Stairwells
How to Hang Wallpaper in a Stairwell: Access, Order, and Getting the Raked Wall Right
Papering a stairwell is the one DIY wallpaper job that almost every guide describes as hard but few explain carefully. The height, the raked wall alongside the stairs, and the need to set up safe access before you even pick up a brush are all things that don't apply to a bedroom or a hallway. Here's a straightforward order of operations for hanging wallpaper in a stairwell without guessing.
Open the Wallpaper PlannerSort access before anything else
A stairwell wall regularly runs to 4–5 m at its tallest point. You cannot safely hang paper on a ladder that isn't stable and properly footed on a stair. A scaffold board bridged across the stairs on adjustable trestles, or a rented stair platform, gives you a level working surface at a sensible height. Set this up and test it before you paste a single strip — rearranging access mid-job with wet paste on your hands is the commonest way a stairwell job goes wrong.
Start with the longest wall section, not the top of the stairs
The longest, tallest strips are the ones that set the pattern alignment for the whole wall. Hang those first, while the paste table is uncluttered and you're fresh. Work towards the corners and shorter sections afterwards. Starting at a corner and working towards the longest section means you're doing the hardest hanging when you're tired and running out of room.
Cut and number each strip on the ground before you go up
On a standard-height wall you can cut strips as you go. On a stairwell it pays to pre-cut every strip to length on the ground and number each one on the back in pencil, matching the order you'll hang them. A raked cut at the skirting-board line changes with each strip, so mark the angle on the back of each strip as well — trying to judge a diagonal trim at height on a narrow board is harder than cutting it accurately on a flat table first.
Paste the table, not the wall, if the strips are unusually long
A 4–5 m strip is heavy and awkward to fold and carry once pasted. Paste-the-wall products let you apply paste to the wall in sections and attach each strip dry — which means you're carrying the strip up without it trying to fold itself in half on the way. Not every paper works paste-the-wall, so check the manufacturer's guidance, but if yours does it's worth using on a stairwell.
Trim the raked skirting line after the strip is hung, not before
The angle where a stairwell wall meets the sloping skirting is slightly different at each strip, because the staircase rises across the run of the wall. Trim each strip to the skirting after it's hung and the paste has had a minute to firm up slightly, rather than pre-cutting each angle precisely on the ground — pre-cut angles rely on exact measurements that small shifts in strip position will throw off.
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See plans & pricingCommon questions
Can I hang wallpaper in a stairwell on my own?
Yes, but access is genuinely harder solo — there's no one to hold the top of a long strip while you position the bottom. A second pair of hands for the pasting and lifting stages makes a significant practical difference, even if only for the tallest sections.
How do I handle the pattern repeat on a raked wall?
The pattern repeat works the same way as on a flat wall — each strip starts at a matching point in the design relative to the strip before it. On a raked wall the trimming at the skirting changes the visible bottom of the strip but the repeat logic at the top is unchanged; the extra strip length used to accommodate the raked cut is the waste, not the repeat allowance.
How many rolls do I need for a stairwell?
Work out the roll count before you buy — a typical two-storey stairwell is often 6–10 rolls depending on wall height, width, and pattern repeat, but measure your own walls rather than relying on an average.
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Open the Wallpaper PlannerPlanning a specific room? See how much wallpaper you need →
Quoting this as a job, not a DIY project? Try the contractor estimator →
Working out how many rolls the stairwell needs first? Stairwell wallpaper calculator →
Planning the hallway at the same time? Hallway wallpaper calculator →
Need to calculate paste too? How much wallpaper paste do I need →
Matching patterns on the drop? How to match wallpaper patterns →