HOW TO: Paper ceilings

Introduction
This How to is a step by step guide to papering ceilings. You'll learn how
to hang lining or patterned paper, and how to deal with awkward bits like
ceiling roses and dormer windows.

Two things make your life a lot easier when you're papering a ceiling. The first is to
build some kind of platform to work from. The second is to get someone else to
help you – especially if you've never papered a ceiling before.

What you’ll need

Materials Tools & equipment
Ceiling covering Broadknife trimming tool -200mm Rule – 600mm
Lining paper Two buckets (one for paste, one for clean water) Seam roller
Paste to suit the paper or ceiling covering Clean stick Soft pencil
Decorator’s apron Sponge
Felt wallpaper roller (for use with heavily Steel tape measure
moulded papers, flock papers and some hand Two decorator’s trestles (bandstands) and two
printed papers) scaffold boards. These may be hired. Scaffold
Four large bulldog paper clips boards come in various lengths to suit the
Paperhanger’s scissors length and width of your room. They are essen-
tial when papering a ceiling.
Paperhanging brush
Trimming knife (with snap-off blades)
Paste brush
Pasting table
Plumb bob and chalk

About lining paper

You need lining paper to cross-line the ceiling if you're going to hang embossed
or expensive wallcoverings, or if the ceiling has imperfections that will show
through your covering. The lining paper should be applied to the ceiling at
a 90º angle to the finished covering. This is to prevent the edges of the papers
running in the same direction and the second layer of paper lifting the first.

How many rolls?

First measure the: fig. 1

• Run: the length of the ceiling plus 100mm

• Room width
• Roll width
• Roll length

Divide the room width by the roll width to give the number of pieces required (1).
Divide the roll length by the run length to give the number of pieces in each roll (2).
Divide (1) by (2) for the number of rolls required, round up to the next whole number.

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 HOW TO: Paper ceilings
What you’ll need (cont.)

Example: – room A (fig. 1)

2.7m + 100mm (waste) = 2.8m (length of piece)

Divide 10.05 (roll length) ÷ 2.8m (length of piece) = 3.58
Therefore you will get 3 pieces per roll fig. 2
Divide 3.0m (length of room) ÷ 560mm (roll width) = 5.35
Therefore you will need 6 pieces of paper
Divide 6 by 3 = 2 rolls of paper will be needed

Here's a rough guide to help you estimate (fig. 2). Remember to allow for pattern
matching See How to: Paper walls ‘Pattern matching’

Hints
• You can hire trestles and scaffold boards.

• Scaffold boards come in various lengths. Choose to suit the length of your
room. They are essential when papering ceilings.

• Before using a new pasting table, use a felt pen to mark lines along its length
at 100mm intervals. Then give the surface and edges two coats of polyurethane
varnish. This makes it easier to measure the paper and clean the board.

• After each project, thoroughly wash the papering brush, wrap in newspaper or
lining paper and dry in an airing cupboard.

Before you begin

Erect a working platform
Erect a firm-working platform using decorator’s trestles and scaffold boards. The boards
should be 300–600mm shorter than a run of ceiling paper.

Set the height of the scaffolding so that you don’t have to stoop or stretch too far
when applying the paper. Ideally you should be able to stand on the scaffold and place
the palm of your hand flat on the ceiling, with your elbow slightly bent.

Safety tip
Do take care when erecting and using stepladders, ladders and scaffolds. Make
sure they are firmly fixed.

Prepare the ceiling

Remove all traces of old paper. Degrease the ceiling thoroughly by washing with
sugar soap, remove all loose paint and plaster, and fill cracks. If the plaster is gloss
painted, rub it down with 40 grit abrasive paper wrapped around a cork block.

For more information, see How to: Prepare walls and ceilings.

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 HOW TO: Paper ceilings
Before you begin (cont.)

Hint
If you need to reuse a plugged screw hole, for example to fix a curtain rail, put a
match into the hole so that it protrudes about 6mm. When you paper, the match
will poke through and indicate the hole’s position.

Mix adhesive
Mix adhesive 20 minutes before you start pasting. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Hanging the paper

1. Decide order of hanging
Hang patterned paper parallel to the main window, working away from the window to
the other end of the room. This minimises the shadows made by the joins.

Lay lining paper at 90º to the patterned paper. If you intend to paint the lining paper,
lay it as patterned paper.

