It’s a bit of a challenge, but it’s oh, so worth it. Wallpapering the wall above the stairs. With wallpaper in the stairwell you give your stairs a great makeover. The ideal opportunity to pull together upstairs and downstairs and also to turn this much-forgotten space into a showpiece. But it does require the necessary safety measures. How to wallpaper a stairwell? You can find out here!
Wallpaper your stairs in 5 steps
- Build a work platform
For wallpaper on the stairs, you need a work platform. It is safest to use scaffolding for this. But you can also make your own work platform out of two ladders and a scaffolding plank: place a ladder on one of the bottom steps of the stairs and lean it against the wall. Place a fold-out ladder on a higher stair step. Place here between the scaffolding plank. Or for some extra sturdiness: two on top of each other. Secure them well with ropes, for example. And ask two people to hold the ladders while you apply the stair wallpaper.
- Make the necessary preparations
Temporarily remove the stair railing, level the wall. Remove any moldings, nails and screws. Fill in gaps, let everything dry well and sand. Then cut the wallpaper strips to size and place them in the correct order. Write a number on the back if necessary. Also make sure you have wallpaper glue at home, a brush or a roller and a brush to stir the glue. Also handy: a wallpaper spatula to smooth the wallpaper in the stairwell onto the wall. And a sharp knife or scissors to remove the wallpaper at the bottom of the stairs and at the top of the wall.
- Start with the longest track
If you are going to wallpaper the stairwell, start with the longest track. Draw a straight plumb line on the wall and apply the wallpaper glue. Place the chosen staircase wallpaper and work from top to bottom. Smooth it with the wallpaper spatula from top to bottom, from the inside out, tightly on the wall. Finally, cut off the excess along the stair frame, or cut it away with a sharp knife. Proceed to the next lane and move the structure as needed to work safely.
- Finish the job neatly
Allow the wallpaper in the stairwell to dry thoroughly and then finish it off neatly. Apart from the excess staircase wallpaper that you have to remove at the top and bottom, you can also think of cutting away wallpaper around any light switches and wall sockets. Then put the stair railing back in place. Hang a nice mirror or some frames on the wall. And make sure the switches are back in place.
