How to Choose Wallpaper for a Nursery or Child's Room
Which paper to use, when to decorate before a baby arrives, and how to choose a design that still looks right when they are five
Use our traditional 150gsm paper for a nursery that will stay as it is, or the removable paper if the room will change again in a couple of years. Decorate well before the baby arrives, at least a fortnight, and let the room dry and air properly with the door open and a window cracked during the day.
Which paper
- Traditional, 150gsm. The usual choice. A fine, flat finish and easy to hang.
- Heavy-grade, 300gsm. Worth considering for a toddler's or older child's room rather than a nursery, because it is vinyl-coated and copes with being wiped, which matters once the occupant is mobile and holding a pen.
- Removable, 180gsm. For a rented home, or a room you know will be redecorated when they start school.
Timing
Decorate early rather than in the last fortnight. Wallpaper needs 24 to 48 hours to dry, and a freshly decorated room benefits from being aired for a while after that with the door open and a window on the latch during the day.
If the walls need painting out to a neutral base first, remember that paint should cure for thirty days before papering, so a nursery that needs a dark wall covering is a two-month plan, not a two-week one. Start earlier than feels necessary.
Choosing a design that lasts
The most common regret in a nursery is a design chosen for a newborn and outgrown by a three-year-old.
- Choose the room, not the age. A botanical, a meadow, birds, a fine stripe: these read as a beautiful room at every age, where a cartoon reads as a baby's room for eighteen months.
- Think about the view from the cot. The wall opposite is what they will look at most.
- Consider papering one wall rather than four. A nursery is a small room and it takes very little to change it.
- Colour is where to be brave, not scale. Any of our designs can be recoloured to something soft, warm or deep to suit the room's light.
Practicalities
- Keep the cot away from the papered wall once the baby can reach. A picked-at seam is the commonest damage in a child's room.
- Keep an offcut. More important in this room than any other.
- Plan fixings before you paper. Shelves, a monitor, blackout blind brackets.
- Check the radiator wall. Nursery radiators run more than most, so paper behind them carefully and keep the heating off while it dries.
Papering a room that already has furniture in it
Move everything out if you can. If the cot is already built and cannot be dismantled, move it to the centre of the room, cover it completely, and vacuum the room thoroughly afterwards, because sanding dust settles everywhere, and a covered cot is easier than a cleaned one.
What is the best wallpaper for a nursery?
Our traditional 150gsm paper for a room that will stay as it is; heavy-grade for a toddler's room that will need wiping; removable for a rental or a room that will change soon.
How far in advance should I decorate a nursery?
At least a fortnight, and longer if walls need painting first, because new paint should cure for thirty days before papering.
Should I paper one wall or the whole room?
One wall is usually enough in a room this size, and it is the least expensive way to change it completely.
Will it survive a toddler?
Heavy-grade will take more. Whatever you choose, keep an offcut, because a patch repair is invisible and takes twenty minutes.
What design should I choose?
Something that suits the room rather than the age, so it still looks right when they are five.
Can I wallpaper a rented nursery?
With your landlord's agreement, using the removable paper.