Hint
Sometimes it makes good financial sense to ignore the rule about working from
the window. Take for example Room B (fig. 1). If you run the paper parallel to
the window, you could only cut one length per roll so you'd need 6 rolls. If you
run the paper at 90º to the window, you'd only need 4 rolls with little waste

2. Mark a guideline
Measure the width of the paper and deduct 10mm. Measuring out from the wall,
mark this width onto the ceiling at both ends of the run. Use a chalk line to snap a line
onto the ceiling between these two points. If you don’t have a helper to hold one
end of the line, hold the string in place with a drawing pin.

3. Cut lengths
Carefully measure and cut the first length, remembering to add on 100mm extra
for trimming. Then measure and cut all the remaining lengths of paper you'll need.
This reduces interruptions later on.

Mark the top of each piece of paper on the back, to remind you which way to
hang it. Lining papers and some random pattern papers are hung in alternate
directions. Check the manufacturers labels for details.

Use bulldog clips to clamp all the pieces together and stop them rolling up as you
work.

4. Paste paper
Paste from the centre to the far edge for the whole length of the table. Pull the paper
towards you and paste from the centre to the near edge.

Fold over the pasted length and pull the unpasted length onto the table. Paste the
second section of paper and fold over to meet in the centre in 300-400mm wide
concertina folds. Don't flatten the ends of the folds.

Remove from the table and leave to ‘soak’ for as long as the manufacturer’s
instructions say.

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 HOW TO: Paper ceilings
Hanging the paper (cont.)

Hints
• Tightly tie a piece of thick string between the handle loops of your paste
bucket. This supports your paste brush, stops paste dripping onto the floor, and
stops the brush falling into the bucket.

• Sponge surplus paste off the pasting table as you go.

5. Hang first length

Check that you have within easy reach: a paperhanging brush, wallpaper scissors and a fig. 3a
craft knife with a retractable snap-off blade.

Place the concertina of paper over a cardboard tube to support it as you work.

If you're right-handed, hold the concertina in your right hand. Stand side on to the
chalk line, facing the window wall. With your left hand, pull the top fold open and lay
it on the ceiling against the chalk line. Allow the end to hang
down the end wall by about 50mm, (fig. 3a).

Use the brush to smooth down the centre section and then from the centre to the
edges. Check there are no air bubbles under the paper and that the paper follows
the line. Use the palm of your hand to make adjustments as finger pressure may tear
the paper.

Release the next fold and smooth it out with the brush.

Now turn your body so you're facing the concertina. Walk along the scaffold, slowly
releasing the paper and brushing it out as you go. fig. 3b

Hint
Papering a ceiling is much easier if two people work together. One holds and aligns
the concertina, while the other smoothes the paper onto the ceiling (fig. 3b).

6. Trim edges
When you reach the end of the ceiling, trim the paper at both ends and long edge to
leave 5–10mm of paper down the wall. This will hide any gaps when you paper the
walls.

On long walls hold a pencil flat on the ceiling and run the point along the waste on
the wall. This marks a cutting line about 5mm down the wall. Peel back the end of the
paper and cut to the line with the scissors.

If you're papering up to coving, crease the paper into the corner and cut off the excess
using a broad knife and sharp craft knife.

Hint
Clean the paste from your scissors every time you use them. This ensures cleaner
work and a cleaner cut.

7. Hang remaining lengths

Hang the next strip of paper, using the edge of the first as a guideline.

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 HOW TO: Paper ceilings
Hanging the paper (cont.)

Match up the pattern and tightly butt the second piece to the first. Continue with
further lengths.

The last piece will inevitably be narrower than a normal width. Measure the width, add
on 50mm and cut a length to size. Paste, fold, hang and then trim as usual.

8. Roll the joins

When the paper is nearly dry, smooth (iron) the joins with a seam roller. If the paper is
embossed, use the corner of a felt roller.

Dealing with ceiling roses

Isolate the lighting circuit at the consumer fuse board.

If the ceiling rose is near the edge of the paper, cut from the edge of the paper to the
centre of the ceiling rose. Make a series of cuts from the centre to the edge of the
rose (fig. 4). Brush the paper over and round the rose. Allow to dry, then trim with a
sharp knife.

If the ceiling rose is in the middle of the paper, feel for the centre of the rose and make
a hole in the paper. Feed the light flex and bulb holder through the hole, brush the
paper around. Trim the paper when dry.
fig. 4

Papering round a dormer window

Follow the order of work shown here (fig. 5).

Contrasting papers or a border will tidy up uneven joins between the sloping
and flat parts of the ceiling. The mis-match of pattern between pieces 2 and
3 can be disguised by using a border; alternately the sides of the dormer
can be painted. HB

fig. 5

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