Shreeve & Son's Decorating Contractors — painters and decorators in Wimbledon, South London and Surrey
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    Bathroom with designer wallpaper and wainscoting panels installed by Shreeve and Sons

    Expert Wallpapering
    Services Across London

    & Surrey

    From bold feature walls to full-room designer wallpaper, we deliver precision wallpaper hanging with perfectly matched patterns, invisible seams, and a finish that transforms any room instantly.

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    Thousands of rooms wallpapered · Specialist papers our forte · 30+ years precision craftsmanship

    30+

    Years Experience

    1,000+

    Rooms Completed

    5yr

    Workmanship Guarantee

    £5m

    Fully Insured

    24hr

    Response Time

    What This Service Includes

    Professional wallpapering requires precision, patience and expertise that comes only from years of practice. Our service covers everything from simple lining paper through to complex pattern-matched designer wallpapers, handmade papers, grasscloth, silk, and specialist textured materials.

    This service is for homeowners who want to add depth, texture, pattern and personality to their rooms — whether that is a single feature wall to create a focal point, or an entire room wrapped in luxury wallpaper. We also handle wallpaper removal, wall preparation and lining before hanging the new paper.

    Wallpaper is making a significant comeback in interior design. Modern wallpapers from brands like Cole & Son, Morris & Co, Designers Guild and Osborne & Little offer extraordinary patterns, textures and finishes that paint simply cannot replicate. However, the material is only as good as the installation — poor hanging results in visible seams, mismatched patterns, bubbles and peeling that ruin the investment.

    Our team has hung wallpaper in period homes, modern apartments, listed buildings and show homes across South London and Surrey. We understand the particular challenges of old plaster walls, uneven surfaces, damp-prone rooms and complex architectural features like chimney breasts, alcoves and bay windows.

    Examples of Our Work

    Bathroom with forest-themed designer wallpaper above painted wainscoting panels
    Children's bedroom with safari animal wallpaper above blue painted tongue-and-groove panelling
    Hallway with oak leaf and bird wallpaper, dark green painted woodwork and chandelier
    Cloakroom with blue jungle arches wallpaper featuring tigers and giraffes by Shreeve and Sons
    Downstairs WC with jungle pattern wallpaper, navy vanity unit and oak worktop
    Cloakroom hung in William Morris Strawberry Thief style wallpaper by Shreeve and Sons
    Bedroom bay window feature wall with peacock wallpaper between blue painted walls
    Cloakroom wallpapered floor to ceiling in blue jungle pattern with navy door
    Full downstairs WC wallpapered in tiger and giraffe jungle pattern by Shreeve and Sons

    What Happens When You Wait Too Long

    Wallpaper hanging is one of the most technically demanding decorating tasks. The margin for error is razor-thin, and mistakes with expensive designer paper are costly and irreversible.

    Pattern Mismatch

    Large-scale patterns require exact alignment across every drop. A 2mm error at ceiling height becomes a 10mm gap by skirting level. This is visible immediately and cannot be corrected once the paper is pasted.

    Bubbles and Lifting

    Incorrect paste application, inadequate wall preparation, or hanging in unsuitable temperatures causes bubbles, wrinkles and lifting at seams. These defects worsen over time and eventually require complete removal.

    Wasted Material

    Designer wallpaper costs £50 to £300+ per roll. Cutting errors, paste damage and misalignment waste material that cannot be replaced — especially with batch-numbered papers where colours vary between production runs.

    Wall Damage from Poor Removal

    Removing old wallpaper incorrectly — using too much water, incorrect steamers, or brute force — damages underlying plaster. Professional removal preserves your walls and creates a smooth base for the new paper.

    Our Proven Process

    1

    Consultation and Paper Assessment

    We visit your property, measure all walls precisely, assess surface condition, and discuss wallpaper options. We advise on paste types, pattern considerations and the number of rolls required with appropriate waste allowance.

    2

    Wall Preparation

    We remove existing wallpaper, repair any plaster damage, fill holes and cracks, and apply lining paper where necessary. Walls are sized (sealed) with the appropriate solution to ensure consistent paste absorption and easy future removal.

    3

    Paper Cutting and Matching

    Each drop is cut precisely with pattern alignment marked and checked before pasting. For large patterns, we lay out drops on the floor to confirm the match across the entire wall before committing to paste.

    4

    Professional Hanging

    Paper is hung to a true plumb line, not to existing walls which are rarely perfectly vertical. Seams are butt-joined tightly, air is smoothed out carefully, and excess paste is cleaned from surfaces immediately.

    5

    Finishing and Inspection

    We trim precisely around obstacles — sockets, light switches, radiator pipes, coving — and ensure every seam sits perfectly flat. A final inspection checks alignment, adhesion and finish quality.

    The Results You Can Expect

    Invisible Seams

    Our technique ensures seams are virtually invisible. Drops are butt-joined precisely and smoothed so the pattern flows continuously across the wall.

    Perfect Pattern Match

    Large-scale and geometric patterns are aligned to the millimetre across every drop, around corners and through obstacles.

    All Paper Types

    We work with standard paste-the-wall papers, paste-the-paper papers, pre-pasted papers, vinyl, non-woven, grasscloth, silk and specialist handmade papers.

    Minimal Waste

    Precise measurement and cutting means we minimise waste on expensive designer papers. We calculate exact requirements to avoid unnecessary additional rolls.

    Complex Spaces Handled

    Alcoves, chimney breasts, bay windows, stairwells and sloped ceilings are all within our expertise. We plan pattern placement so focal walls have centred, balanced designs.

    Clean Removal

    When removing old paper, we protect floors, furniture and fixtures. Walls are left smooth and ready without damage to underlying plaster.

    Types of Wallpaper We Hang

    We work with every category of wallpaper available on the market. Standard printed papers, non-woven paste-the-wall papers, traditional paste-the-paper papers, heavyweight vinyls for kitchens and bathrooms, natural grasscloth and sisal, flocked papers, embossed papers, metallic foils, and hand-printed specialist papers from artisan manufacturers. Each type has specific handling requirements — pasting method, soak time, smoothing technique and trimming approach — and we adapt our method to suit every material.

    Feature Walls vs Full Rooms

    Feature walls create maximum visual impact with minimal material cost. We typically recommend centering the pattern on the most prominent wall — usually the chimney breast or the wall behind the bed in a bedroom. For full-room wallpapering, we plan the start and finish point carefully to minimise the visibility of the final pattern break, typically positioning it in the least visible corner or behind a tall piece of furniture.

    Working With Listed and Period Properties

    Older properties present unique challenges. Lath and plaster walls are rarely flat or truly vertical. Lime plaster is softer and more fragile than modern gypsum plaster. We adapt our approach accordingly — using appropriate lining techniques, breathable pastes, and gentle smoothing methods that work with, rather than against, the character of the building.

    Bathroom and Kitchen Wallpaper

    Modern vinyl and non-woven wallpapers are specifically designed for high-moisture environments. We use moisture-resistant adhesives and ensure all edges are sealed to prevent steam penetration. In splashback areas and directly behind sinks, we typically recommend tiling or splash panels rather than wallpaper for longevity, but decorative wallpaper works well on walls away from direct water contact.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Related Services

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    Speak directly with our team. We visit your property, discuss your requirements, and provide a transparent written quote — no pressure, no hidden costs.

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