Using Paintable Wallpaper to Disguise a Fake Wall

Once we put up the wardrobe in our bedroom something had to be done to the back... Since we put it in backwards the back of the wardrobe was just this thin cardboard looking board. And it stayed like that for almost a year. I went back and forth about what to do. I originally though of putting fabric up. But I couldn't decide a pattern, I would have to use multiple strips of fabric, and it might be expensive...My husband wanted to do a pallet wood wall but we thought that would be too heavy for the thin backing.

Then I found paintable wallpaper at Lowe's. It had good reviews and since it was thick/textured I thought it would cover the cheap wall well. AND it looked cool and was only $19! Its kind of a spongy material and is good for covering damaged walls.

The first step is making sure that your surface is ready. The directions recommend priming if you just have drywall up. Since I had a fake wood wall I used oil based primer on it. This was my first time using this inside and it smelled horrible! Even with the windows open we had to sleep in another room that night.

The next day I enlisted my sister, Barbara, to help. The wallpaper is pre-glued so once we cut it to size we just had to soak it in water. We soaked it in the bathtub and then carefully put it on the wall. It definitely helped having a second person. Especially since she is taller than me. Once it was hung up some of the glue/water dripped off of the bottom so I recommend putting a towel down.

The directions said to overlap the strips in case it shrinks once it dries. This felt weird since it is thick but it did shrink a little bit so you need to.

Overall it was easy, quick, and I love the results! One of the cool things about  this wallpaper is that you can paint it after you hang it up! I ended up not painting it because I liked the white. But that's always an option in the future.

The final step to make it look complete was adding molding on the bottom and top. Especially since there was a gap between the top and the ceiling.

We just used leftover molding that we had from ripping out the wall. If you wanted to make it look really complete you could wrap the molding all the way into the closet but we just put it on the front because that was what we had. After using a nail gun, caulk, and paint the walk in closet was finally done!

Still not sure what we are going to do with this space and if we will keep it as a "sitting area". I would like to get a chaise lounge. For now I just put these two chairs there. The blue one was $5 at a garage sale. My husband cleaned it with Zep carpet cleaner which we love. The brown one is in not as good shape but it was freeee from a neighbor's trash. I cleaned it and painted the legs the same off white as this dresser. Soo this side of the room looks pretty good for $5 furniture.