Nearly any fabric can be used for wall upholstery.
For centuries, fabric -- in the form of tapestries, hangings and draperies -- has been used to add a sense of beauty and luxury to homes. Fabric can still provide that feel to homes. Walls upholstered with fabric not only add interest and elegance to a room, but dampen sound to make your home quieter. While achieving the desired look with an upholstered wall may seem challenging, upholstering walls is not difficult and can be done yourself. However, this project is a little easier if you have an assistant available to help you pull the fabric.
Measure the area to be upholstered. You may only want to upholster part of a wall or half of a wall for a dramatic effect.
Purchase quilt batting and fabric with a total area that is slightly larger than the area of the space to be upholstered. Any type of batting will work, but polyester tends to be lightweight and resists mold and mildew.
Cut the quilt batting, if needed, and staple it to the wall over the area to upholster. Use an electric staple gun and long staples. Start at the top, and go down the sides, finishing by stapling the bottom. Smooth the batting often as you work to prevent wrinkles. Depending upon the size of the batting, you may need to add a few staples in the middle to prevent it from coming away from the wall.
Cut the fabric if needed, and staple it over the quilt batting. Start at the top, then move to the sides. Put a few staples in one side, then the other. Pull the fabric toward the outside as you work to keep it tight. Finish by stapling the bottom of the fabric. Cut off excess fabric. If you need more than one piece of fabric, you can put the second piece next to the first and repeat the stapling process until you have covered the area. This will create the look of panels. You also can sew the pieces together before stapling to avoid the look of panels, if desired.
Push the upholstery tacks through the fabric and into the wall to create the upholstered look. There are many patterns you can use to create different looks, such as squares or diamonds. Measure and mark the distance between tacks with a piece of chalk or a fabric disappearing ink pen to make sure all the tacks are evenly spaced.
Cover the exposed staples with decorative trim using hot glue.
If you are upholstering a large space that requires more than one piece of batting, you can put the two pieces side-by-side and staple them or loosely stitch them together before stapling to make a bigger piece.
Liquid starch can help you keep the batting on the wall as you staple. Spread the liquid starch on the wall with a roller and smooth the batting into place over the starch. You can also spray the batting with quilt basting glue and spread the fabric over the top. This helps keep the fabric in place while you work.
Try using staples instead of upholstery tacks, and cover the staples with buttons, flowers or plastic gems for a more lighthearted look.
Do not attempt to upholster plaster walls, because this is likely to crack the plaster. Instead, upholster plywood panels using the method described, and hang these panels on your walls.
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Leggett, Rochelle. "How to Upholster Walls With Fabric." Home Guides | SF Gate, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/upholster-walls-fabric-31982.html. Accessed 19 April 2019.