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Home Improvement > Moldings & Wood Trim > How to Create Decorative Wall Panels

Learn how to construct and wallpaper decorative molding frames.

Originally planned as wallpaper border and decorative frames installed over a freshly painted living room wall, this project gains an upgrade with the addition of chair rail molding and a mirror over the fireplace. A little paint, wallpaper, and trim dramatically change the appearance and character of the room, picking up the colors in the furniture.

Step by Step Instructions with Video

Step
1

Make a Design Mock-up

Make a mock up of your project to confirm the combination of design elements and their placement. Use masking tape to simulate chair rail and decorative frames and to tape up a strip of wall paper border for effect. Purchase sufficient rolls of wallpaper and border, along with the wooden stock for the chair rail and frame trim.

Step
2

Record Measurements and Positions of Mock Elements

Record measurements and positions for the mock elements to duplicate in the actual installation.

Step
3

Mark the Layout on the Walls

Mark the positions on the wall with horizontal and vertical pencil lines, using a bar level to ensure they are either level or plumb, as appropriate.

Step
4

Remove the Mock-up

Remove the mock-up, once the measurements and pencil layout are complete.

Step
5

Add Paste Activator to the Pre-pasted Wallpaper Border

Apply a paste activator to a pre-pasted border to ensure a good bond on the wall. A small paint roller and paint tray make application easy while working on a temporary plywood workbench.

Step
6

Book the Wall Paper Border Strips

Book the wallpaper by folding the pasted sides together for a few minutes prior to putting them on the wall. Booking ensures that the adhesive is thoroughly moistened and ready to apply.

Step
7

Apply the Borders

Unfold the "book" and position the border beneath the appropriate pencil mark from your earlier design layout. If your wall paper pattern as a one-way design, be sure to position it with the correct side upward and be consistent.

Step
8

Position the Border and Remove Air Bubbles and Wrinkles

Press the border strip in place, removing air bubbles and wrinkles with a wallpaper squeegee.

Step
9

Trim the Ends with a Utility Knife

Trim the ends with a very sharp utility knife where they butt against doorway trim, running the knife along a wide putty knife as a straight edge.

Step
10

Pre-paint or Pre-Stain the Molding

Pre-paint or pre-stain all the wooden molding before you make any cuts. It will save time, tedious work, and lots of drop-cloth and paint mess inside your home. Set up your painting area outside, laying the molding across saw horses to make a convenient elevation that does not required that you bend.

Step
11

Prepare a Work Area for Cutting the Molding

Prepare an outdoor work area for a miter saw using plywood and saw horses. Assemble your remaining tools. Include safety glasses because you will be using power tools.

Step
12

Set Up a Base to Hold the Molding at the Correct Elevation

Set up a length of rigid stock lumber to make a temporary base/support system for the lengths of wooden molding and to facilitate cutting them to identical lengths. This base must be perfectly perpendicular to the saw blade and hold the molding that you are cutting at the same elevation as the bed of the miter saw. It will serve the same purpose as a fence on a table saw.

Step
13

Mark the Required Length on the Base

Measure from the saw blade and mark the required length for a series of molding cuts on the stock base.

Step
14

Clamp a Stop Block in Position on the Base

Clamp a stop block on the outside of the mark. Be sure to allow for mitered ends on the molding as you measure and mark.

Step
15

Miter the Molding and Cut It to Length

Miter the ends of the molding as required and cut the required lengths. When you cut the molding to length, butt it against the stop block and then cut--each piece will be of identical length until you reposition the stop block.

Step
16

Mark the Wall Studs Along the Horizontal Pencil Lines

Use an electronic stud finder and pencil to mark all the studs along the horizontal pencil lines for the chair rails and members of the decorative framing.

Step
17

Secure the Horizontal Molding with a Pneumatic Nail Gun

Secure the horizontal pieces on the wall, using a pneumatic nail gun to drive the nails through the molding and into the studs. The nail gun is fast and eliminates the likelihood of dents from misplaced hammer blows.

Step
18

Glue the Vertical Molding with Construction Adhesive

Apply small dollops of construction adhesive every few inches along the back of the vertical members of the decorative framing to glue them in position on the wall. There were no studs in the wall where we needed to attach them for this project. We will still drive in nails at opposing angles to each other for additional support, but it is the glue that binds them to the wall.

Step
19

Measure for a Frame Above the Fireplace

Measure for a frame above the fireplace surround.

Step
20

Add the Molding and Plinth Blocks

Add molding and plinth blocks to the corners of the frame at the ceiling and immediately above the fireplace brick. Plinth blocks are attractive and also eliminate the need to miter the corners.

Step
21

Fill the Nail Holes

Fill the nail holes with spackling compound, applying it with your fingertips. Touch up the holes with paint. If you stained, use wood putty in the correct color.

Step
22

Add Wallpaper to the Area Inside the Frames

Add wall paper inside the frames beneath the chair rail, if desired. Cut the overhang with a straightedge and utility knife and use a squeegee to remove air bubbles and wrinkles. In addition to ensuring that a wall paper with a one-way pattern is facing upwards and consistent with the border installed earlier, you will need to match the pattern on each piece so that the design elements are aligned at the same elevation across each strip all the way around the room.