How to Use Wallpaper Liner Over Coarse, Uneven Walls
Have rough, bumpy or imperfect walls but have dreams of wallpaper? Afraid the glue won’t stick? You’re probably right, but you’re not out of luck! Wallpaper liner will help you create a smooth and even wall that any wallpaper would be happy to adhere to.
What the heck is wallpaper liner, anyway?!
I did not know it was a thing until I needed a solution to our rough and bumpy walls that I had dreams of wallpapering.
We had really old and ugly paneling on our bathroom walls that I was SO HAPPY to rip off.
The pleasant surprise (or so I thought at the time) was that there was cement board underneath, which is great for damp environments.
But it was covered in dried glue from the paneling.
Instead of taking down the cement board with all it’s dried glue, I decided to work with it, knowing that wallpaper wouldn’t easily stick to it and I would need to find another solution for my wallpaper dreams.
After a short stint with a heat gun (don’t do it!), I did a bit of research and discovered that installing wall liner was an easy and inexpensive way to create a nice smooth surface right over all that dried glue.
What is wallpaper liner?
Wallpaper liner is thick paper, like contact paper, that gets glued to your imperfect wall, much in the same way as wallpaper. It helps to cover up imperfections to create a smooth surface for wallpaper or paint.
Think of it as Spanx, but for your wall.
It can go over just about any type of wall including brick, concrete, plaster, paneling and yes, dried glue, to smooth out those bumpy surfaces and create a nice smooth and even base for applying wallpaper.
They also say you can use it if you want to paint as well, though I imagine you may have lines at the seam where adjacent papers meet.
But if you have old, uneven walls that you want to wallpaper, you could just put the liner right over it without the hassle of having to demo and drywall.
Is wallpaper liner hard to install?
Wallpaper liner is incredibly easy to install. It’s like arts and crafts for your wall.
It does take a bit of time and patience, as you have to measure your walls, cut the pieces to size, glue and apply them (the process is described in detail below), but it is much easier, cleaner and cheaper than tearing down the wall and installing new drywall.
How much wallpaper liner do I need?
To figure out how much wallpaper liner you’ll need, you’ll have to do a bit of math.
Take your time with this and double check your numbers. You don’t want to near completion of your project to run out of supplies just before the finish line.
- Measure the width of all your walls that will be covered in liner, and add it together. For example, I have two 6′ wide and two 3′ wide walls, so 6+6+3+3=18ft.
- Then multiply your width by your ceiling height. Mine is 8′, so 18’x8’=144′.
Keep in mind any cut-outs in your walls, like doors and windows. I have a 2′ x 7′ door (14 square feet) and a small window (about 2 square feet). So I subtract 16 from 144 = 128 square feet.
- Then divide by the square feet your wallpaper liner rolls come in, which will be provided by the company you purchase it from.
I bought mine online from Home Depot and it came in rolls that were 33 feet long and 20.5 inches wide, which covers 55 square feet.
So 144′ divided by 55′ = 2.3 rolls
Always round up on your measurements. Yes, you will have extra in the end, but that is always better than not having enough. This will give you enough to cover any mistakes or damage.
How to prep for wallpaper liner
Before you begin, make sure your walls are clean and free of any loose or flaky particles. This will look different depending on what’s going on with your walls.
My dried glue situation was a challenge, as it was especially bumpy in some areas and flaky in others. I used a 5-in-1 painter’s tool to scrape off everything I could that was loose and to even out some of the bigger chunks of glue.
That being said, you don’t have to spend a ton of time here as the liner will cover most of it. Focus on anything protruding from the walls that will push the liner outwards. These spots can be an issue down the line when installing your wallpaper, so take care of it now while it’s exposed.
Then wash your walls with an old rag and soapy water. Wipe them down to remove any dust or grime and any loose particles and allow them to dry completely.
Collect your tools
You’ll need:
- wallpaper liner
- utility knife
- wallpaper glue
- chip brush
- T square
- measuring tape
- scrap wood (optional)
- smoothing brush
- smoother
- straight edge
- seam roller
You can purchase a wallpaper tool kit, which will have most of what you need to get the job done, and they can be reused when completing your wallpaper.
How to install wallpaper liner
The general rule of installing wallpaper liner is to install it running horizontally so that when you hang your wallpaper (which gets installed vertically), the seams will not match up.
This reinforces the integrity of the paper and reduces the chance of it peeling up in the same place or exposing the wall underneath.
You’ll want to go around inside corners (the ones that come into the room) with a continuous piece but stop and make a cut at outside corners (the ones that push out away from the room).
1. Measure and cut your sections
Measure the length from one outside corner to the next outside corner, and cut a piece of your liner to that length plus about 4-6”.
The extra few inches will allow you to cut off the excess on either side so that the entire part of the wall is covered. Trying to cut it exact may result in a crooked cut unknowingly, which will give you a section that may be too short and you’ll have to toss that entire sheet and grab a new one.
Just add a few inches to each section and save yourself the hassle.
To cut the roll, use your T-square and utility knife with a sharp blade. The blades snap off easily so when it becomes dull you can just snap it off with pliers and you have a new sharp blade.
I cut my liner directly on the bathroom floor because it will be pulled up and replaced by tile, so I wasn’t worried about damaging it.
