LEARN
How to Cover Textured Walls With Peel and Stick Temporary Wallpaper
A common question that we often get asked is, “can you wallpaper textured walls?” In general, Tempaper peel and stick wallpaper is not recommended for textured walls. However, if you are dealing with textured walls, it’s important to keep these 3 things in mind:
- Quality of the wallpaper is essential. Thicker wallpaper will conceal imperfections much better than thinner paper.
- Pattern and color matter. It’s better to choose a dark color or a busier print.
- Textured wallpaper will work best for bumpy or rough surfaces.
We always recommend that you apply our removable wallpaper to a smooth, clean surface that is in good condition. The surface should also be primed and painted with semi-gloss, satin, or eggshell finishes.
However, there are customers who have found ways to use our temporary wallpaper for textured walls and love the result.
Tempaper customer, Rachel D., tested her orange peel walls with a sample of our peel and stick wallpaper and said, “Ordered a sample of the peel n stick for my orange peel textured walls. Other samples from different brands fell off within a day. This sample is still up after more than a week! Very impressed.”
Before proceeding, it’s important to assess and test your surface before applying peel and stick wallpaper to your textured walls. The best way to test your surface is to purchase a sample, especially if you are dealing with very thick and textured walls.
We recommend keeping your sample on your wall or intended surface for a few days before deciding to move forward with a purchase. This step will allow you to see how much of the texture will peek through and if the wallpaper is able to stick to your walls for an extended period of time. Learn more about why you should test your surface with a wallpaper sample here.
Will Peel and Stick Wallpaper Stick to Textured Walls?
There are many pros associated with peel and stick wallpaper. One main benefit is that our paper can stick to slightly textured walls.
While we can’t guarantee that the rough texture will be completely hidden from view, we can share a few tips and tricks for you to keep in mind if you would like to learn how to cover up textured walls without paint.
Many people choose to embrace textured walls in their homes and some wish to cover it up as best as they can. Those who have chosen to embrace their bumpy walls have found that wall texture does have a few benefits. Textured surfaces can increase visual appeal and help hide surface flaws and imperfections, bulges, etc. For those who are looking to cover unfavorable wall texture, peel and stick wallpaper can be a quick and easy solution.
Understanding the Different Wall Texture Types
Before you begin to wallpaper over your textured walls, it is important to first assess your surface. If it has a light texture, such as a very slight orange peel, your wallpaper will have an easier time sticking and staying. For thicker textures, such as popcorn walls, bumps may still show through the paper or, in some instances, your wallpaper may not stick at all. Here are a few of the most common drywall texture types:
1. Popcorn Wall Texture — Gaining its popularity in the early 1960s, popcorn or “cottage cheese” textured walls and ceilings feature bumps with high peaks and low valleys. While this texture is great for concealing imperfections on your wall, it can be difficult to paint or cover-up due to its rough appearance.
2. Orange Peel Wall Texture — Just like its name says, this “splattered” wall type resembles the texture of an orange peel. Yet even though it is rough to the touch, this dimpled surface is much smoother than the popular popcorn wall.
Tempaper customer, Rachel D., tested her orange peel walls with a sample of peel and stick wallpaper, “Ordered a sample of the peel n stick for my orange peel textured walls. Other samples from different brands fell off within a day. This sample is still up after more than a week! Very impressed.”
3. Knockdown Wall Texture — Similar to orange peel, the knockdown technique goes one step further by flattening any peaks and bumps for a more naturalistic appearance.
4. Skip Trowel Wall Texture — This distressed and uneven texture is typically applied with a special curved knife and resembles the popular wall surface type mentioned above, knockdown texture.
5. Swirl Wall Texture — While this technique is commonly seen on ceilings, walls may also have the appearance of swirled patterns of half circles.
All wall surfaces and textures vary so it is important to keep in mind that our peel and stick wallpaper may not adhere to any of the above textured wall types. The best thing that you can do is to test the surface with a sample first.
While there are several reasons why wallpaper may not adhere to your textured walls, one of the biggest issues is that too much air gets behind the self-adhesive backing, preventing your wallpaper from sticking.
When testing a textured surface, we recommend placing your sample over the area that has the highest amount of texture. If your sample test is successful, you can move forward and follow our application steps for applying Tempaper removable wallpaper.
Make sure that you thoroughly clean the surface and remove any dirt or debris with a damp cloth. Then, wait until it is completely dry before you begin your project.
If there are large bumps noticeably bulging out from the wall, try to use a scraper to remove before applying the wallpaper.
Finding the Best Peel and Stick Temporary Wallpaper for Textured Walls
Even if our wallpaper ends up sticking to your wall, the texture still may show through the print. While we can’t 100% guarantee that you will be able to avoid this, we can share a few recommendations when it comes to finding the best peel and stick wallpaper for textured walls.
First, it is important to mention that quality matters. You’ll want to make sure that you choose thicker wallpaper which will conceal imperfections much better than thinner paper.
Next, we recommend choosing a dark color over a lighter one and a busy print over a simple print. If you are looking for the best wallpaper for bumpy or textured walls, here are a few of our wallpaper recommendations for textured walls: You will find a wide selection of dark patterns on tempaper.com that will work best with your textured walls.
If you prefer brighter colors for your space, we recommend choosing one of our bold and elaborate prints such as Birds of Paradise and Flamingo.
Our eye-catching maximalism wallpaper options at Tempaper demand attention so you can feel more confident that bumps or imperfections will be hidden from sight.
We also suggest textured wallpaper for bumpy or rough surfaces. You’ll discover a wide selection of textured peel and stick wallpaper on our website including Grasscloth and Burlap Wallpaper.
