Interior wall paneling is an effective way to make an exclusive renovation of your room without involving specialists. Each stage of the work will be easy even for inexperienced masters and will not require much time or energy.
To achieve style in the design of your room with the help of decorative wall panels, it is not necessary to invite professionals. The peculiarity of this material for wall decoration is the ease of panel installation. Many people who have pasted wallpaper in their rooms themselves prefer to invite professionals next time. Sticking wallpaper requires special skills, patience, and accuracy. Interior wall paneling is a more flexible practice because it neither requires special skills nor takes much time or makes you nervous when something goes wrong. Therefore, you can always save on room renovation if you decide to install decorative wall panels yourself.
Tools You Will Need for Interior Wall Paneling
How to install wall paneling neatly, professionally, and quickly? First, you need to collect a set of tools that you will need at different stages of installation. In this case, you will not have to stop the work if one of them is missing. This set is simple and available in any craftsman's chest who does some work around the house:
- Detergent
- Tape measure
- Glue
- Sandpaper
- Filler
- Knife for longitudinal cuts
- Saw for cross-cuts
When installing wall panels indoors, it is best to choose PVA glue. It is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and dries quickly. Liquid nails glue will also work. You can choose another option, but the glue must be for indoor work and not include toxic substances.
Steps to Install Decorative Wall Panels
Preparatory Stage
Before you start installing your wall panels, you need to do several important tasks:
- Come up with an original design for your room. Perhaps you should combine wall panels of different colors or make an accent in the room with a decorative wall.
- Sand the walls. To ensure the panels lay flat, smooth out any small imperfections with 120 grit or more sandpaper.
- Clean the area with detergent to remove any dust and dirt that has accumulated on your walls. It is best to do this the night before you install the panels to allow the walls to dry.
- Measure all significant distances with a tape measure — from wall to wall, between windows, from the floor to the end line of the panel, etc. Write down all the measurements on a piece of paper, or better yet, draw a diagram of the room so that nothing gets mixed up.
- Cut your panels according to the measurements you have taken. Use a knife and saw depending on what part of the panel you are cutting. To cut the panel, choose a convenient hard surface, preferably in another room, so that fine dust does not fall on the walls that you have recently washed. If you have one room, it is better to cut all the panels and then start cleaning the walls. When cutting panels, protect your eyes and nose from dust with safety glasses and a dust mask. This will shield you from accidental small pieces of panels or dust getting into your respiratory tract.
If you are unsure that you can accurately cut the panels to the dimensions you need, take them to DIY shops along with your measurements. This way, you will not ruin the material with inaccurate cuts. Once you have completed all the prep tasks, take a break and learn how to install decorative wall paneling.
Main Stage
The previous tasks undoubtedly affect how your room will look after installing decorative wall panels. However, this stage is key, since it determines the visual perception of your work. How perfectly you can fit the seams on the panels and build verticals will affect the professional look of the walls. However, the importance of this stage does not mean that it is difficult, since installing wall panels is much easier than treating walls with wallpaper.
Apply glue to the panel in the form of drops on the back side. The drops should not be located close to the edge of the panel so as not to come out on its surface. It is best to choose a distance of about 10 cm from the edge of the panel. The drops of glue should not be thick or sparse. The distance between adjacent ones should not exceed 30 cm.
Start installing the panels from the corner of the wall if they are to be adjacent to it. This way, you will protect yourself from unpleasant situations when there is a small and uneven gap right before the corner, for which you have to make an additional non-standard cut of the panel. Position the decorative wall panels against the wall, lean them against and press firmly. This will allow the glue to more evenly distribute over the surface and adhere to the wall covering.
Finishing Stage
After all the panels have been installed, an inspection should be made to detect cracks, crevices, and other defects. And not at all to regret that you did not invite specialists to perform this task. All these defects can be easily masked with the decorator's caulk. Filler in the tone of the panels will allow you to get a seamless look, so it is an important component in interior wall paneling.
The Bottom Line
What is wall paneling? It is the treatment of your walls using panels made of engineered wood or a mixture of several materials. Decorative wall panels look elegant, combine well with other materials, and last a long time. Another important factor is that you can install them without unnecessary stress and haste. But you will save a lot on the work of professionals and gain an important skill that you can use every time you renovate your home. In addition, with the money you save, you can buy better-quality wall panels! This will significantly increase the attractiveness of your interior design and significantly extend their service life.
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