How to Wallpaper Around a Door or Archway
The single relief cut that turns a door frame from a problem into a two-minute job, plus how to fill in above a doorway and line the curve of an arch
Hang the length over the door opening, smooth the part on the flat wall, then make a single diagonal relief cut into the top corner of the architrave. Fold the paper against the frame, crease, and trim down the side and along the top. Fill in above the door with a short length, pattern matched to the one beside it.
Around a door frame
- Hang the length over the opening. Let it run past the architrave rather than cutting it to shape first.
- Smooth the wall section above and beside the door so the paper is held in place.
- Find the top corner of the architrave through the paper, and cut diagonally out from it at about 45 degrees. One cut, about 5cm, no further than the corner.
- Fold the paper against the frame, one flap down the side of the architrave, one above it.
- Crease firmly along both edges with the back of the smoother.
- Trim along the creases with a fresh blade against a broad knife.
If the door is close to a corner, hang the length to a plumb line rather than to the architrave. Door frames are no more vertical than corners.
Above the door
The strip above a doorway is hung as a short length, cut from a full width and pattern-matched to the length beside it. Because our designs are a straight match, a short piece drops straight into the sequence at the same height.
Match it to the length on the side you will look at from, usually the side you see as you enter the room. If the pattern will not meet on both sides, put the discrepancy on the side that is less visible.
A doorway is also a good place to begin and end a whole room, because that short length above the door is where the final imperfect join can hide.
Archways
An arch takes three pieces: the wall on each side, and a strip lining the curved underside.
- Paper the walls first. Hang the lengths over the opening on each face, then trim to the arch, leaving about 2cm of paper turning onto the curved underside.
- Make relief cuts into that 2cm every 2 to 3cm around the curve so it folds onto the underside without creasing. Tighter curves need more cuts.
- Smooth the tabs down onto the underside of the arch.
- Cut a strip for the underside, about 3mm narrower than the arch is deep so it does not show from either side.
- Hang the strip in two halves, starting at each spring point and meeting at the top of the arch, rather than trying to bend one long strip around.
The join at the top of an arch is invisible from below. The join at the sides is not, so start each half neatly at the bottom.
Other openings
- Understairs cupboards: as a door. Papering the door itself, flush to its edges, makes it disappear into the wall.
- Openings between rooms: as a reveal, lining the returns and the head.
- Sliding and pocket doors: trim to the frame as normal, but check the door still runs clear of the paper before the paste dries.
Common mistakes
- Cutting the door shape before hanging. It never lands where you expect.
- Relief cut too long. Past the corner and it shows.
- Hanging to the architrave instead of a plumb line. The frame is not vertical and the error carries across the room.
- Forgetting the piece above. Cut it from the same run so the pattern still matches.
How do I wallpaper around a door frame?
Hang the length over the opening, make one diagonal relief cut into the top corner of the architrave, crease against the frame and trim.
Do I hang the paper over the door opening?
Yes, always. Cut afterwards.
How do I match the pattern above a door?
Cut the short length from the same run and match it to the full-height length beside it before you hang it.
How do I paper an archway?
Paper both faces, leaving 2cm turning onto the underside, relief cut every 2 to 3cm around the curve, then line the underside with two strips meeting at the top.
Should I paper the door itself?
You can, on a flat door. It works particularly well on a cupboard door you would rather not notice.
What if the frame is badly out of true?
Hang to your plumb line and let the trimmed edge follow the frame. The eye reads the frame, not the paper edge.
