail holes, and repairs with a lightweight filler. Let it dry, then sand smooth. The point of lining paper is to give you a perfectly flat surface — it can't do that if the wall underneath is lumpy.

2. Apply a coat of size or PVA primer

A diluted PVA solution or a dedicated wall primer seals the plaster and slows down how fast it absorbs paste later. Without it, paste dries too quickly and you end up fighting the paper before you've even got it on the wall.

One coat is enough. Let it dry fully before you start hanging. That said, if you're working on fresh plaster, give it a slightly more diluted coat and let it soak in properly.

3. Mix your paste to the right consistency

Use a standard heavy-duty wallpaper paste — lining paper is heavier than decorator's paper, so a stronger mix holds better. Follow the packet instructions, stir well, and leave it to thicken for a few minutes before use.

Too runny and the paste runs off the brush. Too thick and it's hard to spread evenly. You're after something like thick double cream. It sounds fussy, but you'll feel the difference immediately.

4. Cut your lengths horizontally

Cross-lining — hanging the paper horizontally rather than vertically — means the joins in the lining paper never line up with the joins in your wallpaper or with natural wall cracks. That's why decorators always do it this way before hanging a patterned paper.

Measure each length carefully and cut a few extra centimetres to trim. Work from the top of the wall down. Mark a level guide line with a spirit level before you start — you will be glad you did.

5. Paste and fold the paper

Lay the paper face-down on your pasting table and apply paste evenly across the full width, pushing into the edges. Then fold the paper concertina-style — paste to paste — so you can carry it to the wall without it stretching or tearing.

Don't leave the pasted lengths sitting for too long. Lining paper absorbs moisture and starts to soften. A minute or two is plenty.

6. Hang the first length at the top

Unfold the first section as you position it against your guideline, smoothing outward from the centre with a paper-hanging brush or a clean wallpaper smoother. Work any air bubbles out towards the edges.

Butt the joins — don't overlap. Overlapping lining paper creates a ridge you can see through the finished decoration. Mind you, a tiny gap is better than an overlap, so err on that side.

7. Trim at corners, skirting, and coving

Use a wide filling knife as a guide and a sharp snap-blade knife to trim at the top and bottom. Run the knife along in one clean pass rather than sawing. A blunt blade tears rather than cuts.

At internal corners, let the paper overlap the corner by about 12 mm and use a fresh blade to trim. External corners tend to need a short overlap folded round.

8. Allow to dry before decorating

Leave lining paper to dry for at least 24 hours before painting or wallpapering over it. In a cool or damp room, allow longer. Decorating over damp paper causes bubbles that won't go away.

Once dry, check for any raised joins. A light sand with fine-grit paper followed by a wipe-down usually sorts them. Then you're ready to decorate.

When to call a handyman

Lining paper is a satisfying job when the walls are sound and the room is empty. Call Richard if you're working around awkward alcoves, curved walls, or if old plaster needs patching before you can start — those are the bits that take experience to do cleanly.