How to Hang Wall Paper over Wood Paneling

Wood Paneling makes a room look comfortable, and is great in a den. However, there is not too much you can do with wood paneling to make the room look different, and after awhile, you get tired of looking at the same walls. Wallpaper will cover the Wood Panel, so start looking for your choice of wallpaper and paste it on your wall, by yourself.

1. Buy wallpaper that will cover well. Your local supplier sells wallpaper that is made for this purpose. It is thicker and generally has a textured surface to help hide grooves in the underlying paneling. It may have a special adhesive.

2. Clean the paneling. Clean cobwebs and dust with a damp, not wet, sponge. Do not use wax- or oil-based cleaners or polishes. If the surface of imitation-wood paneling is peeling, remove all loose strips.

3. Prepare the paneling. Carefully remove any edge trim, so that it can be replaced after the wall is papered. Remove outlet covers and switch covers. Some people like to fill the paneled grooves with wood putty or spackling. This is not necessary when using the proper paper.

4. Prime the wood paneling. Special primer is available where you buy wallpaper.

5. Start at the outside corner. Confirm that the corner is vertically square. Use a simple level.Measure the height of wall. Cut first strip of paper slightly longer than necessary. You will trim later.

6. Wet the adhesive on the back of the paper. With clean water, saturate the adhesive, but not the paper, very damp but not dripping. You can use a specially-purchased tray or your bathtub. Some paperers use a spray bottle of water or a wet sponge. Set the strip of paper, adhesive toward the wall, working from top to bottom, aligning vertically. Smooth the paper to the wall with a dry brush or dry towel. Do not set any wrinkles. Smooth trapped air bubbles to edge of paper to escape. Wet the back of the paper after cutting, apply on the wall as before. Align to first strip. If you cannot get adjoining edges to line up perfectly, it is better to overlap them slightly than to leave a gap between them.

7. Align the designs. Before cutting second strip of paper, make sure any designs on the paper are matched up. This may mean you will need to leave several inches of waste area so that patterns will match.Trim excess paper when wall is finished. Replace edge trim and outlet covers.