WALLPAPER FIXING IN CEILING

Ceilings, like walls, have a much softer feeling if you hang lining paper before you paint them. If you want to cover a ceiling with patterned paper, choose pale colours (unless the ceiling is very high) and patterns which do not have an obvious 'right way up'. Ensure that you are standing steadily at a comfortable height to reach the ceiling with your head just below ceiling level, using scaffolding planks with ladders.

1 Decide which way you want to hang the paper. Patterned paper is hung with the pattern running down the length of the room. With plain or broken colour paper, the job may be easier if you hang shorter strips across the room.

1 Mark a straight line across the ceiling, 53 ern (21 in) from the wall with which you want to align the paper. Measure out from the wall at each end, and join the two points with a length of chalk-covered string, pinned in position. Snap it to leave a mark on the ceiling as a guide for the first strip of paper.

2 Paste the paper as for wallpaper, making neat, concertina-style folds so that you can control the paper more easily. The folds should be about 50 ern (20 in) apart, and arranged so that the pasted side is sandwiched to the pasted side of the next fold.

3 Lift the folded wallpaper to the ceiling, beside the marked line. Unwrap the first fold, sticking it in place so it is in line with the mark. Allow a few centimetres to overlap the cornice or wall at the end. Work down the length of the paper, unfolding and smoothing as you go. Trim ends by marking with the back of the scissors as before.
Repeat for subsequent strips, butting the edges carefully and rolling seams with a seam roller.

4 If there is a ceiling rose, cut a hole to ease the light fitting through the paper. Turn off the power at the mains, then snip into the paper around the rose. Trim away the paper to leave a couple of millimetres overlap, unscrew the rose slightly and tuck the edge of the paper under the rose as you tighten it up again.