--- title: "Wallpapering: preparation and specification | Mr Wallcover" url: https://www.mrwallcover.com/wallpapering/ description: "Plan the wall, quantity and installation: published preparation and hanging guides, with a source-backed reference to wallcovering fire ratings." author: "Dorin Burcus" last_reviewed: 2026-10-09 --- Wallpapering # Plan the wall. *Then the finish.* Start with the product, the wall and the room it is going into. These guides cover quantities, preparation and hanging; the wallcovering maker’s current instructions come first. [Prepare**Understand the wall**Substrate, existing finishes and preparation →](https://www.mrwallcover.com/wallpapering/preparation/) [Plan**Work out the rolls**Working quantity, spare and cutting plan →](https://www.mrwallcover.com/calculator/) [Specify**Prepare the brief**Product references, drawings and responsibilities →](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/designer-specification-checklist/) Preparation materials ## Lining papers, pastes and primers Start with the wallcovering maker’s current instructions. Compare our preparation guidance, lining grades and materials reference, with product sources and the dates checked. [Lining & adhesives](https://www.mrwallcover.com/wallpapering/lining-and-adhesives/) Technical reference ## Fire ratings A class such as B-s1,d0 applies to the product in the documented build-up, within its permitted variations. Check the exact wallcovering, substrate and adhesive together. The separate reference explains the classes, the four UK nations and the evidence available for named products. [Fire ratings & standards](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/wallcovering-fire-ratings-uk/) Read the documents as one build-up 1. 01**Substrate** The wall or board, including its class, thickness and density where specified. 2. 02**Fixing & preparation** The adhesive and any primer, lining, joints or air gap covered by the evidence. 3. 03**Exact wallcovering** The product reference, backing, weight, finish and printed variant. Schematic only. A product classification covers the documented build-up and its permitted variations. These are things to check, not a recommended construction; do not assume an unmentioned layer is included. ## Preparation and hanging guides Illustrative study Pause motion 03 / preparing ## [Wall preparation](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/wall-preparation/) How to tell whether a wall is ready for wallcovering: old coatings, dryness, soundness, filling and sanding, lining paper, priming and what needs a site inspection. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/wall-preparation/) ![Setting out an Overture panel against a laser line.](https://www.mrwallcover.com/media/img/r/lee-broom-06-800.webp) Setting out Overture to a laser line. Photograph: Dorin Burcus. 13 / planning ## [Set-out and pattern matching](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/set-out-and-pattern-matching/) Where the first drop goes and why: setting out from a focal point, setting a true vertical with a laser in a room that is not square, matching across joints and corners, balancing the end panels, hanging murals in order, and joining wide vinyl by overlap and splice. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/set-out-and-pattern-matching/) ![A length of Lincrusta relief panel offered up to the wall with a green laser line for setting out, Trematon Castle, November 2021.](https://www.mrwallcover.com/media/img/r/trematon-ig-29-800.webp) During works: Lincrusta set out at Trematon Castle. Mr Wallcover photograph. 12 / planning ## [Ceilings and staircases](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/papered-ceilings-and-staircases/) What changes when the paper goes overhead or up a stair: the order of work in a room, relief papers on ceilings, cutting around lanterns and roses, heritage ceilings, stair-wall set-out and why stairs need a larger allowance. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/papered-ceilings-and-staircases/) Illustrative study Pause motion 06 / planning ## [Hand-painted papers and murals](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/hand-painted-murals-set-out/) How a scenic or hand-painted paper is set out: elevations, the focal point, panel sequence, doors and corners, finished dimensions and when the survey has to happen. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/hand-painted-murals-set-out/) ![Close detail of a woven grasscloth wallcovering turning an external corner, the weave running straight and tight to the edge.](https://www.mrwallcover.com/media/img/r/fs-residences-06-800.webp) Natural weave at an external corner, Four Seasons residences. Mr Wallcover photograph. 02 / choosing ## [Grasscloth seams and variation](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/grasscloth-seams-and-variation/) Grasscloth seams show and panels vary in shade. What is normal, what is a fault, how the set-out and the batch change the result, and what to settle before you order. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/grasscloth-seams-and-variation/) Illustrative study Pause motion 10 / caring ## [Problems and aftercare](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/wallcovering-problems-and-aftercare/) What to do when a wallcovering bubbles, lifts or marks: what to photograph and record, what not to touch, how to clean each material, and when an inspection is needed. [Read the guide](https://www.mrwallcover.com/advice/wallcovering-problems-and-aftercare/) Your project ## Start with the product reference. Send the room, the material you are considering and any drawings or photographs you already have. [Discuss your wallcovering](https://www.mrwallcover.com/contact/?intent=advice&service=wallcovering&topic=wallpapering) By [Dorin Burcus](https://www.mrwallcover.com/about/#dorin), founder