If you don’t want to ruin your surfaces, use a scrap piece of wood between the liner and your work area to protect the surface underneath.
It helps to make straight cuts using your T-square to ensure that your measurements are correct and you won’t cut any sections too short on one side.
Even though you will cut off the edges in the corners once it’s on the wall, you could end up with a diagonal cut at the end of your roll if you’re just “eyeballing” your cuts. Then, if you measure the longer side instead of the shorter side for your next piece, you could be several inches too short due to the diagonal cut.
It’s just one extra step and will save you some heartache.
2. Glue the cut liner sections
Take your wallpaper glue and either glue the wall or glue the paper. I decided to glue the paper as it seemed like the more precise option. You want to make sure the entire area is covered.
It helps to pour the glue into a re-useable plastic paint bucket from the larger container for handling.
Then apply the paint to the paper or wall with your chip brush, applying a thin, even layer and moving from the inside of the paper towards the outer edges.
Make sure you get every area of the paper, especially the corners and edges.
Tip: the paper tends to want to roll back up on itself, which can create a challenge when trying to apply the glue. Glue the “inside” of the roll instead of the outside so that it will grip the wall instead of rolling away from it.
Another tip: Using scrap wood, or any other item you have around the house that you don’t mind getting glue on, to weigh down the ends and assist in keeping the paper from rolling back on you. Once the paper has glue on it, it will straighten out more and be easier to handle.
3. Apply to wall
The first section is the hardest.
You could use a laser level if you want to be especially precise, though the liner will be covered by whatever you decide to put over it, so it doesn’t have to be 100% perfect.
Remember that the liner will be laid horizontally on the wall, from outside corner to outside corner. Bring the now-glued paper to the wall you measured it for and align the edges to ensure proper placement.
Then stick the paper to the wall, pressing down in the middle and working your way outwards. This will help prevent air pockets.
Use your smoother brush to flatten and smooth the paper down in the proper place, again working from
the center outwards.
Then go back with your smoother, pressing the paper down firmly from the center outwards, ensuring that all of the air bubbles are gone and the paper is firmly attached.
When you get to an outside corner, using your brush or plastic smoother, press firmly into that corner from the top to the bottom of the liner section to ensure a nice snug fit.
4. Cut off excess
Take your straight edge and pressing it firmly into the corner. Then with your utility knife, cut off the excess paper by firmly running the utility knife along the straight edge until the paper is cut completely.
Then peel the excess off and repeat on the other side.
You will most have to move your straight edge down with the utility knife to cut the entire piece.
In some instances, I had to work in the opposite direction (upwards) to cut the top of the paper without ripping it.
And don’t cut yourself.
5. Secure the edges
Then use your seam roller to press the edges down firmly to ensure they are really stuck onto your wall. This will decrease the chances of the edges popping up.
If you have a spot that is not sticking down well, you can add some extra glue to the wall and/or liner to ensure a good stick. I had to do this in a few places but it worked quite well.
How to apply liner around doors or windows
When you come to a doorway, window, or any other obstacle, there are relatively easy ways to paper around them.
You could simply cut your paper so it ends at the obstacle and then cut a smaller piece for above the window/door. I did this in a few places and it worked since the liner will be covered with wallpaper.
The more professional way (and how you should always do it with wallpaper) is to continue the same piece until the next outside corner, instead of cutting it short at the window/door.
Meaning: a continuous piece should go from one outside corner to the next, even if you have trim in the way.
To do this, cut your paper as usual, measured to the corners plus a few inches on either side. Stick it to one edge, and continue along, sticking the paper down and moving laterally until you get to the trim.
Then you want to find where the corner is and slice the paper at the corner and diagonally until you have two flaps on either side of your obstacle: one for the side and one for the top/bottom.
At this point, you will be able to lay the paper flat against the trim. Do the same thing in the opposite side of the window/door to create the same two flaps for the top/bottom and side.
Then continue to stick the paper to the wall, allowing the flaps to hang until the rest of the liner is in place. Use your brush and straight edge to ensure all the air pockets are out and the paper is lined up appropriately.
Then when you have everything in the right place, take your straight edge and cut off the excess flaps around the window/door with your utility knife, the same way you do in the corners.
This is the “professional” (or right 😆) way to do it. That being said, for wallpaper liner, you’re really just creating a nice surface for the visible wallpaper to lay on.
While it is best to have minimal cuts in the liner to avoid peeling down the line, I would be lying to you if I told you I didn’t use smaller pieces to fill in above the door and window.
Honestly, I don’t even necessarily think this was the easier route to take. Instead of cutting out from one large paper, I cut many small pieces of paper and took more measurements than necessary.
But it certainly saved some of that paper. I have an ingrained “don’t be wasteful” track in my brain that makes projects like this difficult at times.
Again, this was not the “right” way to do it, but it worked just fine for me. At least thus far…
Anyway…
Continue until complete
Continue papering in the same way, measuring, cutting, gluing, pressing on the wall and using your tools to get the bubbles out, then lastly rolling down the edges.
And before you know it, you’ll have an incredible even surface, much smoother than your previous wall and ready for wallpaper!
Or paint, I suppose. But wallpaper. Always go with wallpaper 😆.
Stay tuned for our upcoming post on how we completed our wallpaper!
