Wall Stickers and Wallpaper on Rough Walls

If you’re unsure about wall stickers and wallpaper on rough walls – here is some info and answers for you.

Wall Stickers on Rough Walls

Our guarantee, refunds and returns policy does not apply to rough and textured walls (as per terms & conditions plus on every product page) – even replacement stickers will also not stick to a textured wall.

Our Wall Stickers aren’t suitable for rough and bumpy surfaces (even walls) – think clean and smooth. The surface needs to be completely flat and smooth and clean (no dust or dirt). Examples of surfaces that are not suitable are: face brick, any type of textured plaster or paint, cinder blocks (or other porous surfaces),”orange peel” or textured walls, wallpaper and delicate surfaces. We do not guarantee our wall stickers on rough or textured surfaces.

One of the reasons we don’t guarantee it, is that we can’t see your walls – it is about perception and opinion. Some clients have those huge plastered peaks or uneven 90’s plastering that they would call textured, whereas some clients can think that standard matt paint on a flat wall may also be textured.

It’s always best to test with your practice sticker (for decals) in an inconspicuous area and see if it works.

A good gauge is: imagine that “clear sticky stuff you used to cover your school books in”- if that will stick, then our wall stickers should stick.

Even though we don’t guarantee it, we have had customers who have taken the chance and had success on textured walls:

“Your sticker was absolutely amazing…We managed to even stick a few on a textured wall and they’ve stayed put!” – Tamaryn P

If you are willing to take the chance, like many of our clients – it becomes more about if you are willing to “help” your wall sticker stick. One other consideration is that the larger the area of the sticker, the more surface area it has to stick, which helps!

“It does stick although I think we will also have to press it down the first month to ensure it stays down.”

Some ideas from clients:

We do not specifically recommend any these methods, were just listing ideas we have heard from clients:

  • For textured plaster (without sharp peaks), you should follow the mountains and valleys of the plaster (in and out like James did with his Star Decal in he photo below) as your sticker needs as much surface area to stick to as possible.
  • Re-pushing the wall stickers on the edges for a few weeks (we have personally used this method on slightly textured walls and it worked! -but it does depend on your sticker and your wall).
  • Using a little wood glue or double sided tape on the edges (this method will, however, damage your walls).
  • Sticking the stickers onto a large wooden board or perspex and putting that up on the wall.
  • Maybe consider sticking your wall sticker onto other surfaces in the room (if the practice sticker does not stick to your walls). For instance: cupboards; desks; ceilings; windows; doors etc.

So, the bottom line is that your wall sticker is not guaranteed to stick to a rough wall but we have seen it happen.

One other thing to consider if you have textured walls:
“The white doesn’t work that well on the textured surface – it shows the bumps more than a darker colour.”

Wallpapers on Rough Walls

In general, Wallpaper likes a bit of roughness to stick to but it depends on the type of Wallpaper:

  • Standard Wallpaper, Soak & Stick


Wallpaper, Easy Premium Wallpaper, Paintable Wallpaper.

The vast majority of the Wallpapers and Murals we supply require Paste (or Soak activated glue) and all of those need a little roughness stick to walls and the paste helps fill in any light texture. The surface should be painted with at least a primer, which also helps to create so roughness.

However: wallpaper will always follow what is underneath so any large/deep and holes or protrusions in your wall will show through.  So, for uneven, newly repaired or plastered surfaces, we suggest filling in the holes with Polyfilla and then painting it with a Primer. Wait at least 2 weeks and then we suggest (your new best friend): ♥ Lining Paper ♥

Lining paper provides a smooth surface for the wallpaper to adhere without blemishes. Surface lining paper is designed to cover include brick, wood paneling, laminate, ceramic tile, cement block, stucco, textured, and damaged walls. Wall liners are frequently installed by cross lining them horizontally (see below on how to cross line). Please contact us to order Lining Paper.

How to hang lining paper?

Lining paper can be hung in two directions, vertically and horizontally. When hanging lining paper, you want to avoid prominent seams by making sure the joints of the lining paper and the wallpaper don’t coincide. You can hang the lining paper vertically if the width of your lining paper is different than the width of your wallpaper. Vertical lining paper can be hung as regular wallpaper. If you choose to hang the lining paper horizontally, a method called ‘cross lining’, you can be absolutely sure that your vertical seams won’t align.

Cross lining is the process of hanging lining paper horizontally before wallpapering. Cross lining creates a smooth and professional finish once the top wallpaper is applied. The horizontal application helps avoid prominent vertical seams and increases bonding strength.

Very textured walls are generally not suitable for wallpaper. A subtle or very light orange peel or knockdown surface may be acceptable providing there are no sharp protrusions. Run your hand over the surface – are there any sharp areas or peaks? Wallpaper gets very wet during application. Sharp areas can cut or tear the paper. There are a few products on the market which may be suitable for use. These include the heavy weight paintable wallpaper and wallpaper vinyls. Do not use or rely on standard wallpaper, pre-pasted (soak and stick wallpaper) products nor premium wallpaper. You will need to apply a heavy coat of high quality paste for these applications.