How to Choose Wallpaper for a Kitchen
Where wallpaper works in a kitchen and where it does not, which paper survives grease and steam, and why scale matters more here than in any other room
Yes, away from the hob and the sink. Use our heavy-grade paper, which is vinyl-coated and can be gently cleaned, and keep it off the immediate splash and heat zones, which want tile, glass or stainless steel. The dining end of a kitchen is where wallpaper does its best work.
Where it works
- The dining end of a kitchen-diner, the single best use of wallpaper in a modern kitchen.
- A wall with no units on it, or the wall a table sits against.
- Above a picture rail or on a chimney breast in an older kitchen.
- Inside a pantry or larder cupboard, which is a quiet pleasure every time it is opened.
- The ceiling, which stays clear of everything that gets thrown at a kitchen wall.
Where it does not
- Behind the hob. Heat and fat. This area needs a proper splashback.
- Behind the sink. Constant water.
- Between worktop and wall units, where every splash lands.
- Immediately beside a hob, even to the side. Keep paper well clear and follow the appliance manufacturer's clearances.
Which paper
Heavy-grade, 300gsm. Vinyl-coated, so airborne grease can be blotted off rather than absorbed, and heavy enough to survive a kitchen wall's general life.
Our traditional paper is usable in the dining end of a large room, though it will show marks sooner. Removable peel and stick is not the right choice for a kitchen: steam from a kettle, hob and dishwasher works between the adhesive and the paint.
Extraction
A working extractor over the hob, used every time you cook, takes most of the grease and steam out of the air before it reaches any wall. It matters more for how a kitchen wall ages than the paper does.
Regular dusting
Kitchen grease settles as a fine film and gradually attracts dust. Dusted every few weeks it never becomes a mark; left for a year it becomes one that will not come off.
Preparing a kitchen wall
- Degrease thoroughly with sugar soap, because kitchen walls carry more than any other room, including walls that look perfectly clean.
- Rinse and let dry completely.
- Fill and sand, then dust off.
- Check for condensation staining, particularly on external walls and in corners.
- Paste generously, right into the corners and edges.
- Let it dry a full 48 hours before heavy cooking, with the extractor on.
A note on scale
Kitchen walls are broken up by units, appliances, shelves and doors, so very little uninterrupted wall is left. A large-scale design in those conditions shows only fragments of itself. Either give it a whole clear wall, such as the dining end or a chimney breast, or choose something smaller in scale for the broken-up walls.
Hold an A3 sample against the actual wall, with the units in shot, before ordering.
Can you put wallpaper in a kitchen?
Yes, away from the hob, the sink and the worktop splash zone. Heavy-grade is the paper to use.
Can wallpaper go behind a cooker?
No. That area needs a proper splashback, and paper should be kept well clear of a heat source.
Will kitchen grease ruin wallpaper?
Not if there is working extraction and the wall is dusted regularly. Grease becomes a problem when it is left to build up.
Is your wallpaper wipeable?
The heavy-grade paper is vinyl-coated and tolerates gentle cleaning. Blot with a slightly damp white cloth, never scrub.
Can I use peel and stick in a kitchen?
We would not. Steam from cooking works between the adhesive and the paint film.
What about a kitchen ceiling?
It works well and stays clear of splashes.
