How to Apply Wallpaper to Paneling

If you find wood paneling unappealing, or your paneling has become worn over time, consider covering it with wallpaper to add a new look to your room. With a little preparation, wall paneling can be treated just as drywall when it comes to wallpaper application. After the first strip is hung, take care to match up the pattern of adjoining strips as you move around the room.

Things You'll Need

• Caulk
• Primer
• Paintbrush
• Putty knife
• Sizing
• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Wallpaper liner
• Level
• Smoothing brush
• Razor
• Sponge

Instructions

1. Fill the grooves in the paneling with caulk if they are 1/4 inch deep or more. Run a putty knife along the top of the groove to remove any excess caulk. Allow the caulk to dry completely, per the instructions on your product's packaging.

2. Apply a layer of stain-blocking latex primer to the paneling, using a paintbrush. Allow the primer to dry.

3. Add a coat of sizing to the paneling with a roller. Sizing is a sticky substance that provides a rough surface to which the liner can adhere. Sizing dries fairly quickly, so apply the wallpaper liner soon after the sizing is applied.

4. Measure the length of the wall and cut a strip of wallpaper liner the measures the same length plus 4 inches. Hang the liner horizontally, ensuring that the seams of the liner will not align with the seams of the wallpaper. Cut off the excess liner with a razor. Repeat the process for each strip of liner until the entire wall is covered.

5. Measure the height of the wall and cut wallpaper strips with approximately 4 inches of extra material. Use a level to create a straight line, known as a plumb line, just next to where the first strip will hang.

6. Fill a tray 2/3 full with water. Roll the back of the wallpaper with water--when in doubt about how much to dampen the wallpaper, consult the manufacturer's instructions.

7. Hold the wallpaper with the pattern facing you and bend back the sides, a process called booking. Do not let the sides of the wallpaper touch each other--keep the wallpaper folded for as long as the product instructions dictate. Unfold the paper before hanging.

8. Hang the wallpaper, starting at the top of the wall and using the plumb line as a guide. Leave 2 inches of excess wallpaper at the top. Press the wallpaper to the wall, using a smoothing brush or tool, working from the middle of the wallpaper outward and flattening air bubbles or wrinkles. Work from the top of the wallpaper down. Repeat the step with each strip of wallpaper.

9. Trim the excess wallpaper with a razor and wash off excess paste with a sponge and water.

References

• Whitman Wallpaper and Paint: How to Wallpaper over Paneling
• Discountdecorator.com: Hanging Wallpaper
• Whitman Wallpaper and Paint: How to Hang Wallpaper