Adhesive nails for wallpaper
Updated: 23 October 2026
You have paper on the wall, or bare plaster, and you would rather not drill a hole for a light frame. Adhesive nails for wallpaper are made for that surface, and they still only hold whatever the paste or the paint is already holding. If the finish is weaker than the strip, the paper or the paint leaves with the nail. This page decides whether your wall is eligible. The packs themselves are the three 1 kg tesa listings in 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.
You have paper on the wall, or bare plaster, and you would rather not drill a hole for a light frame.
You have paper on the wall, or bare plaster, and you would rather not drill a hole for a light frame. Adhesive nails for wallpaper are made for that surface, and they still only hold whatever the paste or the paint is already holding. If the finish is weaker than the strip, the paper or the paint leaves with the nail. This page decides whether your wall is eligible. The packs themselves are the three 1 kg tesa listings in our adhesive nail comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Surface line | Stated hold | Substrate note | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  tesa tesa adjustable adhesive nails, 4-pack | Wallpaper and plaster | 1 kg per nail | Hold depends on the wall | 9.5 | about £5.64 | View offer |
| Best value |  tesa tesa 77774 adhesive nails, 2-pack | Wallpaper and plaster | 1 kg, or 2 kg with two | No-trace claim on the listing | 9.1 | about £3.40 | View offer |
 tesa tesa 77773 adhesive nails, 2-pack | Title vs metal and plaster | 1 kg, or 2 kg with two | No-trace claim on the listing | 7.7 | about £4.16 | View offer |
On this page
When wallpaper is the right surface
tesa’s 1 kg wallpaper-and-plaster nail is specified for textured, sensitive wallpaper or plaster, at 1 kg for one nail. The two-nail listings also say 2 kg with two nails. That is paper wallpaper, not a vinyl face. The refill page excludes vinyl wallpaper and non-stick coatings such as silicone. A foam core meets a slightly uneven paper texture. Test one hidden patch where the first frame will cover it. If it comes away, stop. The £4.16 title says wallpaper or plaster, and a technical row says metal and plaster. Once the test has passed, the press order is on how to use adhesive nails.
Plaster and plasterboard
On plaster, the nail holds only the paint skin. Sound, cured emulsion can take a light frame inside the 1 kg line. Blown plaster, a hollow patch, or paint that dusts onto your finger is a stop. Plasterboard is the same limit. Soft, new emulsion is a weak skin, and a strip stuck into it is likely to take the paint off later. A review mention of newly plastered walls is not a licence to hang on tacky paint.
What UK reviews show on these listings
The listings are not a single story. On the £3.40 pack, 4.4 from 8,072 reviews, United Kingdom reviews include a textured wall that held, a nail down by the next day, and one removal that took a chunk of paint. On the £4.16 pack, 4.4 from 8,049 reviews, they include a medium-sized picture, wallpaper ripped on removal, and a fall after about an hour that tore paper. On the four-pack, 4.4 from 11,232 reviews, reviewers report wallpaper and newly plastered painted walls, and one clean removal from paint, plaster, and tile. The four-pack reviews also say the leaflet was not in English.
If the test fails
If the hidden strip lifts paper or paint, do not press a second one beside it. Match the patch with leftover paper if you are renting, or fill and touch in the paint if you own the wall. Agree the repair with a landlord when the paper is theirs. A plasterer should take over if the plaster is blown. After a pass, stay inside 1 kg per nail, or 2 kg with two on the listings that actually say 2 kg. The four-pack does not repeat that two-nail line. Vinyl remains excluded even if it feels firmly stuck. When the test passes, compare the £3.40, £4.16, and £5.64 packs on the main page.
Common questions
Can I use adhesive nails on wallpaper?
Yes, on sound paper wallpaper that is not vinyl, and only inside the published weight. tesa specifies the 1 kg nail for textured, sensitive wallpaper or plaster. A hidden test should come first. If the paste lets go, the nail is the wrong fixing for that wall even though the product name says wallpaper. United Kingdom reviews on these listings include both holds and torn paper.
What about vinyl wallpaper?
Do not use this strip on vinyl. tesa’s refill page for the 1 kg wallpaper strip excludes vinyl wallpaper and non-stick coatings. The foam core is for uneven paper, not for a vinyl skin. A higher star rating does not change the exclusion. Textile wallcoverings sit in the same stop group.
Will they damage plaster when I take them off?
They can. The stretch-release is meant to come off without a trace when the paint is stronger than the strip and you pull the tab straight down. A United Kingdom review on the £3.40 pack describes a chunk of paint leaving with the nail. Sound, cured emulsion has a better chance than flaking paint. If a test strip lifts the skin, stop and repair that patch instead of hanging the frame.
Do they work on painted plasterboard?
They can hold a light frame on the paint skin of plasterboard. They do not replace a plug in a stud. If the board is skimmed and the emulsion is sound, the same 1 kg limit applies. If the skim is hollow or the paint dusts off, the nail will take the weak layer with it. Weigh the frame before you treat plasterboard as an easier wall than masonry.
How do I know if the paper is sound?
Press a strip where a frame will hide it, after cleaning with silicone-free window cleaner, methylated spirit, or isopropanol, not detergent. If the paper stays flat and does not lift at the edge when you are done, it is sound enough to consider a light frame. If a bubble or a tear appears, it is not. Loose corners elsewhere on the same wall are a reason to assume the paste is tired.
Is a freshly painted wall ready?
Not while the paint is soft. A strip in tacky emulsion is likely to pull the skin later. Command’s seven-day wait after painting is 3M’s rule for Command, not a figure tesa prints for these nails. Use it only as a caution that new paint is a weak surface. A review mention of newly plastered painted walls is not permission to hang on this afternoon’s coat.
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)