For week 6 of The One Room Challenge® – I added wallpaper to the back of the ikea pax wardrobes & it made such a difference.
If you’ve ever wanted to make your Pax system look truly built-in and high-end, the secret is in the small details. Covering the seams and that shiny, inexpensive-looking backing instantly elevates the entire piece.
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Catch up on my previous ORC posts here:
Creating a Custom Built-In Look
I had already added select pine face frames to the wardrobes to give them that seamless, built-in illusion. But the back seam that runs down the center of each wardrobe still stood out. The backs were shiny and just a little too “IKEA.”
To disguise it, I decided to add wallpaper. I wanted something timeless and pretty, and one of my inspiration photos featured a subtle metallic stripe that felt classic but still special. Unfortunately, that exact paper was sold out, so I widened the search. I landed on a French linen stripe wallpaper. I love the varied sizes of stripes, and the fact that the wallpaper is smooth, and easy to wipe clean, but the stripes feature the look of linen printed on the wallpaper that was the perfect pop of pattern & seamlessly tied in the blue & white within the room.
Once the wallpaper was delivered – I used it to pick the prettiest shade of French blue to match. You can read more about how I Transformed my IKEA Pax wardrobes with Benjamin Moore Airway 828 to give my closet the dreamiest French blue finish. From prep and primer to the perfect paint technique, you’ll find how I created a smooth, custom-looking closet.
Wallpapering for the First (or Second) time
Applying wallpaper for the first time can be a little intimidating. Luckily I already had a successful wallpaper install under my belt from when I did the one room challenge a few years ago.
I also used a metallic chinoiserie wallpaper in my dining room. I tried doing it myself, but the paper was extremely delicate, there was a lot of tricky walls & cut outs so after attempting one panel – I outsourced a wallpaper installer on Thumbtack. He was extremely reasonably priced & did a superb job completing the entire room including clean up in less time than I spent struggling with that single panel. Well worth the cost.
Prep Work
Before starting, I made sure all of the painting was done and fully cured. Then:
- Lightly sanded the back panels of the wardrobes.
- Cleaned with a tack cloth to remove dust.
- Applied this wallpaper primer with a 6″ roller.
Because the primer is white (and I’m a notoriously messy painter), I stopped just short of the edges. I felt it was better to have less primer coverage than risk white marks on my freshly painted blue cabinetry.
It ended up working out perfectly. The edges adhered evenly, and the wallpaper went on smoothly.
Installation Tips
While I had used wallpaper that requires you adding the glue, I had never used pre pasted wallpaper before. Once the area was prepped, I watched a couple of quick YouTube tutorials and got started. The process was surprisingly easy. It was far less messy than using paste, and the wallpaper itself was sturdy enough not to wrinkle or tear & could withstand multiple attempts of placing it onto the wall. I found the Sure Strip wallpaper to be extremely forgiving for someone who is beginner level at wallpaper.
Here are a few things that made installation a breeze:
- Plan ahead: I mocked up my wardrobes to scale and overlaid the wallpaper pattern digitally to minimize waste. Four of my six units are 28” wide, and the wallpaper came in 27” rolls. Needless to say – every inch mattered.
- Cut smart: Mapping it out ahead of time helped me order the right amount of wallpaper & avoid running short by knowing exactly how many full length strips I could get from each roll since nothing’s worse than getting to the last piece & realizing you need a 7 foot strip, but you only have two 4′ sections left.
- Top Corner Short Cut: The wardrobe backs have small cutouts at the top corners for the mounting hardware. Because those will get covered with plastic caps, it means you can cut diagonal slits there so the excess wallpaper can easily be folded without bunching.
- Use the factory edge: Always place the factory-cut edge in the center seam. It’s cleaner, makes for a better line for your level, and easier to trim the scissor side along the wall with an X-Acto knife.
- Tuck Behind the Shelves: Instead of cutting the top & bottom of the panel – I shimmied the top and bottom shelves apart from the frame and used a plastic putty knife to to wedge the excess wallpaper behind the cabinets. This saved time and made for a cleaner finish, and there’s no chance of it peeling down.
- Be ready to pivot: I accidentally cut one long strip backwards but was able to salvage part of it for another section. Don’t panic – there’s usually a way to reuse it!
Dealing with IKEA Hardware
The Pax system includes white plastic covers for the wall brackets and shelf pins for the top panels.
I tried wrapping the large plastic covers with wallpaper (without primer) to see if they’d blend in but it looked very messy. For the exposed brackets, I took a mini paintbrush & painted them to camoflauge in with the wallpaper. For the doored cabinets, I left the brackets white.
I did the same thing for the small shelf pins, I used a small brush and hand-painted them to match their surroundings, which helped them disappear almost completely.
Extra Details
During one of my weekly HomeGoods runs, I spotted this wrapping paper and immediately thought it was the perfect match for the wallpaper. I grabbed a few rolls to use as drawer liners and it worked beautifully. I already had this gift wrap trimmer, which made it easy to keep the paper flat and get perfectly straight lines by running my wallpaper knife over the guide. I love using wallpaper knives for projects like this because you can snap off the blade every few cuts, so it always stays sharp and leaves a clean, snag-free finish. I’ll have to move one from my tool supply closet to my gifting closet for the holiday season.
Final Thoughts
Wallpapering the backs of my Pax wardrobes added such a beautiful finishing touch. It ties the whole built-in look together and gives the space that custom feel I was after.
If you’ve been on the fence about wallpapering your IKEA Pax units, I say go for it. With the right prep and a little patience, it’s one of those small upgrades that completely transforms the look.
Next Ahead
I can’t believe there are only two weeks left of the One Room Challenge! Next week is Week 7, and I still need to cut, paint & install the crown moulding, add the remaining closet hardware, move the light fixture, figure out the flooring, do a few paint touch-ups, and organize & fill the entire closet before the big reveal. Week 8 will be the grand finale – which is the full reveal of my completely finished closet! Here’s a little sneak peek at how far it’s come over the past six weeks.
