Paperhangers
Construction and Extraction
Wallpaper or fabric is cut from the roll, pasted on the back or soaked if prepasted, then hung to chalked plumb lines. Brushes and rollers press out wrinkles and bubbles; knives and straightedges trim at ceilings, baseboards, and joints. Finished walls are checked for pattern match, alignment, and clean seams. Some jobs are decorative interiors; others attach advertising posters to walls or billboards. A fit for people who like exact measuring, keeping a pattern aligned, and careful finishing.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$52'140
Median Wage Market Position
$52'140
What you might do
- Hang wallpaper or fabric on interior walls
- Cut wallpaper strips to fit each wall
- Brush paste onto paper or soak prepasted strips
- Smooth paper to remove wrinkles and bubbles
- Trim excess paper at ceilings and baseboards
- Check seams for alignment and matching patterns
Skills that matter
- Matching wallpaper patterns across adjoining strips
- Smoothing wrinkles and air bubbles
- Measuring and cutting strips from the roll
- Talking through seam match with a helper
- Timing paste so strips stay workable
- Marking plumb lines to keep strips straight
AI & the future of this role
Surface prep and hanging wallpaper or fabric still depend on on-site judgment, careful alignment, and hands-on finishing that robots rarely match. Scheduling or pattern tools might speed planning, but demand for skilled installers in finished spaces is likely to hold up.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details