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Paperhangers

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $52,140 Median per year · $25.07/hr Most earn $36,020–$69,050

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
  • Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints.
  • Mix paste, using paste powder and water, and brush paste onto surfaces.
  • Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
  • Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
  • Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Advertising, public relations, and related services43.8%
  • Self-employed (their own business)32.1%
  • Painting and wall covering contractors12.9%
  • Building material and supplies dealers2.4%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Paperhanging is an entry-level job: you can start with a high school diploma and learn most of the work on the job. Most people spend about 1 to 2 years working as a helper or in a related trade before they are doing this work on their own.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build basic math, measuring, and art or design skills, which you will use every day when lining up and cutting wallpaper.

  2. Helper, Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons

    1-2 years

    Work under experienced paperhangers and painters while you learn to prepare walls, remove old materials, mix paste, and hang paper straight and without bubbles.

  3. Paperhanger

    Ongoing

    Work on your own jobs, covering walls and ceilings with wallpaper or fabric and sometimes hanging posters, using the skills you built as a helper.

Where it can lead

  1. Lead Paperhanger

    3-5 years of experience first

    You plan jobs, direct a small crew, check the quality of their work, and talk with clients about what they want, which takes strong skills and reliability.

  2. Painter, Construction and Maintenance

    2-4 years of experience first

    You broaden your skills to include painting, surface preparation, and finishing for both new buildings and repair work, which can add steady work to your schedule.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take art, drafting, or shop classesThese classes build the hand skills, measuring habits, and sense of design that paperhanging relies on.
  • Take math classes you can use on the jobMeasuring walls, figuring out how much paper you need, and matching pattern repeats all use geometry and fractions.
  • Get a part-time or summer job helping with painting or home repairEven a few weeks of helping a painter or handyman teaches you how real jobs run and what the work feels like.
  • Join a trade or skills club at schoolMany schools have a trades or skills club where you can practice hands-on projects and sometimes compete in trade skills.
  • Help with projects at homeHanging wallpaper, painting a room, or fixing drywall with a family member gives you practical experience you can talk about later.

In college

  • Take courses in drafting, interior design, or artThese classes help you understand color, pattern, and layout, which makes wallpaper and fabric installations look polished.
  • Work summers as a painting or decorating helperPaid experience on real job sites is the most direct way to build the 1 to 2 years of hands-on skill employers usually expect.
  • Look into a short construction or trades certificate at a community collegeA certificate in a building or trades program can teach safety, surface prep, and tool skills that help you stand out to employers.
  • Get a workplace safety certificationCertifications like OSHA 10-hour training show employers you understand job site safety, which many contractors look for.
  • Join a student trades or design organizationClubs connected to construction, skilled trades, or design help you meet people in the field and learn about job openings.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a local painting or decorating company whether they hire helpers or take on summer workers. Hands-on experience is the fastest way in.
  • Practice measuring, cutting straight lines, and working carefully with your hands. Neatness and patience matter a lot in this job.
  • Learn basic workplace safety, such as using ladders safely and handling tools and chemicals, since many employers value this.

Related jobs that often lead here

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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