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How to hang lining paper

Updated: 21 October 2026

The roll is on the landing and you want emulsion before this evening. That rush is how joins open and paint blisters. How to hang lining paper, on these paste-the-paper rolls, is a set order: paste the back, soak for that grade's own time, butt the joins, and leave the wall until the paper is dry. The rolls are in the [lining paper comparison](/hub/painting-supplies/lining-paper). This page is the hanging order once you already have one. Peter F. used published maker figures, not a lab hang. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The roll is on the landing and you want emulsion before this evening. That rush is how joins open and paint blisters.

Our top picks

Erfurt Erfurt 1400 single

Best overall

Erfurt Erfurt 1400 single
9.2/10about £6.36
View offer
Erfurt MAV Erfurt MAV 2000 double

Rank 2

Erfurt MAV Erfurt MAV 2000 double
9.2/10about £9.25
View offer
SOPHIE LAURENCE SOPHIE LAURENCE 1400 pack

Rank 3

SOPHIE LAURENCE SOPHIE LAURENCE 1400 pack
9.2/10about £30.10
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Paste the paper
  2. 2.Soak by grade
  3. 3.Hang and butt
  4. 4.Dry, then decorate

Paste the paper

These rolls are paste-the-paper. You paste the back, fold paste to paste, and soak the length. You do not paste the wall and offer dry paper to it. B00HWV7L4I is sold as non-pasted and B094JKS29M tells you to paste the paper. B00HWV7H88 and B00HWV7DIM do not state a method, so follow the pack if it differs. Erfurt's notes for 1400 and 2000 call for ready-mixed paste, bought separately. A 2.4 metre drop with about 50 mm spare at the ceiling and the skirting is a normal first length. Paste from the middle outwards until the edges are wet, then book the length. Once the length is booked, the soak starts.

Soak by grade

Give 1000 grade 8–10 minutes, 1400 grade about 10 minutes, and 2000 grade 10–12 minutes, and use that same time on every length. Toolstation says around 5 to 6 minutes, and Dulux Decorator Centre says around 5 minutes, both shorter than Erfurt's time for 2000 grade. Pull a 2000 length at five minutes and it can grow on the wall and open a fresh butt. If the pack prints its own soak, use that figure. If the listing is silent, do not invent one. Which grade to buy is on the lining paper grades page.
Erfurt Erfurt 1400 single

Testsieger

Erfurt Erfurt 1400 single
9.2/10about £6.36
View offer

Hang and butt

Hang the first length to a plumb line about 500 mm in from the corner, not to the corner itself. Brush from the centre outwards so air leaves at the sides. Butt the edges so they meet and do not overlap, because an overlap dries as a ridge under emulsion. If a join opens, the soak was uneven or the edge was dry, and lapping the next length across the gap will not fix that. When you will paint, hang vertically, which is Homebuilding's direction for a painted finish. Trim with a sharp blade on a broad filling knife.

Dry, then decorate

Let the lining dry before emulsion or wallpaper. Erfurt says the paper should dry thoroughly, and Homebuilding's wait for paint is at least 24 hours, or 48 hours if the room is cold. Emulsion the same afternoon traps moisture, so the finish can blister or a join can lift. Do not line a wall that is damp, mouldy, crumbling or deeply cracked. The paper does not waterproof a wall or hold hollow plaster. If the wall booms when you tap it, fill it or call a plasterer. Thirsty new plaster needs a size coat so it does not suck the paste dry, which is B&Q's advice. A sound new skim is often mist-coated and painted with no lining at all.

Common questions

Do you paste the paper or the wall?
You paste the back of the lining paper, fold it, and soak it. You do not paste the wall and offer dry paper to it. Listings in this set that state a method are non-pasted, and two do not state one, so read the pack before you start. Erfurt's notes for 1400 and 2000 grade specify ready-mixed paste, sold separately.
How long should 1000, 1400 and 2000 grade soak?
Soak 1000 grade for 8–10 minutes, 1400 grade for about 10 minutes, and 2000 grade for 10–12 minutes. Those are Erfurt's times, and every length needs the same soak or a shorter drop expands less. A five-minute shop guide is too short for 2000 grade. Follow a time printed on the pack. If the listing is silent, do not guess.
Can you overlap lining paper?
Butt the joins so the edges meet, and do not overlap them. Erfurt's notes say to butt, because an overlap dries as a ridge under emulsion. If a join opens, an uneven soak or a dry edge is the usual cause, and lapping the next length over the gap will not correct it. Overlapping after shrink is a review workaround, not the method.
How long before emulsion on lining paper?
Wait until the lining is thoroughly dry before emulsion or wallpaper. Erfurt's instruction is a thorough dry, and Homebuilding's figure for paint is at least 24 hours, or 48 hours if the room is cold. Paint on the same afternoon traps moisture, so the finish can blister or a join can lift. A fan heater on one patch dries that patch first and can cockle the joins.
Do you size new plaster?
Size thirsty new plaster before lining paper, so the wall does not suck the paste out of the length. That is B&Q's advice. A sound new skim is often mist-coated and painted with no lining, so paper is not automatic after the plasterer leaves. If you do line, size first and then paste the back. Miss that coat and one part of the length grabs while the next slides.
Can you hang lining paper over damp or loose plaster?
Do not hang lining paper over damp, mould, crumbling plaster or deep cracks. Dulux Decorator Centre's guide sets that limit. The paper does not waterproof the wall, and it does not hold hollow plaster in place. If the wall booms when you tap it, fill it or call a plasterer first. A stair or a ceiling in 2000 grade is a decorator's job if you have not hung paper before.

Related pages

Lining paper before wallpaper

Lining paper buying guide

Lining paper

Best lining paper: who each of the five rolls suits

Lining paper grades: match each number to the wall

Sources

Public UK and maker sources used for grade, soak times and drying. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026: B00HWV7L4I, B00HWV7H88, B094JKS29M, B01HR2ZXOG and B00HWV7DIM.

  1. Erfurt MAV, professional lining paper 1000 grade (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Erfurt MAV, professional lining paper 1400 grade (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Erfurt MAV, professional lining paper 2000 grade (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Homebuilding, lining paper grades (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Farrow & Ball, preparing walls for wallpaper (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Graham & Brown, how to hang wallpaper (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. B&Q, how to hang lining paper (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BS EN 234:2019, wallcoverings for subsequent decoration (retrieved 19 October 2026)