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Expert Installation & Pattern Matching
Priming, precise seams, and patterns that line up exactly, around corners, outlets, and ceilings.
Wallpaper Installation · Based in Highland Park
Wallpaper installation across Chicagoland
The paper gets the attention. The seams reveal the craft. Designer prints, grasscloth and specialty papers hung with precise seams and patterns that line up exactly. Family owned, based in Highland Park, working across the North Shore and Chicagoland.
The Craft
Wall preparation before the wallpaper goes up
Gallagher Paint and Paper is a painting company with paper in the name, and a wallpaper installer in its own right, in Highland Park and across the North Shore. Wallpaper shows any shortcut in the preparation. A seam that does not meet, a pattern that drifts or a bubble that sets overnight is what you notice for years. So we prime the walls, measure twice, and hang each drop so the pattern reads as one continuous piece.
We protect the room, keep the workspace clean, and give the material the time it needs. Good paper is worth the prep that goes under it.
Installation is one half of the work. Wallpaper removal is the other, and where old paper has scarred a wall, skim coating brings it back to flat before anything new goes up. Wallpapered ceilings are welcome too.
What We Hang
Paper with character, hung with care
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Grasscloth & Specialty Papers
Grasscloth, silk, mica, and hand-printed papers. These need the right adhesive and more time on the wall, and we allow for both. Statement walls and the occasional mural, hung so the scene lines up corner to corner.
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Choosing & Ordering Paper
We don't sell wallpaper. We help you choose it, tell you exactly how much to order, and hang what you bring home.
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Wallpaper Removal
Old or dated paper stripped cleanly, walls repaired and skimmed smooth, ready for new paper or a fresh coat of paint.
Wallpaper removal→North Shore Homes
Paper on plaster, in homes with a history
Many North Shore homes have had paper on their walls for generations, hung on plaster rather than drywall. Plaster takes steam and water differently, and it shows every ridge under a fine paper. So the wall gets primed and smoothed with the paper in mind, and old layers come off with the patience the wall deserves.
We work in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Glencoe, Winnetka, Wilmette and across the North Shore, and travel throughout Chicagoland for the right project. See the areas we serve.
Kind Words
Trusted by neighbors across Chicagoland
Pattern, Considered
It begins with the right paper
From bold murals to quiet grasscloth, our team helps you choose a paper you will love for years, then hangs it so the pattern runs true.
Not sure where to begin? Ask us about our complimentary color and wallpaper consultation.
How We Work
What to expect
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Free Estimate
We look at the wall, the paper and the pattern, and give you a clear written quote.
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Wall Prep & Protection
Old covering off where there is one, the wall smoothed and sized, the room covered.
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Hang & Pattern Match
Hung plumb with tight seams and the repeat lined up across every wall and corner.
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Final Walkthrough
Every seam and corner reviewed together, the space left clean.
Why Gallagher
Seams that stay shut
A Gallagher quotes the work and is on site through it.
Request a Free EstimateFamily owned, with our own crew
A Gallagher quotes your project and stays across it. The crew doing the work is ours.
Prep that lasts
We prime and smooth the walls first, so seams lie flat and the paper releases cleanly years from now.
Protected and tidy
We cover, mask, and clean up every day.
Fixed estimates
A written quote with the roll count, the pattern repeat and the wall prep in it, because those decide the price.
Good to Know
Wallpaper, answered
Still wondering about something? We are happy to talk it through.
630-300-3071How much does wallpaper installation cost?
It is priced by the number of rolls or drops, the wall prep required, and how intricate the pattern is. After a short walkthrough we send a detailed, fixed estimate. Estimates are always free.
Do you remove old wallpaper too?
Yes. We strip old or dated paper, repair and skim the walls smooth, and leave them ready for new paper or a fresh coat of paint.
Do I buy the wallpaper, or do you?
You do. We help you choose it and tell you exactly how much to order, then hang what you bring home. We don't sell paper, so our advice is about the wall, not a sale.
Can you hang grasscloth and delicate papers?
Yes. We regularly install grasscloth, silk, mica, and hand-printed murals. These materials need extra care and the right adhesives, and we handle them accordingly. One thing worth knowing before you order: printed patterns are matched carefully, but natural grasscloth has visible joins and some color and texture variation from panel to panel. That is the material, not the installation, and we will show you what to expect.
Do you prep the walls first?
Always. We prime and smooth the surface so seams lie flat, the pattern sits right, and the paper releases cleanly when it is time to change it.
Do you need a professional to install wallpaper?
For a paper you'll live with for years, yes. Seams, pattern matching around corners and outlets, and the wall prep underneath are where wallpaper shows any shortcut.
Let's Begin
Tell us about your project
We will come out, look at the work with you, and send a written estimate with the scope set out. There is no charge and no obligation.