How Much Does Wallpapering Cost? 2026 UK and London Prices per Room

Last updated: November 2026. Prices checked on 5 November 2026. The headline figure comes from the Which? Trusted Traders survey; the line-by-line prices come from dated UK market guides, because no official body publishes them. This guide is general information, not a quote.

TL;DR: Which? puts lining and papering an average room at £260 to £2,950, excluding the wallpaper and VAT, from a survey of nine traders [1]. Market guides price a feature wall at about £120 to £180 and a small bedroom at £300 to £400 in labour [2]. Stripping and paper are extra, and London sits at the upper end [1].

Wallpapering quotes vary more than most decorating prices, because four different jobs hide inside the word: taking the old paper off, getting the wall ready, hanging the new paper, and buying it. A quote that looks cheap often leaves out one of the four. This guide gives the UK price first, then what changes in London, then each line on its own, with a worked sum for a double bedroom.

How much does wallpapering cost in 2026?

The most reliable figure is from Which?. Its survey of nine Which? Trusted Traders, gathered in November 2025 and published on 1 May 2026, prices wallpapering a room of about 4.4 m by 3.3 m at £260 to £2,950, over about three days [1]. Three details matter when you compare a quote with it:

• It includes lining. The job is described as "Line and paper" [1].
• It excludes the wallpaper and VAT. "Prices include labour and materials (not including wallpaper) but exclude VAT" [1].
• It assumes nothing has to come off. The row "Assumes walls are straight and sound with no existing wallpaper to remove" [1].

The range is wide because the sample is small and the scope is broad. Market guides give narrower figures for specific jobs:

These are market figures, not survey results. MyJobQuote builds its prices from quotes given on its own platform [2], and Fantastic Services is a decorating firm quoting its own market view, including VAT where applicable [4]. Use them to read a quote, not to replace one.

What a fair wallpapering quote should list

Which? advises asking traders "to break down the quotes they provide, so you know what you're being charged for" [1], and Citizens Advice says a quote should show the work and the materials with separate costs, how long the price is valid and whether VAT is included [5]. For wallpapering, a fair quote names each of these:

1. Stripping: whether old paper is coming off, how many layers the price assumes, and what happens if there are more.
2. Making good: filling cracks and holes, and repairing plaster that comes away with the old paper.
3. Sizing or priming: sealing the wall so the paste grips evenly.
4. Lining paper: whether it is included, and which way it is hung.
5. Hanging labour: priced per room, per roll or per day, and which walls and ceilings are included.
6. Who supplies the wallpaper: you or the decorator, and the number of rolls either way.
7. Pattern matching: whether a large repeat has been allowed for in the roll count and the time.
8. Consumables: paste, sizing, filler and lining, if they are not in the labour price.
9. Furniture, coverings and clearing up: who moves things, and whether waste paper is taken away.
10. VAT: included, excluded, or not charged because the decorator is not VAT-registered.
11. Timing and deposit: start date, expected duration and any payment up front.

If a quote is a single figure with none of these, ask for the breakdown before you agree. Once you accept a quote, it is a binding agreement whether or not it is written down [5], so it is worth getting it right.

Stripping old wallpaper: what it adds

Stripping is the line most often left out of a cheap quote. Which? notes that "Most traders will give you a quote based on an assumption that there is one layer of wallpaper", and that if they need to remove more layers or repair the wall underneath, "they might reasonably charge more" [1].

MyJobQuote puts stripping at about £80 to £150 for a single wall and from about £300 for a 25 m² room [2]. Its per-area figures show the same effect: about £10 to £12 per m² to hang paper on clean, prepared walls, rising to about £20 per m² once stripping and preparation are included [2]. Other 2026 guides give different stripping figures, so treat any single number with care and ask for it on the quote.

Three things push stripping up:

• Several layers, or paper that has been painted over, which takes longer to soak through.
• Heavy woodchip and textured coatings, where Fantastic Services lists stripping as "Usually charged separately" [4].
• Plaster damage, where old paper pulls the surface away and the wall needs filling or skimming before anything new goes up.

A safety point before anyone scrapes. If there is a hard, textured finish under the paper, do not scrape or sand it. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says textured coatings, sold under trade names such as Artex, were used for decorative finishes on ceilings and walls, and can contain asbestos [8]. Have it checked first. In older homes, HSE also notes that lead pigments were widely used in household paints until the 1960s [9], so sanding old paintwork under the paper is best left to a decorator who knows how to control the dust.

Lining paper and wall preparation: when you need them

Lining paper is a plain paper hung before the decorative one. It hides small cracks and uneven plaster, and helps the top paper dry evenly. On a heavy or expensive paper it is often hung horizontally, called cross-lining, so its joins do not line up with the joins on top.

