How to Wallpaper a Chimney Breast and Its Alcoves
Centring the design on the breast, turning its external corners, papering the alcoves either side, and deciding whether the alcoves should be papered at all
Start in the middle. Find the centre of the chimney breast, mark a plumb line either 24cm to one side of it or straight down it depending on whether you want a length or a seam centred, and work outwards in both directions. Wrap about 2cm around each external corner, then mark a fresh plumb line on the returns.
A chimney breast is the most looked-at surface in most rooms, which makes centring the pattern the whole job.
Decide what sits in the middle
Two options, and the design decides which:
- Centre a length. Measure the width of the breast, find the middle, then measure 24cm to one side and mark your plumb line there. The middle of a roll then falls on the middle of the breast. Use this for a design with a clear repeating motif you want sitting square in the middle of the wall, such as a large bloom, a bird, a distinct medallion.
- Centre a seam. Mark the plumb line on the centre itself, so two lengths meet in the middle. Simpler, and the cut pieces at either side come out equal. Use it for fine, dense or textural designs where nothing needs placing.
Hold a length up dry and look at it from the doorway before you commit. This is the one decision in the room worth five minutes.
Step by step
- Prepare the breast as any other wall. Fill and sand the external corners carefully, because a chipped corner shows straight through the paper.
- Mark your centre line with a level, floor to ceiling.
- Hang the first length to that line.
- Work outwards in both directions, butting each length to the last.
- At each external corner, measure from the last full length to the corner at three heights, take the widest, add 2cm, and cut the length to that width. Wrap the 2cm around onto the return and smooth it down firmly.
- Mark a fresh plumb line on the return and hang the next piece to it, covering the wrapped edge.
The returns
The sides of a chimney breast are usually between 20cm and 50cm deep, so each takes a narrow piece cut from a full width. Cut them from the same length where you can so the pattern runs continuously round the corner, and accept that on a deep return the match will not be exact, because the corner is not square.
The alcoves
Alcoves either side are their own small rooms: a back wall and two returns each.
- Paper the breast first, then the alcoves, then the rest of the room.
- Start each alcove on its back wall, centred if it is narrow enough to take one or two lengths.
- Mark a plumb line on the back wall and on each return.
- Work outwards from the back wall towards the front edge of the alcove.
If the alcoves have shelving in them, take it out. Papering around fixed shelves is possible and never looks as good.
Whether to paper the alcoves at all
Both work. Papering the breast alone makes it read as a deliberate feature and keeps the alcoves quiet, which is useful if they hold books or a television. Papering breast and alcoves together wraps the whole end of the room and suits a smaller-scale design.
What rarely works is papering the alcoves and leaving the breast plain: the eye reads the breast as unfinished.
Around the fireplace
- Hang the length over the mantel area and trim to the surround exactly as you would to an architrave, using relief cuts at the corners.
- Crease firmly against the mantel shelf before cutting.
- Keep wallpaper clear of the opening of a working fire, and follow the clearance distances specified by the fireplace or stove manufacturer.
- On a chimney breast with a working fire, check the wall is dry and free of staining before papering. Old chimney breasts can carry salts and soot staining through onto new paper.
How much you'll need
Measure the front and both returns as three separate faces and add them together. A typical breast, 1.4m across with two 0.4m returns and 2.4m high, comes to five drops, which is two rolls.
Where do I start when wallpapering a chimney breast?
In the centre of the breast, working outwards both ways, so the design sits symmetrically.
Should I centre a length or a seam?
Centre a length for a design with a strong motif; centre a seam for a fine or textural one.
How much do I wrap around the corner?
About 2cm, smoothed down firmly, then a fresh plumb line on the return.
Do I have to paper the alcoves too?
No. Breast only reads as a feature; breast and alcoves together wraps the end of the room. Alcoves alone rarely looks right.
How many rolls for a chimney breast?
Usually two for a standard breast at 2.4m high. Measure the front and both returns separately.
Can I wallpaper a chimney breast with a working fire?
Yes, keeping the paper clear of the opening and observing the manufacturer's clearances. Check the wall is dry and free of soot staining first.
