Domakihub How to Hang Wallpaper: A Step-by-Step Guide
Prep your walls right, paste with confidence, and get a finish that lasts.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Hanging wallpaper transforms a room faster than almost any other DIY task, but the difference between a professional finish and peeling edges comes down to preparation. The video above walks through the process visually from start to finish; the steps below give you the detail and context you need for homes, holiday rentals, and hotel rooms in Greece, where humidity near the coast and older lime-plastered walls add a few extra considerations. Work through this guide once before you buy your rolls and you will avoid the most common and costly mistakes.
Choosing the Right Wallpaper for Greek Interiors
In Greece, coastal humidity and strong summer heat mean vinyl-coated or non-woven wallpapers outperform traditional paper-backed types. Non-woven (sometimes labelled 'paste-the-wall') is especially practical: it does not stretch when wet, it hangs without soaking time, and it strips cleanly in one piece when you eventually redecorate — a real advantage in holiday rental apartments that need fast turnaround.
Pattern repeat is the other major choice. A straight match wastes very little paper and is ideal for corridors or holiday properties where budget matters. A drop match creates a more luxurious result for feature walls in boutique hotels or primary bedrooms, but add at least one extra roll to your order to cover the waste at each cut.
Wall Preparation: The Step Most People Skip
Old Greek buildings often have lime-rendered or sand-cement walls that are porous and uneven. Applying wallpaper directly onto bare plaster is almost always a mistake: the paste absorbs too fast, bubbles form, and edges lift within weeks. The solution is a diluted coat of wallpaper paste or a dedicated size product brushed over the wall and left to dry overnight. This seals the surface and gives the paste a consistent open time when you hang.
Fill any cracks with ready-mixed filler, sand flush, and lightly sand glossy paint to give the new paper a key to grip. Check for existing wallpaper: if it is fully bonded you can paper over it once, but if any areas are loose or bubbled, strip the whole wall first using warm water and a wide scraper. Steamer hire is available at most builders merchants across Athens and Thessaloniki and makes the job much faster.
How to Hang Wallpaper: 5 Steps
- 1
Measure, calculate, and cut your drops
Measure the wall height from skirting to ceiling, add 10 cm for trimming at both ends, and cut all drops for one wall before you open the paste. Number each drop lightly in pencil on the back and mark the top edge. For a drop-match pattern, lay consecutive drops side by side on the table and align the pattern before cutting so you do not waste rolls.
- 2
Mark a true vertical starting line
Never use a door frame or corner as your guide — walls and frames are rarely truly vertical. Hold a plumb bob or use a spirit level to draw a faint pencil line one roll-width from your starting corner. This line is the reference you return to every time you turn a corner or restart after a break. Starting on the wall opposite the main window means any slight gaps at seams cast less shadow.
- 3
Paste the wall (or the paper, depending on type)
For non-woven wallpaper, brush an even coat of ready-mixed paste onto the wall section you are about to cover, slightly wider than the roll. For traditional paper-backed wallpaper, lay the drop face-down on the pasting table, brush paste from the centre outward to the edges, fold the drop loosely (pasted side inward) without creasing, and wait the soaking time specified on the label — usually 3 to 5 minutes. Do not skip the soak: paper that goes up too dry will bubble; paper that soaks too long becomes floppy and tears.
- 4
Hang, align, and smooth each drop
Unfold the top half of the drop, align one edge with your pencil guideline leaving 5 cm overlapping the ceiling, and press it lightly to the wall. Work a smoothing brush or plastic smoother from the centre outward and downward, pushing air toward the edges. Unfold the lower half and continue smoothing down to the skirting. Butt the next drop tightly against the first — do not overlap seams on flat walls. Use a seam roller along the join after 10 minutes, but avoid pressing too hard on embossed textures.
- 5
Trim edges and clean paste immediately
Run a wide decorator's knife along the ceiling line and skirting using a straight edge, or crease the paper firmly into the angle with your smoothing tool, pull it gently away from the wall, cut along the crease with scissors, and press it back. Paste left on the paper face or on woodwork dries to a dull film: wipe every surface with a clean damp sponge as you go, rinsing the sponge frequently. Allow the room to dry naturally for 24 hours — avoid opening windows wide or using fans, because fast drying causes shrinkage and open seams.
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FAQ
- Can I hang wallpaper in a bathroom or kitchen in Greece?
- Yes, but choose a vinyl or vinyl-coated wallpaper rated for wet areas, and use a fungicidal paste. Ensure the room has good ventilation — extractor fans are essential. Avoid papering directly behind a shower enclosure or over tiles that are not fully sealed, as trapped moisture will cause the paper to delaminate within months.
- How many rolls do I need to order?
- Divide the total perimeter of the room (in metres) by the width of the roll, round up to the nearest whole number, and multiply by the number of drops needed per roll (wall height divided by usable repeat length). Always add one extra roll as a safety margin and buy all rolls from the same batch number — dye lots vary and a mismatched roll stands out immediately.
- My wallpaper is bubbling after hanging — what went wrong?
- Small bubbles that appear while the paste is wet usually disappear as the paper dries and contracts, so wait 24 hours before worrying. Persistent bubbles after drying mean either the wall was not sized, the paper did not soak long enough, or air was trapped during smoothing. You can inject a small amount of paste under a bubble with a syringe, press it flat, and wipe off the excess — this works well for isolated spots on an otherwise good wall.