Wallpapering Cost Calculator
Wallpapering is priced per roll hung, not per square metre — a decorator hangs 10–12 rolls in a day whatever shape the room is. A patterned paper that has to line up across every drop is slower, and wastes more, than a plain one of the same size.
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4 steps. How much, which paper, what is on the walls now, and region.
How this calculator works
Wallpapering is sold by the roll hung, not by the square metre. A decorator gets through 10–12 rolls in a day more or less whatever the room shape, so a room is about a day and a feature wall is a small job with the same set-up — which is why one wall is never a quarter the price of four.
The paper you pick changes the rate, but not for the reason people expect. It is the pattern repeat, not the price tag: a design that has to line up across every drop is slower to hang and wastes part of each length.
The prep is where quotes diverge: stripping old paper is £150–£300 a room and lining is £80–£150, and some decorators quote them as one line and some as two. A quote that is £200 cheaper than the others is usually a quote that has left one of them out.
Wallpapering cost by paper and by job (2026)
| Paper / work | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Plain or random match | £30/roll hung | No pattern to line up |
| Patterned | £45/roll hung | Pattern repeat means waste and slower hanging |
| Heavy, textured or grasscloth | £60/roll hung | Paste-the-wall care, delicate seams |
| One feature wall | £140–£250 | Small job, full set-up |
| A whole room, all-in | £400–£900 | Four walls plus the usual prep |
| Strip the old paper | +£150–£300/room | Strip, wash down and make good |
| Lining paper | +£80–£150/room | A flat base over tired plaster |
| The wallpaper itself | £25–£100/roll | Bought by you, not the decorator |
Rates match our wallpapering cost guide and the figures already published on our painting pages.
Wallpapering calculator FAQs
Because the set-up is the same. Dust sheets, paste, plumb line, trimming and clearing up happen whether you hang three rolls or eleven, so a single wall carries a minimum charge of roughly £160 rather than a per-roll price.
About 11 for a typical room, and a decorator hangs 10–12 in a day. Measure properly before you buy and add 10–15% for pattern repeat and mistakes — and buy it all at once so the batch numbers match.
Strip it. Papering over old paper looks fine for a few weeks and then the new paste softens the old and both start lifting at the seams. Stripping is £150–£300 a room and is the difference between a job that lasts and one that does not.
On older walls, yes. It gives a flat, even base so the finish paper does not telegraph every hairline crack in the plaster, and it is £80–£150 a room. On sound modern plaster you can usually skip it.
Normally you do. Budget £25–£100 a roll, and remember the trade discount is rarely passed on anyway — what you gain by supplying it yourself is the choice.
Related cost guides
- Wallpapering costs — per roll, per room, all-in
- Painting & decorating costs — day rates and per-room prices
- House painting costs — inside and out
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