Step-by-step tutorial on how to wallpaper inside picture frame molding on the wall including the tools needed to apply the wallpaper. PLUS my amazing hack for cutting wallpaper around a window, or any trim!!
My daughter and her husband have been building a new home and I have had the most fun time turning a boring, blank white space into the dreamiest baby nursery this past month!
I recently installed picture frame molding and painted the prettiest color on the walls and trim in preparation for the adorable wallpaper that I was getting ready to hang.
I have a vintage-inspired iron crib with the most precious bunny finials that I have been holding on to for decades and am handing down to my daughter for the nursery. So the wallpaper is the perfect addition to tie it all together.
Since this room is closest to the master bedroom it will be the nursery for all of her babies. She wanted a classic, gender-neutral nursery that will last through to the last baby and then eventually become her office.
I love that she plans ahead like that!
Were you here when I revealed the plan for the nursery?
We picked the perfect paint color in an eggshell finish to go with the wallpaper and I finished installing all of the trim on the walls.
I painted both the walls and trim the same color and finish and now it is time to install the wallpaper.
What is the easiest kind of wallpaper to install?
In case you haven’t noticed, wallpaper has made a huge comeback over the past couple of years. Luckily for me I still have all of the wallpapering tools that I used in the 90s and I couldn’t wait to use them again.
Yes, I have been hauling them around with me for all of these years, lol!
There are many more kinds of wallpaper on the market now than there were in the 90s and I have installed them all! Peel-and-stick, water-activated glue, unpasted – you name it, I have installed it!
Peel-and-stick is a great option for its fun and beautiful prints, you can find it pretty inexpensive to buy and install and it is removable. A renter’s dream!
It can be hard to work with. If it sticks to itself it is difficult to get it apart. You also have to overlap it and I don’t like that. My experience is that it shrinks after being hung so you see in between the seams. Not my personal favorite.
Water-activated/prepasted is a good option, but I find that it tears easily when it is wet and sticks together. I also find that the paste pours out of the seams when smoothed onto the wall and creates more work. It is a fine option, but alos not my favorite, and avoid it if possible.
Unpasted is my personal favorite that I think is the easiest to install. This might seem kind of daunting, but with this kind of wallpaper, you brush the paste on the paper or the wall, which is what I like to do, and then hang your paper!
You do have to buy wallpaper paste and all the extra things for applying it. You have total control over how much paste is being applied. There is no water involved. If you mess up then you just take it down and apply more paste if needed to get it right. There is less margin for error in my opinion. It cuts beautifully once installed and you can get a high-quality print and usually the paper is usually thick!
Where do I find great wallpaper?
These are some of my favorite wallpapers, but there are lots of other great ones on these sites.
This adorable peel-and-stick wallpaper
Serena and LilyLove that this looks like flowers on linen (15% off your first order)
This is SO fun and whimsical (10% off your first order)
One of my fave companies for everything (20% off first order)
Nursery wallpaper (wait for a sale and then get an additional 20% off the first order)
Expensive but a beautiful statement
Love that this is so bold! (10% off first order)
How much wallpaper do I need?
On any wallpaper site, you can figure out how much wallpaper you need to order based on the dimensions of your space. I always order an extra roll just in case I need it!! If you find yourself short and need more wallpaper, the next roll may not be the same dye lot (tone) and you could have your new roll be lighter or darker than the original.
And if you have leftovers, it is also really fun to add little surprises of wallpaper in places like drawers, backs of closet walls, lampshades, etc.
In case you missed it, I actually took leftover wallpaper and added it to the plain, white shades on the chandelier in the nursery and you will LOVE the way it looks! I do!
What supplies do you need to put wallpaper on the wall with trim?
- wallpaper paste
- paint roller and paint pan
- paintbrush
- straight edge
- sharp blade (the kind that snaps off to expose a new blade)
- damp sponge
- smoothing tool
- Seam roller
- Apron with pockets
Do you wallpaper before or after trim?
You will want to add any trim detail to your wall before you wallpaper. Add your trim, fill it, sand it, caulk it, paint it, and then add your wallpaper! In that order.
If you want to install picture frame molding, I have a great tutorial that gives you my genius time-saving method with step-by-step instructions!
How to hang wallpaper with paste:
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- Use a pencil to draw a plumb line (a vertical line that is level) inside your picture frame molding using the measurement of the width of your paper minus 1″-2″. For example: if your wallpaper is 30″ wide, then come in towards the center of your frame 28″ from the inside edge of the frame. Chances are that your molding is perfectly level and plumb if you installed it, but just to be sure you should make a level plumb line and work off of that so that your pattern is perfectly straight.
