If you’ve been reading my blog since 2009, then you’ve no doubt seen my love for beadboard wallpaper and all that it adds to plain homes by injecting some architectural detail where there was none. I discovered Graham Brown beadboard wallpaper back in 2009 and have done many projects in my current and former homes with it. It really is a great cost-saving way to add some cool wall treatments without breaking the bank and without a lot of trouble to install.
I loved it so much, I started selling it in my online shop, but after steady sales for 5 years in the shop, I have decided to end my shop as of 1/31/17.
It comes in a roll like this and it’s made of paper (yes, really paper!), but it has a foamy thick texture that really gives it the look of the real thing once it’s painted with paint. I always use my trim paint in a semi-gloss to paint it out. I had someone email me once who bought it and decided she didn’t want to paint it, so returned it. I never could understand what she had against using it with paint, but she was adamant about it. But really, it looks so real when it’s painted!
This project was pretty easy because the baseboards were taken off for my bathroom renovation. But, I’ve done this plenty of times with the baseboard intact too. You just have to measure and cut a straight line at the top of your baseboards if they are still in place. You’ll need a square to keep your lines straight and a pair of scissors.
Use a pencil to draw your line and then cut with the scissors. I decided to place my wallpaper about 2/3 of the way up the wall and since I was adding a 1 x 6″ board across the top, it doesn’t have to be perfect. I cut one sheet and then used it for my guide for the rest of the sheets.
Once you get several pieces cut, you’re ready to start pasting. This is prepasted wallpaper and I wet it in the bathtub, letting it “book” for about 4 or 5 minutes. That activates the glue.
Then it was ready to start hanging. I started by the door and worked my way around the room. Since this is such a small space, it took me about an hour and I was finished.
Working all the way around to the shower. You can see I let the wallpaper over lap where the baseboard will go and the baseboard covered the bottom. The 1 x 6 board will cover the top. It’s best if your drywall is really flat. I could have worked harder on mine to make sure it was smooth all the way around. There were some spots behind the old vanity that needed mudding and sanded, so I worked on the ones that would show, but could have worked harder at it. I didn’t have a lot of time between the tile guy working on the rest of the tile work, so had to work at night before he put the vanity back in.
There were a few spots that weren’t perfect, but overall once everything got back in there, it’s not that noticeable. I painted it all with a good coat of my semi-gloss trim paint and it was ready to go.
After painting.
I waited until the vanity was back in and then added the top 1 x 6 boards on top. I used my cordless nail gun to nail up the boards and then caulked and touched them up. I painted the boards first before I put them in place.
I had the boards cut at the store when I bought them and then had to shave them a bit at home, but they worked out fine. I installed them with straight cuts and butted them together in the corners.
And here’s how it looks next to my door casing. Nothing in this house is perfect, but it looks good to me!
I added my hooks on top of the boards and then I was finished. It’s been so great to get another project completed and I sure am enjoying this bathroom SO much. Wanted to share another fun beadboard wallpaper project with you all in case you haven’t seen it before.
I’ve been singing the praises of beadboard wallpaper for a long time and still love it. It’s a great way to accent a small space and easier than using the real thing, but you have to keep in mind that is is paper and can tear and dent. If you have small children or pets around that might scratch or dent the paper, then it might not be a good idea in a high traffic area. I’ve never had much of a problem with any area I’ve used it on.
Thanks for stopping by today!
I would have never guessed that was wallpaper! Looks fantastic.
I wanted to let you know that when I view your blog on my laptop it shows as a narrow column down the left side. Your’s is the only blog that does that so Im sure it’s not my settings. It’s a bummer because it’s very hard to look at it now.
Teresa, this started a few weeks ago for some people running ad blockers. Seems to be on Chrome & Firefox & those that turned off the ad blocker went back to normal.
Do you have any experience using this wallpaper on a ceiling? I have an old plaster ceiling that doesn’t look great. I was thinking of this paper to add a little interest and cover up some imperfections.
I used wallpaper that looked like tin tiles on my plaster ceiling and it looked so good.
HI, Charla, you couldn’t use it over plaster, the wall has to be flat. But something else might work for you, as suggested.
