You can dynamically transform any room with a wallpaper mural! Do you have a room that is bordering on dull and boring? There are so many beautiful options, you are sure to find one that fits your decor perfectly and puts a smile on your face every time you see it on your wall!
Photowall Projects
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Photowall is a Swedish company that reached out to me and graciously allowed me to choose and order one of their beautiful wallpaper, murals, canvas prints, or posters last year for free. (Click on the link above to see that project!) They literally have so many different designs, narrowing it down is the most difficult part of the project!
We are partnering again! I can choose wallpaper, a wall mural, canvas print, or a poster for my home, I narrowed it down to eighteen possibilities for a wallpaper mural. Three walls in the house were under consideration, one in the basement man cave, one in the bedroom with an ocean and fishing theme, and the smallest bedroom that already has horse and western touches. My youngest son had this room before he ventured out on his own. My grandson sleeps here frequently.
Ultimately, I decided to add the mural to the smallest bedroom thinking that it will visually add interest and open up the room a little. Les Chevaux is the mural of choice.
Measuring The Wall And Ordering
The next step is measuring the wall. Unfortunately, I had to wait for Dave to help me measure the wall. We measured the wall where the wall met the ceiling, in the center of the wall, and at the top of the baseboard. The height is 90.5-inches and the width at all three positions is 85.5-inches.
When ordering, Photowall instructs customers to add 2.5 to 4 inches to both the height and width measurements because walls are notoriously not straight. Better safe than sorry. Along with the wallpaper, a paste powder is included. You just add warm water to make the paste.
They also suggest you purchase a wallpaper kit. The wallpaper kit they offer includes a wallpaper glue brush, a level, a knife, a pencil, a seam roller, a trim guide, and a wallpaper brush.
You will also need an 18-inch ruler or a yardstick for measuring.
The Wallpaper Mural Order Arrives!
My online order was placed on Wednesday, March 24th, and the packages arrived Monday, March 29th.
Preparing The Wall For The Wallpaper Mural
The first thing you need to do is make sure the surface is smooth and clean. Fortunately, there is not a lot of damage to this wall. I used some spackle to fill the small holes from the picture hangers. Next, a light sanding with fine sandpaper takes off any excess. Then, I wiped the wall down with a sponge and soapy water. I used just a couple of drops of Dawn dish soap in the water.
Fortunately, in this case, the walls and ceiling are all painted the same color. If you paint your ceiling the same color as the wall, the ceiling will look a shade lighter. When you paint the wall and ceiling the same shade or tint, or another hue with the same depth of color, the colors just envelop you.
You can find out more about paint and choosing colors in the links below.
Choosing Interior Paint Colors
Do You Have A Paint Color Mistake? How To Fix It!
No Fear Paint Selection – Warm or Cool?
Painting An Apartment? 10 Things You Need To Know first!
Check out Photowall’s instruction video for wall murals! Click here ► www.photowall.com/us/our-products/product-information-wallpaper.
Cut Sections And Check The Wall Mural
After cleaning, patching holes, and preparing the wall, before hanging the wallpaper, unroll the wallpaper and find the cutting line for the first panel. The cutting line is clearly marked with a scissors icon.
Continue unrolling and cutting the panels. The panels are numbered at the top in the order they should be hung from left to right.
Photowall labels each section, making it foolproof!
While you’re cutting and separating the panels, make sure to check the panels and confirm that none are missing and they’re all free of defects.
Measuring
First, measure the width of the panels. These panels are 17.72 inches wide. Remember that when you order your wall mural, you should add 2.5 to 4 inches to both the height and width measurements.
So I laid the five rolled panels on the floor along the wall. By adding those few extra inches, a 6th panel was printed but it only had a short strip, which I quickly realized I would not need. (To make this easier, I rounded the width from 17.72″ up to 17.75″.) By multiplying the width of the strips, 17.75″ by 5 panels, I have 88.75-inches to stretch across the wall. So, the wall measures 85-inches. Which means there is roughly an excess of 3.75″. I want these horses to be centered on the wall. Divide the extra 3.75″ by 2 and there should roughly be an excess of 1.625 on the first panel and the last panel.
