Basement Makeover + Step-by-Step Install

The Spotty Dalmatian Large Wall Mural is one of our most popular prints, and for good reason — it looks fantastic and is crazy easy to install.

Check out this basement wallpaper project and the step-by-step installation process. In total it took about three hours, working at a leisurely pace, and stopping to take photos and a couple coffee breaks. This project is very beginner friendly, so let's dive in.

Here's what the basement looked like before. It's the TV wall so we removed the wall-mounted TV and the outlet cover before we started.

Tools Needed:

We gathered the wallpaper, a metal straight edge (for trimming), a sharp blade (also for trimming) and a level. You may also want to gather a step ladder, measuring tape and a pair of scissors.

The level helped us determine if the wall was slanted. We found that it was actually perfectly straight! To check, hold the level at the top and sides of the wall. If your wall is a little uneven, it helps to draw a level line vertically about 27.5 or 28 inches from the far left side of the wall where you start. That way you have a straight guide when applying the first panel. If your first panel is nice and straight, the rest of the wall will be, too.

What's inside the box.

Every order comes with your wallpaper securely packaged, the instruction booklet, and a soft-edged squeegee to help smooth the wallpaper and press it into corners.

How to Install

First we laid out all the panels to make sure we had the correct orientation. Since this is a mural (vs. wallpaper), we also made sure that the panels were in the correct order. 

This mural is five panels in total. See how the pattern matches when the panels are placed side by side?

We only needed about half of the fifth panel, so we trimmed off most of the extra material (but still left several extra inches just in case). For this initial trimming, scissors work great! 

Now we're ready to start putting the panels on the wall!

First panel is up and looking good. To apply the panel you simply peel back the paper backing a little bit at a time and press the sticky side to the wall. That's it!

Second panel is up and it's already a big change in the room. When we applied the third panel we just went over the outlets and made little slits as needed around the plugs using our sharp blade.

Also notice that we have some extra material at the bottom. It's best to save the trimming for the end, after all of your panels are up. That way you can go back and make adjustments if needed (but we didn't need to do that here).

How to Trim

To trim, just press your straight edge into the crease of the wall and run your blade along the edge. Voila! Super simple and a perfectly neat edge.

And here's the finished wall, all five panels applied.

We used our straight edge trimming technique along the bottom of the wall and also on the right edge where we had an extra few inches. All that's left is to hang the TV and style it! 

Ready to start your own Spotty Dalmatian wall? You can order your own here!

We also have a fun Dalmatian Wallpaper Style Pinterest board to get the creative juices flowing. Enjoy!