You are more likely to need it on older walls, repaired plaster or before a thin or expensive paper. Freshly skimmed, smooth walls often do not need it. Lining paper itself is cheap, about £3 to £10 a roll [2]. The extra labour is the real cost: MyJobQuote puts lining a room at about £150 to £400, with an average of about £275 [3].

Check how your quote treats it. The Which? range already includes lining [1], so a quote that adds lining on top of a "Which?-style" room price may be counting it twice.

If a wall is damp, deal with the damp first. Paper will not hold on a wet wall, and mould will come back through it. Our guide to getting rid of damp and mould explains the usual causes and who to call.

How paper type changes the price

The type of paper changes both what you buy and how long the hanging takes.

Paper prices from MyJobQuote, 6 October 2026 [2].

Fantastic Services prices hanging at about £20 to £45 a roll outside London and £30 to £60 in London [4]. Expect the higher end, or a separate quote, for textile papers such as grasscloth, large murals, and heavy embossed papers, because they need more care at every join.

Pattern repeat is the hidden cost. A large repeat means more paper is cut off to line up each drop, so you need more rolls and the job takes longer. Ask the decorator to work out the roll count from the repeat printed on the label, not from a generic chart.

How many rolls do you need?

Most UK wallpaper rolls are 10.05 m long and 0.52 m wide, about 5.2 m² of paper, but check the label, as some designs differ. To count rolls:

1. Measure round the room to get the perimeter, and divide by the roll width to get the number of drops.
2. Take the wall height, add about 10 cm for trimming, and add the pattern repeat.
3. Divide the roll length by that figure and round down: that is the number of drops each roll gives.
4. Divide the drops by drops per roll and round up. Add one spare roll for repairs.

Buy every roll from the same batch number. Rolls from different print runs can differ slightly in colour, and the difference shows on the wall.

A worked sum: a double bedroom

This is an illustration, not a quote. It uses the market figures above for a double bedroom of 4.0 m by 3.5 m with a 2.4 m ceiling, one door and one window, old paper to come off, walls lined, and you supplying the paper.

Roll count. The perimeter is 15 m, which is 29 drops at 0.52 m wide. Each drop is about 2.5 m with trimming. With no repeat, a roll gives four drops, so you need 8 rolls. With a 53 cm repeat, each drop needs about 3.0 m, a roll gives three, and you need 10 rolls. Add a spare either way.

The spare roll is not costed; add one more roll at the same price.

That sits inside the Which? range [1], and the stripping and hanging line, about £640, is in line with MyJobQuote's £500 to £650 for a small bedroom [2]. A decorator who finds a second layer of paper, damaged plaster or a textured coating will reasonably price more.

London prices and what pushes them up

Which? says prices "are likely to be at the upper end of the scale if you live in London or the South East" [1]. It gives no percentage. Fantastic Services says decorators' rates rise by 20 to 30 per cent in London and the South East [4], and MyJobQuote says wallpapering labour is "usually higher in London and the South East" [2].

On that 20 to 30 per cent, the labour in the worked sum above (about £915) would be roughly £1,100 to £1,200 in London. The paper costs the same wherever you live.

Other things that raise London quotes:

• Parking and access. Paid parking or a permit, and carrying everything up several flights in a flat, add time.
• Period features. Tall ceilings, deep coving, picture rails and bay windows all slow hanging and increase waste.
• Older walls. Victorian and Edwardian plaster often needs more filling and lining before paper goes up.

Loacally is launching in London first, so customer coverage starts there, with more UK cities to follow. The prices above apply across the UK, with London at the upper end.

Day rate or fixed price?

Decorators price wallpapering in three ways: per roll hung, per room, or per day. Fantastic Services puts decorators' day rates at about £230 to £355 outside London and £280 to £460 in London and the South East, including VAT where applicable [4]. A sole trader who is not VAT-registered will often charge less.

Citizens Advice recommends a quote with a fixed total price rather than a daily rate, because "A quote is a fixed price, so you'll know what you're getting and how much it will cost", whereas "An estimate is just a rough guess, so you might end up paying more" [5]. A day rate can still be fair on a job with unknowns, such as several layers of old paper, but agree in writing how many days are expected and what happens if it runs over.

Do decorators charge VAT on wallpapering?

Only if they are VAT-registered. A business must register once its taxable turnover over the last 12 months goes over £90,000 [6], so many sole-trader decorators are below the threshold and do not charge VAT. Where VAT applies, work to an existing home is normally standard-rated [7], which is 20 per cent. Which? figures exclude VAT [1], so add it when comparing a registered decorator's quote with them.