Kudos on your bathroom! I’m especially interested because I have a guest bath that’s even smaller, if you can believe that (I’m positive it has less room width-wise/between the vanity and the shower!), and it needs a gut job in the very worst way. One question-where your wallpaper meets the tile of your shower edge-will moisture not tempt that wallpaper edge to lift and peel back?
I also loved your dad’s garden video a while back. He is the age at which I remember my grandfather, and the southern dialect (we’re Mississippians) and inflection could have been my DeDe’s. Sweet memory lane.
HI, Alice, wow you have a smaller bath that this one? That is hard to imagine, but maybe you can do something with yours too. I’m so happy I did this project! There is a row of tile on the outside edge of my shower door, so no moisture will get out of the shower and I’ve never had any problem in either of my bathrooms with the wallpaper coming off. So glad you enjoyed that video!
Rhoda, I used the bead paper in my last house. It looked great and even better after I painted it. The only thing negative about it, as you mentioned above, is that it dented easily. I accidently put a couple of dents in it from my fingernails. I have left it off here at my new house. I have two young grandchildren who are rough on walls. Maybe after they get older I’ll use it again. When we were selling our other home last year many people commented on how well the walls looked with the beaded wallpaper. The realtor said they couldn’t believe it was wallpaper.
I bought your wall paper years ago and have used it several times, most recently as a backsplash in our beach cottage kitchen. A lot of our friends have commented that the beadboard looks so good and are surprised when I tell them it’s wallpaper!
I ordered a good bit and I’m certain I will use it again especially after spending hours and hours for days filling cracks, actual knot holes and other imperfections in the “real” beadboard I put up on our hall bath walls recently, it’s a large bath with very wavy walls and I so wished I could have used your wallpaper it would have been so much easier, finished in a day instead of weeks!!!
This is one of my favorite projects you have done Rhoda. Great job!
Thanks so much for this Rhoda, I was looking forward to this post, I think I may have to give it a go.
Your bathroom looks fantastic, you did a great job!
Thank you, Sally, I’m really pleased with how it came out!
Rhoda I love this post today!!:) Have you ever thought something would be a great idea to do and got all the things to do it and then don’t do it??:) Oh my gosh I bought this paper from you probably back in 2009 and it has been on the top shelf of my closet with my good intentions since then!!:) CANNOT believe how long ago it was!!:) Thanks for making me laugh at myself today! HUGS!:)
HI, Debbie, haha, that is too cute! OK, your mission today is to walk around your house & figure out where you want to use the paper.
I used beadboard wallpaper below the chair rail in the dining room and about 2/3 rds of the wall in a really dark bedroom. I put two coats of bright white semi-gloss paint on it and I take care to get extra paint by the seams. Everyone is amazed that it is wallpaper and cannot tell it is not real wood, and the white adds so much light and yet there is texture in the room. I found that it is much less susceptible to dings once the paint has cured and I have had no problem after curing (but other than visiting grandchildren from out of town, no kids in the house). Once I propped a mirror on a dresser and it was against a wall. I was have guests shortly after putting up the wallpaper and wanted to have a mirror. Shortly after they left I moved the mirror and there were dents where the top of the mirror rested. I was going to fill in the dents and touch up the paint. However, in a few days the dents were pretty much gone and I just did a little touch up. I absolutely love beadboard wallpaper! Love your bath makeover too!
HI, Judy, thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, I think the paint adds extra durability to it too and it’s a must when using this wallpaper.
Thank you for this tutorial! I would like to try Graham & Brown’s Wall Doctor brand, but I’m having trouble finding it. Do you have any suggestions for product locations?
Ha! I found the Graham & Brown website. So I’m good. Thanks!
Your blog has encouraged me to do a Graham & Brown prepasted Beadboard wallpaper backsplash in my kitchen! Do you have advice or guidance on this process?
Thank yo so much
HI, Melanie, oh I’m so glad to hear that! I’ve used a lot of that wallpaper in the past and will probably use it again soon in my laundry room. Just take your time and you’ll be fine. Try to cut it so it sits right on the baseboard and then be sure and paint it all after you are finished so it looks the same as your trim. I think that’s the most realistic look to paint it the same as your trim.