How-To Guide

How to Wallpaper Around Windows and Awkward Corners

Updated: Aug 2026

Window reveals and corners are where most first-time wallpapering projects go wrong — not because the techniques are difficult, but because they're the parts of the job with no straight run of wall to fall back on. A flat wall forgives small errors; a window reveal or a corner shows every one of them. Understanding a few specific techniques before you start — rather than improvising at the moment you reach the window — is the difference between a neat finish and a visibly patched one.

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Papering a window reveal: the two approaches

There are two accepted ways to handle a window reveal (the recessed sides, top, and sill of the opening). The simpler approach is to paper up to the edge and paint the reveal itself in a coordinating colour — this avoids pattern matching inside the recess and is more forgiving for a first attempt. The more finished approach wraps the wallpaper into the reveal, papering the top, sides, and sometimes the sill in the same pattern, giving a more professional look but requiring precise cutting since the reveal depth is rarely a clean multiple of your paper width. With a bold pattern, papering the reveal is generally worth the effort — painting it out can leave an odd blank frame.

Cutting around a window frame

Hang the paper down over the window opening as if it weren't there, smoothing it into place above and to the side of the frame. Once positioned, make a diagonal cut from the corner of the frame outward at roughly 45 degrees, which lets the paper fold back against the frame edge without tearing or bunching at the corner. Trim the excess with a sharp blade and a straightedge, working from the centre of each edge outward toward the corners, which reduces the risk of an uneven cut where two trim lines meet. Change your blade frequently — a dull one is the most common cause of a torn, ragged edge.

Internal corners: never wrap a full strip

An internal corner (where two walls meet, forming an inward angle) should never have a full-width strip wrapped around it — walls are rarely perfectly square, and a full strip taken around a corner will hang slightly off-plumb on the new wall, throwing off every strip that follows. Instead, cut the strip so it wraps only 15–20mm around the corner, then start a new strip on the following wall, overlapping the return by a small margin rather than trying to butt-match the pattern exactly. This sacrifices a small, usually invisible amount of pattern continuity at the corner in exchange for every subsequent strip hanging plumb.

External corners: wrap and double-cut

An external corner (projecting outward into the room, such as a chimney breast or door reveal) behaves differently and can generally take a wider wrap — up to 25–30mm — since the paper is less likely to crease or lift on an outward-facing edge. For a genuinely neat corner in a highly visible spot, some installers use a double-cut technique: overlap the new strip over the wrapped return, cut through both layers simultaneously in a straight vertical line, remove the offcuts, and press the two now-butted edges down. This produces an almost invisible seam, but needs a very sharp blade and a steady hand — practise on an offcut first.

Sockets, switches, and other fixtures near a corner or window

Fixtures close to a window reveal or a corner compound the difficulty because there's less flat wall to work with. Always turn off the power before working near a socket, loosen (don't remove) the faceplate screws, hang the paper over the fixture, cut a cross centred on the fitting, and trim the flaps back to just inside the faceplate before retightening — this hides the raw cut edges. If a fixture sits within a few centimetres of a reveal or corner, plan the order first: it's usually easier to complete the corner or reveal cut, then handle the fixture as a smaller adjustment once the strip is in place.

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Common questions

How do you wallpaper around a window without it looking patched?

Hang the paper over the window opening first, then make a diagonal cut from each frame corner outward at roughly 45 degrees before trimming against the frame with a sharp blade. Decide in advance whether you're papering the reveal in the same pattern or painting it — mixing the two approaches on one window usually looks patched.

Should you wrap wallpaper around an internal corner?

Only by 15–20mm. Walls are rarely perfectly square, so wrapping a full-width strip around an internal corner leaves the next strip hanging off-plumb. Cut the strip to leave a small return, start a fresh strip on the next wall, and overlap the return slightly rather than trying to match the pattern exactly at the corner.

What's the neatest way to finish an external corner?

For a highly visible corner such as a chimney breast, the double-cut technique gives the neatest result: overlap the new strip over the wrapped return, cut through both layers at once, remove the offcuts, and press the two butted edges down. It needs a sharp blade and a steady hand — practise on an offcut first.

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