How to Cover Wallpaper With Fabric
Tearing down old wallpaper requires a significant investment of time and energy. Sometimes covering it up is easier than trying to get rid of it. Fabric wall coverings are a simple and attractive solution for covering up old wallpaper, and when you're ready to change things up or move, the fabric sheets peel right off with no hassle. It's easiest to do this project with at least one other person. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Lightweight fabric, enough to cover the area you want to cover, plus a little more
- Liquid fabric starch
- Paint tin
- Paint roller
- Sponge
- Pushpins
- Rotary cutter or scissors
Instructions
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1
Measure the walls you want to cover from floor to ceiling, then cut your fabric---you may need more than one piece for each wall---adding a couple of extra inches on all sides.
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2
Wash and dry your fabric. Iron it flat. Don't skip this step, since washing and drying will make your fabric color-fast and prevent it from bleeding through to your wallpaper.
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3
Clean your wallpaper to remove any dirt or other residue that might be on it. If there are obvious ridges or raised surfaces on the wallpaper, sand them down. If there are holes, fill them in with a little wall compound. Your wallpaper doesn't have to be perfectly smooth and clean for this project, but it should be smooth and clean enough so that the fabric doesn't have bulges when you apply it.
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4
Pour the liquid starch into a clean painter's tin so that there's a generous amount in the tin, just as you would pour out paint. Dip your roller into the starch and "paint" the top half of the wall, being sure to cover the entire area. If you need to, use a sponge to ensure that the corners are well starched.
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5
Smooth the fabric into place starting at the top of the wall, leaving about an inch of fabric above the top of the wall, securing it with pushpins as you go.
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Paint the bottom half of the wall with starch, smoothing the fabric flat into place as you go. Press firmly from top to bottom, smoothing out any bubbles or wrinkles so that the fabric is perfectly flat.
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Continue this process to cover all the walls.
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Let the fabric dry completely before trimming the fabric overages with a rotary cutter or scissors. The fabric will be hard and stiff when it's completely dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Leave about an extra inch or two of fabric as you apply the fabric around doors, windows and other non-flat surfaces, and trim the excess when you're trimming the floor and ceiling overhang.
Be sure the area where you're applying the starch is well-ventilated.
