Painting & Decorating · Updated August 2026
Wallpapering Cost UK 2026
Wallpapering is priced per roll hung, £30–£60, not per square metre — a decorator hangs 10–12 rolls in a day. A typical room works out at £400–£900 all-in once stripping the old paper and lining the walls are counted, and the paper itself is bought separately by you.
Wallpapering cost by paper and by job — 2026
The rate is set by how hard the paper is to hang, not by what it costs to buy. A pattern that has to line up across every drop is slower than a plain one, and that is what you are paying for.
| Paper or work | Cost | Why | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain or random-match paper | £30/roll hung | No pattern to line up | Plain walls, budget jobs |
| Patterned paper | £45/roll hung | Pattern repeat means waste and slower hanging | The usual choice |
| Heavy, textured or grasscloth | £60/roll hung | Paste-the-wall care and delicate seams | Feature walls, period rooms |
| One feature wall | £140–£250 | Added to a room repaint — one set-up | A single wall behind a bed or sofa |
| A whole room, all-in | £400–£900 | Four walls plus the usual prep | Bedroom or lounge |
| Strip the old paper first | +£150–£300/room | Strip, wash down and make good | Anything already papered |
| Lining paper | +£80–£150/room | A smooth base over tired old plaster | Older walls, before paper or paint |
| The wallpaper itself | £25–£100/roll | You buy it, not the decorator | Budget through to designer |
Source: BestBuilders’ 2026 regional cost model (national cost guides × regional labour index), averaged across 519 UK towns.
What changes the cost
| Cost factor | Typical impact | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Stripping the old paper | +£5–£12/m² | Sound paper comes off in sheets; painted-over or textured paper is scored, soaked and scraped |
| Lining the walls | +£7–£14/m² | A cross-lined wall gives a flat, even surface - often required by the paper manufacturer |
| Pattern repeat | +10–25% more rolls | A large repeat means each drop is cut to match, and the offcuts are waste |
| Wall condition | +£60–£300 per room | Filling, sanding and sizing before anything is hung |
| Ceiling height and access | +£80–£400 | Stairwells and tall rooms need towers or hop-ups and a second pair of hands |
| Paper type | +£5–£15 / roll | Heavy vinyls, grasscloth and hand-printed papers are slower and less forgiving |
Wallpapering cost by UK region — 2026
Labour rates drive the regional spread — the paper costs the same everywhere. Figures below are for an average bedroom, four walls.
| Region | Average bedroom, four walls | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|
| London | £448–£832 | +25–30% |
| South East | £413–£767 | +15–20% |
| South West & East | £374–£696 | +5–10% |
| Midlands | £350–£650 | Baseline |
| North of England | £332–£618 | −5% |
| Wales & Scotland | £336–£624 | −5% to baseline |
Getting it priced properly
1. Count the rolls before you compare quotes
Two decorators pricing the same room can differ by three rolls on pattern repeat alone. Ask how many rolls each has allowed.
2. Decide stripping and lining up front
These are the lines that make a cheap quote cheap. If one quote excludes them and another includes them, they are not comparable.
3. Buy the paper in one batch
Order 10–15% over and check every roll is the same batch number. Shade drifts between runs and it shows badly on a feature wall.
Wallpapering costs compared
Where this job sits against the other painting & decorating jobs, on 2026 UK prices. Your own quote depends on size, access and spec.
Where a wallpapering budget actually goes
Hanging is usually charged per roll or per day, so the labour tracks the number of drops and the awkwardness of the room far more than the floor area. A plain rectangular room is quick; chimney breasts, alcoves, a stairwell and lots of windows and doors to cut around all slow it down and lift the price for the same wall area.
The paper is the part you control, and the spread is wide. A budget paste-the-wall paper is cheap and forgiving; a heavy, hand-trimmed or large-repeat paper costs more per roll and wastes more in matching, and a delicate paper needs a more experienced hand. Lining the walls first, which many good papers need, is effectively a second hang and should be priced in.
Preparation decides whether the finish lasts: stripping old paper, filling and sanding, sizing the walls and lining poor plaster all take time before the first length goes up. To estimate a specific room, use the wallpapering calculator.
Wallpapering — frequently asked questions
£400–£900 for a typical bedroom or lounge, all-in. That is about 10–12 rolls hung at £30–£60 a roll, plus stripping the old paper and lining the walls where they need it. The paper itself is on top and is bought by you.
Because the work is in the drops, not the area. A decorator hangs 10–12 rolls a day whatever the room shape, and a patterned paper that has to match across every drop takes longer and wastes more than a plain one of the same size.
Around £140–£250 on top of a room repaint. It is a small job with a full set-up, so doing it at the same time as the rest of the room is much cheaper than calling someone back for it.
On older walls, usually. Lining gives a flat, even base so the finish paper does not telegraph every hairline crack, and it is £80–£150 a room. Some decorators quote stripping and lining as one line and some as two — ask which, or you will be comparing two different jobs.
You do, normally. Budget £25–£100 a roll, order 10–15% more than measured for pattern repeat and mistakes, and buy it all at once so the batch numbers match — shade varies between production runs.
Usually yes on the day, and the gap widens if the walls need stripping first. Paper earns its money on a feature wall or where the plaster is poor, because it hides a surface that paint will show up.
Registered members: Painting & Decorating
10 businesses offering painting & decorating have a public profile with BestBuilders. Each listing is a business that registered with us directly; the details shown are the ones it declared at registration, and a Companies House number appears only where one was given.
All registered trades · Recent projects · Run a painting & decorating business? Add your free profile
Related decorating guides
Interior and exterior, priced by room.
Day rates and what they include.
Skimming and re-plastering before you decorate.
Wallpapering — guides and detail
The detail behind the number: what changes the price, the planning position, and how to check a quote before you accept it.
Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team · Last updated: 29 August 2026 · Next scheduled review: November 2026 · See our editorial standards.