DIY Installation

Wallpaper Tools and Equipment: The Complete DIY Hanging Toolkit

Most wallpapering mistakes trace back to a missing tool rather than a lack of skill — a bubble smoothed with a hand instead of a brush, a seam cut with kitchen scissors instead of a straightedge and blade. None of the equipment below is expensive, and most of it is reusable for the next room. Here is what to have ready before the first roll comes out of its wrapper.

Open the Wallpaper Planner

Measuring and marking: get this step wrong and everything after it compounds

A steel tape measure, a spirit level or laser level, and a pencil are the non-negotiables. A plumb line or laser level is what actually matters most: walls are rarely perfectly vertical, and hanging the first strip against the wall's own edge instead of a true vertical line means every subsequent strip inherits the lean. Mark your true vertical line before you touch the paste.

Pasting equipment: only needed for paste-the-paper papers

For traditional paste-the-paper wallpaper, a pasting table (a narrow folding table slightly longer than a roll width) gives you a clean, flat surface to apply paste evenly. A pasting brush or a paint roller applies the paste itself, and a bucket holds the mixed paste. Paste-the-wall (non-woven) papers skip all of this — the paste goes on the wall with a roller instead, so you only need a bucket and roller, not the table.

Hanging and smoothing: the tools that determine the finish

A smoothing brush or a plastic smoothing tool works air bubbles and excess paste out from the centre of each strip toward the edges. A seam roller — a small roller run along each joint after hanging — presses seams flat so they do not lift as the paste dries. Skipping the seam roller is one of the most common causes of edges curling away from the wall within the first week.

Cutting tools: sharp blades matter more than the knife itself

A trimming knife with snap-off blades, a metal straightedge or wallpaper shears, and a supply of spare blades are essential — a dull blade drags and tears the paper instead of cutting it cleanly, so change blades far more often than feels necessary, ideally every strip or two. A small pair of scissors is useful for trimming around switches and sockets where a straightedge cannot reach.

Specialist and optional equipment

A steam wallpaper stripper speeds up removing old paper on a full room, though it is worth hiring rather than buying if it is a one-off job. A stable stepladder or trestles and a scaffold board are necessary for stairwells and high ceilings — working from an unstable chair or a too-short ladder is where most hanging accidents happen. A natural sponge and a bucket of clean water for wiping excess paste off the paper surface as you go rounds out the kit.

Ready to see the price for your project?

Get a free roll estimate in the planner, then unlock the exact cutting plan, workbench sheets, and order list from a one-time project or yearly plan.

See plans & pricing

Or try the free planner first →

Common questions

What is the minimum toolkit needed to hang wallpaper?

A tape measure, a plumb line or laser level, a smoothing brush, a seam roller, a trimming knife with spare blades, a straightedge, and a sponge cover the essentials for most rooms. Add a pasting table and brush only if you are using traditional paste-the-paper wallpaper rather than a paste-the-wall type.

Do I need a pasting table for paste-the-wall wallpaper?

No. Paste-the-wall (non-woven) wallpaper is hung by applying adhesive directly to the wall with a roller, not to the paper on a table. You still need a bucket and a roller for the paste, just not the table itself.

What tools do I need to remove old wallpaper?

A scoring tool (or coarse sanding block for vinyl-coated papers), a pump garden sprayer or sponge for water, and a wide flexible scraper cover most removal jobs. A steam stripper speeds up a full room or a stubborn multi-layer job — see our wallpaper removal guide for the full method.

More wallpaper guides

See all guides →

Back to the tips collection: Wallpaper tips hub →

Get your exact roll count

Draw your walls — including sloped sections, alcoves, and single feature walls — and get a free estimate before you buy.