How Long to Leave Lining Paper Before Painting?

Most projects use lining paper to smooth out an uneven wall and cover over cracks or imperfections that would show up if painted directly. Lining paper, used as a base layer for painting or wallpapering, should be left to dry for about 24 hours before decorating.

A lot depends on the warmth of the room, how well ventilated the space is, and whether you've used the correct consistency of wallpaper paste - but if in doubt, it is better to wait a couple of days to avoid damaging that perfect finish!

Factors That Affect How Quickly Lining Paper is Ready to Paint

Lining paper must have sufficient time to dry thoroughly before you attempt to paint over the top. 

Painting on wet paper will usually mean the paper starts to peel away from the wall or begins to bubble.

The point of lining paper is that it creates a smooth, even surface to decorate, so it's well worth waiting a little longer if you have any doubts about whether the paper is dried through.

Some of the factors that will influence the total drying time include:

• Temperature - turning up the central heating or using an electric fan heater can help the paste to dry faster.
• Moisture - a damp room will need longer to dry, but it's inadvisable to use a dehumidifier as this can make the paste dry too quickly, with poor adhesion to the paper. Instead, open windows and doors to invite natural airflow in.
• Dampness - a really damp room can make it tricky for anything to dry properly. A good strategy is to dry out the room before applying your lining paper with dehumidifiers or heaters.

Another element is whether you've used any caulk to hide gaps between sheets of lining paper. This substance also needs to be set before you paint on top of it.

One pitfall of decorators caulk is that it can be noticeable, especially if you're using vinyl or gloss paint since the texture will be shiny and smooth compared to the lining paper.

A domestic filler, sanded back to be level with the paper, might be a more suitable option if you're painting onto lining paper rather than wallpapering.

Hanging Tips for Lining Paper

If you're keen to achieve an excellent finish, your lining paper needs to be applied correctly.

A difference from normal wallpapering is that you apply lining paper horizontally, not vertically down the wall.

The reason is that if you hang wallpaper over the top, and the joins between sheets of paper align with the joins of the lining paper beneath, even tiny cracks become very visible.

However, you can hang lining paper vertically if you prefer or wish to paint. It's wise to offset the first row by hanging half a piece, to begin with, to make sure any wallpaper you decide to hang on top won't line up exactly.

Other considerations include:

• The grade of your lining paper, which ranges from thin 800 grade to the thickest 2,000 grade. Thin lining papers cover hairline cracks, whereas thick paper will cover more major imperfections or pitting in the plaster.
• Pasting the wall, not the paper, makes the hanging process easier. That means you hang the paper to the wall and don't struggle with heavy folded paper.
• Paint rollers are a user-friendlier tool than a paintbrush and take considerably less time to apply your wallpaper paste.
• Make sure the wallpaper adhesive you use is suitable for the weight and density of your selected lining paper grade.

Note that wallpaper adhesive needs a setting time to expand before applying the paper, known as soaking, as the paper sets on the wall.

You can use this time to apply the paste for your next strip of lining paper, wiping down any excess adhesive to ensure you don't get paste on the front surface of your wallpaper sheets.