How to Wallpaper a Ceiling

Want to add flair to a boring ceiling? Get step-by-step instructions for hanging pretty blue-sky wallpaper.

By: Jen Jafarzadeh L'Italien

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Shop This Look

Photo By: Charlotte Jenks-Lewis

Clear Skies Above Head

A cheerful wallpaper design brings personality and color to a serene space, like a home office. The fifth wall can act as an accent wall in a room. Here's how to achieve the look of a wallpapered ceiling, featuring a pretty blue sky of birds overhead.

Materials List

For this project you'll need wallpaper (we used removable wallpaper tiles from Hygge & West, an 8-inch plastic smoother, a seam roller, measuring tape and a pencil.

Get Started: Prep, Plan and Apply

Before hanging your wallpaper, you want to make sure that your ceiling is in great shape: All holes are filled, all imperfections have been spackled and sanded, and dust and dirt have been cleaned off the surface. Do not apply wallpaper to a ceiling that's been freshly painted and has not cured for 20 days.

Flatten Your Tiles

The wallpaper shown here is actually a design of removable wallpaper tiles by Julia Rothman for Hygge & West. Open up and gently unroll the tiles, and lay the wallpaper tiles flat for 24 hours before starting this project.

Measure and Plan

Take down the measurements of your ceiling. Using a tape measure, plan where your first wallpaper tile will go.

Mount the Tiles

Remove a few inches of the tile's backing from the top edge to expose the back of the tile. Apply this sticky edge to the ceiling and firmly smooth with your hand. Reach under the tile and slowly pull down the remaining backing while applying the tile to the ceiling. Smooth from the center outward using an 8-inch plastic smoother. Work out and down to reduce air bubbles. Repeat this process for the remaining tiles.

Smooth the Seams

Use a seam roller to be sure the seams of your tiles lie flat. Seams should butt into each other but not overlap. Smooth the wallpaper tiles as you go for the perfect placement. Quick tip: If you’re moving, or simply itching to redecorate, and you want to remove the wallpaper tiles, simply peel each tile from top to bottom at a 120-degree angle with smooth, consistent force.

How to Wallpaper a Ceiling

Related To:

Shop This Look

Clear Skies Above Head

Materials List

Get Started: Prep, Plan and Apply

Flatten Your Tiles

Measure and Plan

Mount the Tiles

Smooth the Seams

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