Painting and decorating
Wallpapering
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Wallpapering: what the job involves
Stripping old wallpaper and hanging new paper or a feature wall, with the walls prepared and lined so the joins stay closed and the pattern lines up. Paper shows every flaw in the wall underneath, so preparation decides the result.
Also asked for as: wallpaper hanger · feature wall wallpaper · hanging wallpaper · wallpaper removal · decorator
How the job is usually done
- Check the wall, measure, and agree the paper, the pattern repeat and the number of rolls including spare
- Strip old paper with a steamer, taking care not to gouge the plaster underneath
- Fill and sand the wall, then size it or apply a lining paper where the surface is poor
- Mark a plumb line and plan the drops so the pattern is centred on the main wall or chimney breast
- Paste and hang each length, matching the pattern and trimming at ceiling, skirting, sockets and switches
- Clean paste off the face and woodwork and check the seams once dry
Wallpapering: what is included
Usually included
- Hanging the paper, matched and trimmed
- Basic filling and sizing of the wall
- Removing light switch and socket faceplates to paper behind them, where safe to do so
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Supplying the paper, which customers usually choose and buy themselves
- Stripping several layers or painted-over paper, unless agreed
- Replastering walls damaged by stripping
- Painting the other walls, ceiling or woodwork
Materials and who supplies them
- Wallpaper — usually bought by the customer, from the same batch number
- Paste suited to the paper: ready-mixed for heavy vinyls, paste-the-wall for non-wovens
- Lining paper and size where the wall needs them — usually the decorator’s
- Steamer, pasting table, plumb line and trimming knives — the decorator’s
How long it takes
A feature wall takes a few hours, a standard room about a day; stripping old layers, lining, stairwells and large-repeat patterns add time.
Wallpapering: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Work that would materially affect the character of a protected structure needs planning permission, and that can include repainting in a different colour or finish, inside or out. In an Architectural Conservation Area the usual exemptions may not apply to the exterior. The council can issue a declaration (Section 57) saying which works it considers exempt.
Applies to: the owner of a protected structure or a house in an Architectural Conservation Area
Planning and Development Act — protected structures; the county or city council · citizensinformation.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Repair, maintenance and redecoration of a home is charged at the reduced rate of VAT (13.5%) by a VAT-registered business, subject to Revenue’s two-thirds rule: if the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, the goods rate applies to the whole job.
Applies to: the painter or decorator, if VAT-registered
Revenue — Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010, Schedule 3 · revenue.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What wallpapering costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Wall area and the number of rolls
- Paper type and pattern repeat: plain, large-repeat, mural or grasscloth
- Stripping old paper, and how many layers are on
- Lining the walls first
- Stairwells and high walls that need a platform
- VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- The paper name, batch number and the number of spare rolls left behind
- A VAT receipt if the decorator is VAT-registered
Safety
- Steamers get very hot and produce a lot of moisture: ventilate the room and keep children away
- The electricity to sockets and switches should be off before faceplates are loosened, and nobody should paper into an open back box
- Old paper in a pre-2000 house may be over a textured coating; do not strip or sand that without checking for asbestos
Wallpapering: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- How many rolls do I need, including spare for the repeat?
- Will you line the walls first, and is that in the price?
- Is stripping the old paper included?
- Have you hung this type of paper before?
What you can do yourself
A plain paper on a sound, flat wall is a fair DIY job; large repeats, murals, grasscloth and stairwells are worth paying a decorator for.
What to put in your task
- What are you papering?
- Is there wallpaper on the walls now?
- What kind of paper is it?
- Have you already bought the paper?
Photos that help
- Each wall to be papered, straight on
- Close-ups of the current paper or the wall surface
- The paper label, showing pattern repeat and batch number
- The stairwell from the bottom, if included
Wallpapering by county
Choose your county for wallpapering close to home.
- Wallpapering in Dublin
- Wallpapering in Cork
- Wallpapering in Galway
- Wallpapering in Kildare
- Wallpapering in Limerick
- Wallpapering in Meath
- Wallpapering in Tipperary
- Wallpapering in Donegal
- Wallpapering in Wexford
- Wallpapering in Kerry
- Wallpapering in Wicklow
- Wallpapering in Mayo
- Wallpapering in Louth
- Wallpapering in Waterford
- Wallpapering in Clare
- Wallpapering in Kilkenny
- Wallpapering in Westmeath
- Wallpapering in Laois
- Wallpapering in Cavan
- Wallpapering in Offaly
- Wallpapering in Sligo
- Wallpapering in Roscommon
- Wallpapering in Monaghan
- Wallpapering in Carlow
- Wallpapering in Longford
- Wallpapering in Leitrim
Painting and decorating
Need wallpapering? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about wallpapering
Does wallpapering need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
How many rolls of wallpaper do I need?
It depends on the wall height, width and the pattern repeat, because a large repeat wastes paper on every drop. Measure the walls and give the decorator the repeat from the label, and buy at least one spare roll from the same batch. A different batch can be a slightly different shade.
Can wallpaper go over painted walls?
Yes, if the paint is sound. Glossy or silk paint is usually keyed with sandpaper and sized first. Flaking paint has to be scraped back and filled.
Why do the seams on my paper keep opening?
Usually the wall was not sized or lined, the paper was over-stretched while hanging, or the room is damp. Fixing the cause and re-pasting the seams is often enough; otherwise the length has to be replaced.