How to use adhesive nails
Updated: 23 October 2026
The nail is in your hand, the frame is light, and the leaflet may not be in English. How to use adhesive nails comes down to an order: clean, press, peel, hang, and later stretch the tab straight down. The bond fails if you wash the wall with detergent, peel the foil before the strip has been pressed, or pull the tab off the wall instead of along it. This page is that sequence for a tesa wallpaper-and-plaster nail from our [adhesive nail comparison](/hub/fillers-adhesives-and-sprays/adhesive-nail). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The nail is in your hand, the frame is light, and the leaflet may not be in English. How to use adhesive nails comes down to an order: clean, press, peel, hang, and later stretch the tab straight down.
The nail is in your hand, the frame is light, and the leaflet may not be in English. How to use adhesive nails comes down to an order: clean, press, peel, hang, and later stretch the tab straight down. The bond fails if you wash the wall with detergent, peel the foil before the strip has been pressed, or pull the tab off the wall instead of along it. This page is that sequence for a tesa wallpaper-and-plaster nail from our adhesive nail comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Head | Stated hold | Press | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  tesa tesa adjustable adhesive nails, 4-pack | Adjustable, 77774 | 1 kg per nail | Five seconds, twice | 9.5 | about £5.64 | View offer |
| Best value |  tesa tesa 77774 adhesive nails, 2-pack | Adjustable, 77774 | 1 kg, or 2 kg with two | Five seconds, twice | 9.1 | about £3.40 | View offer |
 tesa tesa 77773 adhesive nails, 2-pack | No toggle stated | 1 kg, or 2 kg with two | Five seconds, twice | 7.7 | about £4.16 | View offer |
Clean the wall
The strip is the adhesive. The white polystyrene peg is only the hook. tesa’s refill page for the 1 kg wallpaper strip says to clean with silicone-free window cleaner, methylated spirit, or isopropanol, and not with ordinary detergent. Wipe the patch, let it dry, and keep your fingers off the adhesive face. If a corner lifts when you wipe, stop. Whether that paper is allowed sits on adhesive nails for wallpaper. A United Kingdom review on the four-pack says the written instructions were not in English, so buyers used the diagrams. The timing is from tesa’s family sheets.
Stick the strip and the nail
Stick the strip to the wall with the tab towards the wall. Press for at least five seconds. Then peel the foil. Then fold the nail on and press for another five seconds. Peeling the foil first is how a strip never wetted the wall. One nail is published at 1 kg. On the two two-nail packs, two nails are published at 2 kg together. The four-pack does not repeat that 2 kg line. Keep two strips from overlapping. One United Kingdom reviewer allowed about 8 mm between nails. That figure is the reviewer’s, not a tesa specification. Do not borrow Command’s one-hour wait. The sheets say five seconds.
Level an adjustable nail
The red toggle belongs to model 77774. The four-pack states that the head is height adjustable. The £3.40 pack is 77774, and its bullets say so even though the title omits the word. The £4.16 pack is model 77773 and does not state a toggle. If your pack has no red control, skip this step. Lock the toggle until it clicks, then nudge the head so the frame sits level. Set the first nail, then bring the second into line. Forcing a fixed peg to move will tear the paper. A band of 5 °C to 35 °C appears on a lighter family sheet. Treat that as family guidance, not as a test of these three listings.
Take it off
Pull the tab slowly, straight down, parallel to the wall. Do not pull outwards or on a diagonal, and do not press the nail into the wall while you stretch. If the paper starts to lift, stop. A United Kingdom review on the £4.16 pack describes wallpaper ripped on removal. A review on the £3.40 pack describes a chunk of paint. The plastic peg can be used again only with a new strip. Fit the refill with the same clean and the same five-second presses. If the strip snaps, do not lever the peg off with a scraper. Call a plasterer if the plaster is blown. These nails are not a fixing for a heavy load.
Common questions
What do I clean the wall with?
Use silicone-free window cleaner, methylated spirit, or isopropanol, then let the patch dry. tesa’s 1 kg wallpaper refill page names those and says not to use ordinary detergent. Keep your fingers off the adhesive face. If the paper lifts while you clean, stop. The wall is not ready for a nail, however careful the solvent was.
How long do I press the strip?
Press for at least five seconds with the strip on the wall, and again for five seconds after the nail is folded on. That timing is on the family instruction sheets. It is a press, not a one-hour wait. Command’s one-hour instruction belongs to Command, not to these tesa nails. Keep the tab reachable while you press.
When do I peel the foil?
After the first five-second press, not before. The order is strip on the wall, tab towards the wall, press, peel the foil, fold the nail on, press again. Peeling early leaves you holding a sticky face that has not been pushed into the paper. If you have already peeled too soon, discard that strip and start with a refill.
How do I use the red toggle?
Only if the nail is the adjustable 77774, which is the four-pack and, on the bullets, the £3.40 two-pack. Lock it until it clicks, then nudge the head so the frame is level. The £4.16 pack does not state a toggle. The toggle does not increase the 1 kg rating. If two nails share one frame, set the first height and bring the second into line before you let go of the cord.
Which way do I pull the tab off?
Slowly, straight down, parallel to the wall. Do not pull outwards or on a diagonal, and do not press the nail into the wall as you stretch. If the paper or the paint starts to lift, stop. United Kingdom reviews on these listings include torn wallpaper and a chunk of paint. The stretch only works when the finish is stronger than the strip.
Can I reuse the same strip?
No. The plastic nail is reusable with a new strip. The stretched strip is spent. Fit the refill after the same clean, with no detergent, and not on vinyl or a non-stick coating. A new strip does not raise the kilogram rating. If the old strip snapped, do not scrape the peg off the paper.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 19 October 2026.
- tesa adhesive nail for wallpaper and plaster, 1 kg (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- tesa adjustable adhesive nail for wallpaper and plaster, 1 kg (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- tesa adjustable 2 kg nail sheet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- tesa adhesive strips for wallpaper and plaster, 1 kg (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- 3M UK, how to hang a picture without nails (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk, tesa adjustable adhesive nails, 4-pack (retrieved 19 October 2026)