Lining paper grades, from 800 to 2000: what the numbers mean
The British weight system that sorts lining paper by heaviness, and how to match a grade to the wall underneath and the finish going on top.
Lining paper is sold by grade, and in the British trade convention most decorators use, the grade is a number: 800, 1000, 1200, 1400, 1700, or 2000. The figure tracks the paper's weight, expressed in the old grammage-per-ream basis the grades grew out of, so a heavier paper carries a higher number. Grade 800 is the thinnest common stock; grade 2000 is roughly twice as heavy and closer to a thin card. The number is not a quality score. A well-hung 1000 outperforms a badly hung 2000. It is a way of matching the paper to the job, and grade 1200 is the workhorse most decorators reach for on an ordinary paint-grade wall.
The choice runs on two questions: what will sit on top of the liner, and what condition the wall is in underneath it. For a wall that will be painted, grade 1000 or 1200 gives a smooth, even surface and takes emulsion without patchiness. For a wall going under a heavy or embossed finish covering, a 1200 or 1400 adds body and stops the top layer from telegraphing every flaw beneath it. Grades 1700 and 2000 are bridging weights, chosen when a wall is cracked, stripped rough, or built of mismatched patches that need one continuous skin before decoration.
Heavier is not automatically better, because weight brings its own problems. A 2000 is stiff, drinks more paste, expands more when wet, and fights you around corners and into window reveals. On a sound, flat wall that effort is wasted, and the thick paper can be harder to lay flat than a lighter grade. The heaviest stock earns its place on problem walls, not good ones.
Weight also changes how the paper moves once it is pasted. A thicker liner holds more water, grows further across its width, and needs a longer soak before it will settle. That is why mixing grades on one wall is a mistake: two papers of different weight expand by different amounts and will not meet level at the seam. Pick one grade for a room and stay with it, and keep every roll from the same production batch so the caliper is consistent wall to wall.