The critical piece is the first one on the left side of the wall. Knowing I have excess, I simply subtracted 1.625 from 17.75, which is 16.125. I’m not worried about the .125 and decided to just use the 16-inches. Photowall has a ton of murals that won’t require centering. You don’t have to do this step unless you want to have the mural pretty much centered.
Don't want to do all that math? You could just lay the rolls out next to each other at the bottom of the wall, measure the overlap on the last panel, and divide that measurement by 2. Be sure to allow for the width of the trim.
Mark The Wall For the First Wallpaper Mural Strip
Next, from the left corner, measure the wall, with the pencil, make marks at 16 inches (or the width of your paper) all the way down the wall. This means we will have excess at the corner which will be cut and removed.
Use a level to make sure the line is level and using the pencil, connect the marks. Fortunately, I have a larger level and it makes this process easy. Laying the first sheet of paper along this line will ensure the first piece is straight. Making sure the first piece is straight makes the rest of the job easy.
Make The Glue For The Wallpaper Mural
You’ll need a bucket to mix up the glue. I used a clean 1-gallon ice cream container with a lid. Pour 1-gallon of warm water into the bucket. Then, as you’re stirring, slowly pour the powder paste into the warm water. If you pour the powder glue too quickly, it can lump. Do not dump the whole packet into the water at one time! I can imagine the big lump it might form!
After stirring thoroughly, allow the glue to set for 5 minutes.
The glue should be thick and creamy. There is more than enough in this packet.
Apply The Glue To The Wall
In the past, I have wallpapered a lot of walls. This is the first time I’ve applied the glue to the wall! If the paper doesn’t have glue, you usually apply the glue to the back of the wallpaper and then, book it, pull both ends up to the center, glued sides together.
Applying the glue to the wall seems to make the process quicker. Simply apply the glue with the wallpaper glue brush. I held the bucket lid under the brush to keep any glue from dripping onto the floor. Although an old sheet covered the floor for protection, it seems a wise move to have something under the loaded brush.
Starting at the top of the wall, liberally brush the glue onto the wall. You will want to brush a few inches past the line you drew to be sure the edges are glued.
Hang The Wallpaper Mural Panels
Line up the right edge of the panel along the vertical line you drew. Then, starting from the top of the panel, use the long wallpaper brush to brush toward the corner and upward, to the right, and downward brushing out air bubbles and gently smoothing the wallpaper against the wall.
Place the second panel next to the first, matching up the designs. Press the panels together firmly at the seams, but don’t overlap. Then, use a seam roller for the best results.
It’s a good idea to have a damp sponge to wipe off any excess glue. A little bucket with a couple of drops of Dawn dish soap is a good idea. If the glue dries on the panels, it will show.
Then, continue to brush from the middle toward the outside edges smoothing the wallpaper. Don’t worry about any small bubbles. They will disappear after the wallpaper dries. Repeat for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th panels.
Check out the visual below to see panels 1-5 as they are added to the wall. I had to cut the wallpaper at a slant into the left corner of the first panel at the top to allow the paper to lie flat against the wall. Just be careful you don’t cut too far!
Trim The Excess
Then, begin trimming off the excess paper. Make sure to protect the wallpaper glued to the wall with the trim guide. Use the trim guide to press the wallpaper into the ceiling line. Cut on the outer side so you don’t accidentally cut into the wallpaper you’re adhering to the wall!
Be sure you hold the trim guide straight and firmly when you cut! Take extra care at the bottom above the molding. Make sure the metal guide is flat against the wall. Then, trim the excess in both wall corners.
This mural went up quickly within 3 hours. Remember that I am also taking pictures throughout this project!
Before And After The Wallpaper Mural
Isn’t this stunning? Not wanting to cover the beautiful mural, I moved the little dresser to the sidewall. The plain comforter and the camo pillowcases are replaced with an American Indian-inspired comforter and pillow shams from Macy’s. I’ll have to make a couple of coordinating decorative pillows or pick a couple up at one of the local home stores.
A Limited Time Discount For You
Check out the amazing art and wallpaper at Photowall.com, they have generously offered our readers a discount on everything on their site. This code will give you a 25% discount on any product on Photowall’s website and is valid for 2 months, from April 14 to June 16, 2021. Enter mhhg25 at checkout for your savings. This is not an affiliate post, it is just a chance to pass along some savings to you!
P.S. I want to thank Photowall for partnering with me again! I love this mural and the kids do, too!
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