- If the strip you are cutting overlaps a piece of trim molding, cut your strip of paper 4″ longer than the frame and 2-4″ wider than you need. If the strip does not overlap any trim, just cut it 2-4″ longer than you need.
- Apply enough wallpaper paste for the width of the paper to the wall (just past the plumb line you just drew) using a brush next to the frame, and a paint roller for the general wall area using your paint pan and roller.
- Use a pencil to draw a plumb line (a vertical line that is level) inside your picture frame molding using the measurement of the width of your paper minus 1″-2″. For example: if your wallpaper is 30″ wide, then come in towards the center of your frame 28″ from the inside edge of the frame. Chances are that your molding is perfectly level and plumb if you installed it, but just to be sure you should make a level plumb line and work off of that so that your pattern is perfectly straight.
- Add the strip of wallpaper that you cut right up to the plumb line you drew to be sure it is straight. Use a smoothing tool to get out any air bubbles. Start in the center and work your way out towards all the edges of the paper. If you have glue squeezing out of all the edges, use a little less glue for the next strip. If you have excess glue, just wipe it off with a towel or a damp sponge. Try not to get it all over the paper.
- The wallpaper will have what is called a “repeat”. This is where the pattern repeats itself and you use this to line up the patterns on your strips as you put them together. Sometimes it is 20″ or so until the next repeat if the pattern is large. The manufacturer will have the repeat listed on the installation paper guide inside the roll.
- Figure out where the next strip of wallpaper will line up with the pattern you just added to the wall and cut another strip based on how it lines up. Take your time with this. Be patient and thoughtful so you don’t waste the paper.
- Add more paste to the wall for the next strip of paper and right up to (but not over) the edge of the piece you just installed.
- Add the strip of paper to the wall and line up the pattern placing your seams perfectly together. Don’t overlap.
- Use the seam roller along both of your seams. This will make the edges of your paper come together beautifully! If you see a gap, you will need to take the strip you just put on and reapply it getting as close to the strip that is already on the wall as possible!
- Once the frame is filled with the wallpaper you will need to trim the edges around the inside edge of the frame.
How to cut the edges of wallpaper perfectly around trim:
- It is ideal to have a professional finish when you install wallpaper to picture frame molding. Here is my GENIUS hack!
- Use a seam roller to push the paper into and roll it along the edge of the picture frame molding (or window trim or door casing) when you are hanging it.
- Take your straight edge and push it into the crevice that your seam roller just made where the frame meets the wall.
- Make sure you have a new blade every time you move onto a new section of trim.
- While pushing the paper into the trim with your straight edge, cut the paper along the trim.
- Don’t rush! Keep checking that your paper is tight against the frame or trim to avoid cutting too far into the paper!
The best blade for cutting wallpaper:
This retractable blade is the best for this kind of project since you need a new blade so often for the best finish. It is cheap (like a little over $1) and, do you see all of those little lines? If you press the blade at an angle on a hard surface the used section will snap off and expose a brand-new sharp section!
I always wear eye protection when doing this just in case a blade pops upward into my face.
You can buy the blades in large or small. Whatever is more comfortable for your hand.
- Use your blade to trim the excess paper off (those 1-2″ extra)
- Take your time. Once you cut you can’t undo it!
- Repeat in the next frame until the paper is all installed!
How do you cut wallpaper without tearing it?
Peel-and-stick wallpaper can be cut as soon as you install it! Since it is most likely removable you could also do this last after the entire room has been papered.
If you use wallpaper that has glue that is water-activated I recommend waiting until the paper is dry and then coming back to cut it with your straight-edge tool and a fresh blade.
If your overlapping paper is stuck on an area of wall or trim that it wasn’t supposed to be, then cut the paper where you want it cut and peel it back off the area.
If the paper leaves a layer behind, simply wet it down gently with a warm sponge and it will peel away. Then be sure you have wiped all of the remnants of glue off of your wall.
If you have a wallpaper that requires paste, I find it easy to cut right after you install it using your straight edge and a fresh blade. Be sure that you cut all the way through the paper in order not to tear it!!
Photos of wallpaper inside picture frame molding!
I absolutely love the way that it turned out once I added wallpaper to the picture frame molding. It is, by far, one of my favorite projects! In different light the paint morphs and I love that about this color!
Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the big reveal of the room coming soon!!
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