Installing a Wall Mural in our Yoga, Meditation, and Exercise Room – Week 7 of the One Room Challenge

Welcome to week 7 of the One Room Challenge– only one week to go! This week, I installed a gorgeous wall mural from Photowall on the longest continuous wall in our basement. I had so much fun choosing the wall mural and was pleased with the ease of installation. It took me an afternoon plus a couple of hours in the evening. This week, I also finished building the window jamb extensions and attached the window moulding. I cut and placed the baseboards and now I just need to paint and attach them to the walls. Window jambs are definitely not my jam and I didn’t enjoy building these. I hope you enjoy reading this post, Installing a Wall Mural in our Yoga, Meditation, and Exercise Room, and hearing about our One Room Challenge updates and plans for the final week. If you missed any of my previous week’s posts, you can click on the links below.

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Check out the progress to date:

Before Photo

I always like to start each post with a before photo. This shows just how far the space has come.

Installing a Wall Mural in our Yoga, Meditation, and Exercise Room

Choosing the Mural, Measuring, and Ordering

Mural Selection

I chose the wall mural from Photowall, an online company specializing in wall murals and wallpapers. They have a huge selection of wall coverings and it was a little intimidating initially to make a selection. The search bar was really helpful in narrowing down the options from thousands to a few dozen or so. I also looked on Instagram using the hashtag #Photowall to see real-life examples of the wallpapers and that’s how I decided on the pattern Up and Away in greige. I like the neutral tones and the clouds motif, both of which lend themselves to a meditation and yoga space.

A mural is a continuous pattern that extends across the entire wall whereas a wallpaper is a repeating pattern. I liked the idea of a mural because I think it visually expands a space and also creates interest. It’s not any more challenging to install than wallpaper, but you do have to be careful not to make a mistake and cut off part of the pattern as there’s no extra roll to turn to.

Measuring and Ordering

The process of measuring and ordering was very easy. The wall dimensions of the room are required as the mural is custom-made for your exact room and dimensions. Photowall provides the necessary excess material at the sides and tops/bottoms for a perfect installation. The ordering was easy and I thought that the delivery process was quick considering this is a custom-made product.

Wall Preparation

Before installing the wallpaper I made sure that the wall was primed with a coat of white drywall primer. Always prime or paint the wall behind a mural or wallpaper in the same colour as the wallcovering background as wall colour can sometimes show through the wallpaper or be seen at seams if you haven’t perfectly aligned everything. I laid out all my mural pieces on the floor before beginning the installation to ensure that all 14 pieces were included and that all the seams matched. Laying them out right in front of where they were to be installed made the process straightforward.

Next, I gathered all my supplies. I ordered the installation kit from Photowall which contains everything needed to complete the installation. Right before I started the wallpapering I mixed the glue in a large bucket. It seemed like a lot at first but it was exactly the correct amount for the entire wall.

Installation of the Wall Mural

First Piece

The first step was to decide which side to start on. I wanted the pattern to start exactly at the right side of the rightmost piece so I started the process at the right side. Usually, I start on the left, but it didn’t make any difference at all. Next, I drew a vertical line one mural width from the right edge of the wall and thankfully it was perfectly vertical (check with a level). If it hadn’t been, I would have needed to apply the wallpaper along a perfectly vertical line, install the wallpaper, and trim the corner edge using a straight edge and exacto knife.

To install the first piece of the mural I pasted the wall using the wide paste brush provided in the installation kit. I pasted between the edge of the wall and the vertical line that was one mural width from the wall. As I went along I continued to mark one mural width from the current piece to ensure I pasted the right part of the wall and to periodically check to make sure the mural was staying perfectly level. After pasting, I picked up the first mural piece and gently pressed it onto the wall while ensuring the wall edge lined up perfectly with the corner wall and that there was sufficient overhang at the top (3-4 inches is good). I didn’t worry about the bottom as I knew we would be installing 5.5″ high baseboards.

Smoothing and Rolling Seams

Once the first piece was roughly in place, I used my hands to smooth the mural paper down starting from the middle and working outwards. Next, I used the wallpaper brush to further smooth out the mural paper and remove any air bubbles.

Once I moved on to subsequent pieces, I used my seam roller to smooth down and secure the mural paper edges. This is quite a satisfying step!

I continued on, adding piece by piece and matching seams as I went. Using the straight edge provided and the exacto knife, I trimmed the excess paper off the top exactly where the wall meets the ceiling. I did this after each piece, though the instructions say to do this at the end. I’m a rebel.

Cutting Around Receptacles and Window Frames

This was surprisingly easy. To cut around outlets I simply applied the mural paper right over the electrical receptacle then used an exacto knife to cut out the hole. Make sure to cut off the power to all electrical receptacles when the cover plate is off, especially when working closely around the receptacle.

For the cutouts for the window, I measured and cut the mural paper before installation. Since I knew I would be installing window trim I didn’t have to worry about being exact in my measurements.

The Big Wall Mural Reveal

This is the finished wall mural after I installed the window jamb extensions and trim. For the jamb extensions, I used 1/2 inch Baltic Birch plywood for its strength and smooth finish. The baseboard trim is cut but not yet painted and installed. I’m in love with this beautiful wall mural and I think it will provide the perfect backdrop for our yoga, meditation, and exercise room and the attached family room.

Other Accomplishments This Week

Installing the wall mural was the highlight of this week. However, there were several other finishing jobs I struggled through. The most challenging of these jobs was building the window jamb extensions. After installing these I applied paintable caulking. I still have a final coat of paint to apply.

This week, I also cut the 5.5″ baseboard trim to fit each wall in the space. We chose to purchase 16-foot lengths of baseboard trim to reduce the number of joints needed and to minimize waste. However, 16-foot lengths are quite challenging to manoeuvre, cut, and get into place especially since I was doing all the work myself this week. It worked out fine in the end but I spent a lot of time placing the sections of trim for cutting and then moving them into place.

Finally, I ordered a 5′ ballet barre. I figured this would be a good length since I’m the only one in the house who will be using the barre and I want to save wall space for other exercise equipment and storage.

Work Plan for the Final Week

• Install the ballet barre
• Upcycle old furniture to act as storage for exercise equipment
• Find a vintage bench and possibly upcycle it if needed
• Pick up a few decorative items including plants
• Set up the exercise equipment and storage solutions

Summary

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, Installing a Wall Mural in our Yoga, Meditation, and Exercise Room. You won’t want to miss the big reveal on November 15!! In the meantime, please check out the posts by the other participants here. And here is the link to week 8 of the challenge, the Final Reveal!