By: Alyssa S.
Updated: September 17, 2024

Can You Put Wallpaper on Textured Walls?

What Wallpaper is Best for Textured Walls?

With a variety of designs, styles and colors to choose from, wallpaper and wall murals are fantastic ways to freshen up your space. But what if you want to get in on the wallpaper trend but have textured walls — are you out of luck? Our team of wall mural experts has taken a closer look at using wallpaper on textured walls and how to transform these spaces.

Can You Wallpaper Textured Walls?

Generally, hanging wallpaper on a textured wall or uneven surface is not recommended. However, it’s not impossible, whether through choosing specialty materials or smoothing out the texture before you add the wallpaper. Read on to learn about the challenges of hanging wallpaper on textured walls, the right wallpaper for textured walls, and ways to create a smooth surface for your wall mural installation.

First Off, What Is A Textured Wall?

You have probably heard the terms orange peel or knockdown. These terms refer to the finish of drywall. Orange peel has small bumps which are fairly consistent across the surface. Knockdown is a flat texture that is created using a knockdown knife when the dry wall is installed. These are the most common types of textures used with drywall, and it is usually used to hide imperfections in dry wall when it is installed.

Challenges of Hanging Wallpaper on Uneven Walls

Regardless of the material you’re working with, wallpaper adheres best to a smooth, even surface. As such, some problems arise when it comes to hanging wallpaper on textured walls. Wall murals and wallpaper installed directly on uneven walls have difficulty adhering to them. This can result in panels peeling from the wall or developing bubbles within days or even hours of installation. (With a few easy steps, some wallpaper bubbles can easily be removed.)

Due to all the irregularities present in textured walls — like bumps, ridges and grooves — lining up wall mural panels is difficult, and seamless transitions are nearly impossible. Depending on the thickness of the paper, the underlying wall texture may also be seen through the wallpaper. A textured wall sometimes has pointy or rough edges as well (known as “popcorn” texture). When you’re trying to smooth or clean your wallpaper, these edges can easily crease or tear the material.

Despite all this, there are a few ways you use wallpaper for textured walls while making your wall mural look nice and smooth. Whether you have rough, textured or uneven walls, here are some solutions on how to end up with a great-looking display.

Mural Material Recommendations for Lightly-Textured Walls

Let’s start with what mural materials are your best bet for lightly textured walls. We recommend using products that feature a woven poly-cotton osnaburg backing. The grid-textured osnaburg backing holds paste better than smooth fabric backings, which helps hold the mural material to lightly textured surfaces.

The Murals Your Way materials that feature an osnaburg backing are our Vinyl HD - Texture as well as our EcoBella™ - Smooth and EcoBella™ - Texture. Another great option is our EnviroPro - Texture. It is vinyl-like in appearance and ease of installation but is PVC and vinyl free. Again, it’s recommended that you test your walls with a small sample of the material you select to see how it holds up before proceeding with your full mural purchase. You can order samples of many materials by visiting the product page for the mural you’re considering.

Test Peel & Stick Wallpaper for Lightly-Textured Walls First

One of the most frequent questions we get is: can you put peel-and-stick wallpaper on textured walls? While materials such as SmartStick® work very well on smooth surfaces, peel-and-stick wallpaper is not recommended for textured walls. The wall texture can show through the wallpaper, and the adhesive often has difficulties properly sticking to the wall, resulting in a fallen heap on the floor.

If you’re adamant about using a removable wallpaper for textured walls, we recommend testing your walls and the peel-and-stick wallpaper before doing a complete installation. Allow it to stick to your walls for a few days and see how it holds up before purchasing.

Now that we’ve discussed the best wallpaper for textured wall installations, let’s examine how to prep a textured wall for wallpaper. Installing wallpaper over a smooth, flat and clean surface is always the best method of application. To achieve this with a textured wall, you can either smooth out the texture or cover it with a liner. Let’s look at how to do these and the benefits of each.

Skim & Sand

Textured walls can be skim coated and sanded smooth. If done right, this will fill in all the cracks, blemishes and unevenness of the wall.

There are a variety of techniques and approaches to skim coat walls. A fairly simple method calls for a bucket of all-purpose joint compound, mud pan, putty knife, and sandpaper.

1. Fill a mud pan with joint compound and, using a putty knife, apply the compound onto the textured wall.

2. Smooth it over the wall using up-and-down and side-to-side motions until it’s even and you’ve covered the entire wall.

3. Allow it to dry thoroughly.

4. Once the walls have dried, take a fine-grit sandpaper and sand over any rough areas until they’re smooth.

5. Remove dust with a clean, soft cloth.

6. After the walls have been completely skimmed and sanded, you can prime and seal the walls and install a wall mural.

Lining Paper

Lining paper, or wall liner, is a quick and easy way to create a flat and smooth surface on walls. It’s more DIY-friendly than plastering, produces a professional finish when wallpapering, and increases wallpaper durability. Lining paper can be used over a variety of surfaces, like wood paneling, block or brick walls, and other unique textured surfaces. Not only that, but it can cover imperfections in the wall, too.

Lining paper goes up just like wallpaper. However, it is hung horizontally using a “cross-lining” technique. This guarantees that the joins between the wallpaper and lining paper will not meet along the same line, preventing the wallpaper from lifting off the wall.

Is skim coating or lining paper the right choice? When done correctly, skimming and sanding will leave a smoother, higher-quality finish. Lining paper is faster, easier and less expensive, making it better for DIYers with less experience or a tight budget. It’s also the only option if you live in an apartment or rent office space.

What About Wallpaper For Heavily Textured Walls?

For heavily textured walls like concrete or painted cinder block, we recommend our VersaGrip material. This material has peel and stick backing for easy application and has a gritty grip texture so it can even be used on the floor. This material can even be used outdoors - as long as it is on painted cinder blocks. This does not work on brick or stucco.

Additional Resources For Wall Murals

Once you’ve chosen wallpaper material and decided how to prepare your walls, you’ll need to install the mural correctly — both so it has the effect you desire and so it stays up for years. For more helpful how-to’s and creative customer examples, sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly wall mural inspiration emails direct to your inbox. Be sure to check out our installation videos to see how easy it is to install a mural and learn more about our materials.

Ready To Get Started?

We are here to help. You can start browsing our wide assortment of wall murals and wallpaper. Or you can contact us or call us at 888.558.0279 to speak with an account manager to find the best wallpaper material for you and your mural.