Quick answer
Wallpaper Installer Seattle is a licensed and insured wallpaper installer in Kirkland, WA, with 10+ years of experience. We remove old wallpaper, prepare and prime walls, and install wallpaper, grasscloth, and murals in homes, condos, and businesses across Kirkland. We come to you, measure on site, and provide a free written estimate, usually replying within 24 hours.
Key facts
- Serves every Kirkland neighborhood, from Moss Bay to Finn Hill and Totem Lake
- Matches prep to the home's age: removal, skim coating, deglossing, and primer
- Tests for lead before sanding walls in homes built before 1978
- Recommends moisture-tolerant papers for bathrooms in the damp lakeside climate
- Free on-site written estimate; no showroom, we come to you
What wallpaper projects do Kirkland homeowners ask for most?
In Kirkland, the most common requests are powder rooms, home office walls, primary bedroom accent walls, and stripping out dated paper in homes from the 1960s through the 1980s. A lot of work also comes from new and rebuilt homes, where owners want one or two rooms with real character.
- Powder rooms. Small, high-impact, and a good place for bold florals, chinoiserie, or a dark print. Our powder room wallpaper ideas guide has more on choosing one.
- Home offices. A textured paper or grasscloth behind a desk makes video calls look finished.
- Bedrooms and nurseries. Accent walls behind the bed or a soft pattern in a child's room.
- Entries and stairwells. Long, tall walls that need careful pattern planning.
- Removal. Old borders and vinyl papers left by previous owners.
How does the age of a Kirkland home change the prep?
The age of the house is the best predictor of how much prep a wallpaper job needs. Kirkland has a wide mix: established neighborhoods like Rose Hill, Juanita, Houghton, and Kingsgate have many homes from the 1960s to the 1980s, while lots across the city have been rebuilt with new construction, and downtown and Totem Lake have newer condos and townhomes.
| Home type | What we usually find | Typical prep |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s to 1970s house | Old paper, oil or gloss paint, possible lead paint | Lead test before sanding, removal, deglossing, primer |
| 1980s to 1990s house | Orange-peel or knockdown texture, builder-grade paint | Skim coat to smooth the wall, then wallcovering primer |
| New build or rebuild | Fresh drywall, sometimes flat paint | Let paint cure, then prime for easy future removal |
| Condo or townhome | Smooth walls, tight spaces | Light patching, primer, HOA paperwork |
Two safety rules apply to older homes. Houses built before 1978 may have lead paint, so we test before sanding any painted surface. Popcorn ceilings from that era may contain asbestos, so have them tested before they are scraped or patched. Our wall preparation service covers skim coating, patching, and priming.
Can you hang new wallpaper over the old paper?
Usually no. Hanging over old wallpaper is a shortcut that often fails, because the moisture in new paste can loosen the old layer, and old seams and bubbles show through. We strongly prefer to remove the old paper, repair the wall, and prime it properly.
There are rare exceptions where a well-bonded, smooth, non-vinyl layer can be sealed and covered, but it is a judgment call made on site. Read can you wallpaper over wallpaper? for the details, or see our wallpaper removal page if you already know it has to come off.
Which wallpapers hold up best in a lakeside Kirkland home?
For bathrooms and other damp rooms near Lake Washington, washable vinyl, vinyl-coated, or non-woven papers with a mildew-resistant adhesive are the safest choices. Kirkland's climate is mild and damp for much of the year, and moisture is what shortens the life of wallpaper, not the cold.
- Run the bath fan during showers and for a while after. If there is no fan, consider adding one before papering a full bath.
- Save grasscloth and delicate natural papers for powder rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms.
- West-facing rooms with lake views get strong late-day sun. Choose papers with good lightfastness for those walls.
- Use a quality wallcovering primer so the paper bonds well now and releases cleanly later.
Our guide to wallpaper in Pacific Northwest bathrooms goes deeper on ventilation and materials.
How a Kirkland wallpaper project runs, start to finish
- Request. Call, text, or email with photos and rough wall sizes. We reply within 24 hours.
- On-site visit. We come to your home, measure, check the wall surface, and give a free written estimate.
- Roll count. Before you order, we confirm how many rolls you need for your pattern repeat and wall heights.
- Delivery check. When the paper arrives, look at the labels to make sure all rolls share one batch number.
- Prep day, if needed. Removal, skim coat, and primer, with drying time built in.
- Install day. We hang the paper, match seams, trim cleanly at ceilings and trim, and reinstall cover plates.
What affects the price of wallpaper installation in Kirkland?
Price comes down to how much wall there is, how much prep it needs, and how demanding the paper is to hang. We give a written number after the on-site visit rather than a guess over the phone, because two rooms of the same size can need very different amounts of work.
- Prep level. A clean, primed wall is quick; removing two layers of old paper and skim coating texture is not.
- Material. Grasscloth, unpasted papers, and murals take more care than a standard prepasted roll.
- Pattern repeat. Large repeats and drop matches mean more cutting and more waste to plan around.
- Room shape. Stairwells, sloped ceilings, and many windows or outlets add time.
See our guide to wallpaper installation cost factors for a fuller explanation.
Do Kirkland condos and townhomes need HOA approval for wallpaper?
Interior wallpaper rarely needs formal approval, but many associations still have rules about contractor access, work hours, parking, and insurance. Check with your HOA or property manager before booking, and we can provide a certificate of insurance if the building asks for one.
Where in Kirkland do you work?
We cover all of Kirkland, including Moss Bay and downtown, Norkirk, Market, Highlands, Everest, Lakeview, Houghton, Rose Hill, Bridle Trails, Totem Lake, Juanita, Kingsgate, and Finn Hill. We also serve neighboring Bellevue and Bothell, along with Redmond and Kenmore.
Book a free on-site estimate in Kirkland
We do not have a showroom; we come to your home or business. Call or text (425) 500-6842, email seattlewallpaper@gmail.com, or request your free estimate online. We reply within 24 hours to set up a visit.
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Frequently asked questions
My Kirkland house has textured walls. Can wallpaper still go up?
Yes, but the texture should usually be smoothed first. Orange-peel and knockdown textures show through most papers, so we skim coat the wall, let it dry, and prime it before hanging.
How do I know if my old wallpaper will come off easily?
It depends on the paper and whether the wall was primed before it went up. Strippable papers peel off dry, while older papers hung on unprimed drywall can take longer and need repairs afterward. We can tell you more after a quick look on site.
Can you install wallpaper in a newly built Kirkland home?
Yes. On new drywall we make sure the paint has fully cured and then apply a wallcovering primer. That primer helps the paper bond and makes future removal much easier without damaging the drywall.
Is grasscloth a good choice for a Kirkland home office?
It is a popular choice because it adds warmth and texture behind a desk. Keep in mind that grasscloth seams are visible by nature and the fibers can fade in strong direct sun, so a wall away from big windows works best.
Do you remove wallpaper borders too?
Yes. Borders from past decades are common in Kirkland homes. We remove the border and its adhesive, repair any torn drywall facing, and prime the wall so it is ready for paint or new wallpaper.
