Lining paper on Victorian and Edwardian walls
Old lime and sand-based plaster is often soft, patched and slightly wavy. Paper hung straight onto it shows every lump, and joins can open as the wall moves. We make good blown areas, size the wall and cross-line it with lining paper so the decorative paper has a flat, stable base.
In a chimney-breast alcove or up a stairwell, walls in a Victorian terrace can be well out of plumb. Every drop is hung to a plumb line rather than matched to the last one, and Simon, our wallpaper specialist, plans where the pattern will break so the awkward join lands out of sight.
A wallpaper hanger for listed homes and the conservation area
Biggleswade has 53 listed buildings and a town-centre conservation area. In a listed home, stripping historic papers or finishes may need consent, so check with Central Bedfordshire Council first. We're used to protecting finishes that are staying: on a Cambridge staircase we kept an existing William Morris paper safe while the ceiling above it was plastered.
Heritage and designer papers are expensive, so batch numbers are checked and the set-out planned before anything is cut. The William Morris staircase project and our wallpaper hanging page show more.
Biggleswade at a glance
- 27 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 44 minutesOSRM routing
- 8%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 6%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
- 9,442householdsCensus 2021
- 53listed buildingsHistoric England
- 68%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
How we approach wallpapering
On an older Biggleswade wall we strip with steam, scrape, wash off old paste and fill. Loose plaster is cut out and made good, then the wall is sized and lined horizontally. The finished paper goes on vertically, pasted on the table or hung paste-the-wall depending on type, with pattern repeats matched across chimney breasts and alcoves. The full method, products and FAQs are on our wallpapering page.