How to choose a decorator for wallpapering

• Get at least three written quotes, as Citizens Advice recommends [5], each itemised as in the checklist above.
• Ask to see similar work, ideally with the same kind of paper. Hanging a patterned or textile paper well is a different skill from painting.
• Check membership claims. If a decorator says they belong to a trade body or scheme, check on that body's own website. TrustMark is the Government-endorsed quality scheme for work in the home [10].
• Keep any deposit small. Citizens Advice says not to pay everything up front and to keep any deposit to no more than 25 per cent [5]. Our guide to how much deposit to pay a tradesperson explains why.
• Know your rights if it goes wrong. Bubbles, gaps and mismatched joins are a workmanship issue. Our guide to what to do if a tradesperson does a bad job sets out the steps.

For more on vetting anyone who works in your home, read how to find a trusted tradesperson, and see our London trade costs index for how decorating compares with other jobs.

Find a decorator for your wallpapering

If you want a room papered, start with a clear brief: the room size, what is on the walls now, whether you are supplying the paper, and the pattern repeat. Then compare itemised quotes line by line. Find a trusted local tradesperson on Loacally to get quotes from decorators near you.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to wallpaper a room in the UK?

Which? puts lining and papering an average room of about 4.4 m by 3.3 m at £260 to £2,950, excluding the wallpaper and VAT, from a survey of nine traders [1]. Market guides price hanging new paper in a small bedroom at about £300 to £400 in labour, or £500 to £650 with stripping [2].

How much does a wallpaper feature wall cost?

Hanging new paper on one prepared feature wall typically costs about £120 to £180 in labour and takes four to six hours, on a 2026 market guide [2]. Add the paper, which can be one or two rolls, and more if the pattern repeat is large or the wall needs stripping or lining first.

Is wallpapering more expensive than painting?

Often, but the ranges overlap. Which? prices painting a medium room of about 3.3 m by 3 m at £250 to £1,100 over two days, and lining and papering a larger 4.4 m by 3.3 m room at £260 to £2,950 over three days, before the wallpaper [1]. Papering takes longer and adds the price of the rolls.

How long does it take to wallpaper a room?

Which? lists about three days to line and paper an average room [1]. A 2026 market guide gives four to six hours for a feature wall, one to two days to paper a small bedroom, and two to three days if old paper must come off first [2]. Drying time for lining paper and filler can add more.

Do decorators charge per roll or per day?

Both are common, and some price the whole room. One 2026 guide puts hanging at about £20 to £45 a roll outside London and £30 to £60 in London, and day rates at about £230 to £355, or £280 to £460 in London and the South East [4]. A fixed, itemised quote is easier to compare.

Should I buy the wallpaper myself?

Yes, you can buy it yourself. The Which? figures assume the customer supplies the paper [1]. Ask the decorator to confirm the roll count first, using the pattern repeat on the label, and buy every roll from the same batch number with one spare. If the decorator supplies it, the quote should show the paper as its own line.

Sources

1. Which? - How much do painters and decorators cost? (survey of 9 Which? Trusted Traders, gathered November 2025) - https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/finding-a-tradesperson/article/how-much-do-painters-and-decorators-cost-a01St5l9H20e - dated 1 May 2026, checked 5 November 2026.
2. MyJobQuote - Wallpaper hanging cost (a quote marketplace; figures from quotes on its own platform; used for price context only) - https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/hang-bedroom-wallpaper - last updated 6 October 2026.
3. MyJobQuote - Cost to apply lining paper (used for price context only) - https://www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/how-much-does-it-cost-to-apply-lining-paper - 22 September 2026.
4. Fantastic Services - Painting and decorating cost guide (a decorating firm; figures stated as 2026 market rates including VAT where applicable; no page date shown; used for price context only) - https://www.fantasticservices.com/cost-guides/handyman/painting-decorating/ - checked 5 November 2026.
5. Citizens Advice - Before you get building work done - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/ - checked 5 November 2026.
6. Gov.uk - Register for VAT - https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat - checked 5 November 2026.
7. HM Revenue & Customs, Gov.uk - Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buildings-and-construction-vat-notice-708 - updated 26 August 2026, checked 5 November 2026.
8. Health and Safety Executive - Locations of asbestos and taking the right action - https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/location-materials.htm - updated 16 March 2023.
9. Health and Safety Executive - Construction: hazardous substances, lead - https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/hazardous-substances/lead.htm - updated 12 November 2024.
10. TrustMark - Tips for finding a good tradesperson - https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/tips-for-finding-a-tradesperson - updated 23 October 2025.