Wallpapering Over Textured Walls

Why would you like to wallpaper a textured wall?

We generally get one or combination of both answers: 

• I want to use wallpaper to cover and hide the wall surface
• I want this awesome wallpaper on this wall which happens to be textured

Things you might not know about textured walls

Walls are textured to avoid finishing them. It is normal to find deformations like raised or depressed areas. Textures themselves have different rates of deformation. All this can cause the wallpaper not to align properly in some areas, affecting the overall quality of the finished project.

This means textured walls are not technically suitable for wallpapers.

What to do?

You need to flatten your wall and also finish it, by skimming and sanding before applying wallpaper. 

But can I install a wallpaper over a textured wall?

Yes you can, but have in mind a wallpaper cannot do magic, if the surface is not adequate, the installation will never be optimal. Expect misalignment between panels and try to look at the overall project rather than tiny details.

A wallpaper will never “hide” completely the wall texture, it might soften it, but wall imperfections will always show through.

Maybe you are in a rental, don’t have the budget, or maybe because you don’t want to go through the hassle. For projects where you need the easiest way to put a wallpaper over a textured wall, we can only recommend the Long Term Peel and Stick.

Long Term Peel and Stick is our easiest solution for textured walls:

• Has a strong adhesive to hold over a texture
• Convenient under a lower budget, it does not require a professional installer
• The wall texture will always show through
• During removal expect it to lift some paint chips off your wall, but better a safe than a fall off.

Never use a removable peel and stick on a textured wall, it will eventually fail.

If you want to use a traditional wallpaper over a textured wall is completely up to you. Individual results might vary depending on the wallpaper type, glue type and installer experience.

If you are planning to use a professional installer:

When you have texture a professional will tell you to smooth out the wall prior to wallpapering. This is the right thing to do. 

A professional installation means high quality results that can only be achieved by smoothing out the wall prior wallpapering. It is completely your personal choice but consider a wallpaper install over a textured wall will never have professional results.