{"id":577,"date":"2026-10-21T11:22:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T03:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/?p=577"},"modified":"2026-10-21T11:22:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T03:22:31","slug":"do-mural-wallpapers-require-special-tools-for-installation-4f43-7451d8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/21\/do-mural-wallpapers-require-special-tools-for-installation-4f43-7451d8\/","title":{"rendered":"Do mural wallpapers require special tools for installation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey there, it\u2019s Jake from your go-to mural wallpaper supplier\u2014you know, the one that\u2019s been hooking up homes, cafes, and boutique offices with wild, one-of-a-kind wall art for the last 6 years. I get it, if you\u2019ve never hung a mural before (or even if you have, and it didn\u2019t go great), your first question is probably: do I need fancy, super special tools to pull this off? Let me cut through the fluff and tell you the truth straight up\u2014no salesy jargon, no overpromising, just what I\u2019ve seen work for hundreds of my customers. Mural Wallpaper<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s get one thing clear: mural wallpapers are not your grandma\u2019s vinyl peel-and-stick backsplash (or even that tiny accent wallpaper you slapped in your powder room last year). They\u2019re usually way bigger\u2014like, covering an entire 10-foot wall or more, sometimes with custom cutouts for windows or doorways. But \u201cspecial tools\u201d doesn\u2019t mean you need to run out and buy a $500 professional tool kit you\u2019ll never use again. I\u2019ve had first-time DIYers nail this job with basic stuff most people already own or can grab at a local hardware store for under $30. That said, there are a few things that make hanging a mural way easier and way less likely to end with you ripping a 12-foot panel down because you messed up a seam. Let\u2019s break this down, step by step, so you know what\u2019s actually non-negotiable vs. what\u2019s a nice-to-have.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics that everyone thinks they can skip\u2014and those are the ones that actually matter. First, you need a good level, right? Wait, not just a tiny torpedo level you keep in your junk drawer. A 4-foot or 6-foot spirit level. Why? Because mural panels are huge. If you start hanging the first panel off by even a \u00bc inch, by the time you get to the top of the wall, it\u2019ll be an inch and a half crooked, and that\u2019s impossible to hide. I\u2019ve seen customers try to use their phone level (which is super inaccurate for long stretches) and it turned into a whole thing where they had to take down half the mural and start over. Don\u2019t do that. The 6-foot level is like $15 at Home Depot, and it\u2019s worth every penny.<\/p>\n

Next up, the adhesive. This is where people go wrong all the time, so I\u2019m gonna shout it from the rooftops: do NOT use regular wallpaper paste you bought for a tiny accent wall. Mural wallpapers are almost always printed on heavy-duty, non-woven fabric (that\u2019s the stuff my company uses\u2014super durable, breathable, doesn\u2019t shrink or stretch like vinyl) or high-quality vinyl, and they need an adhesive made specifically for that material. Regular paste is too thin, will bubble up under the big panels, and might not stick long-term. But wait\u2014does that mean it\u2019s a \u201cspecial\u201d tool? Kind of, but it\u2019s not a weird, hard-to-find thing. I actually include a free sample of our recommended mural adhesive with every order, and the full-size jugs are $20 at most hardware stores. No need for any fancy industrial glue that smells like chemicals, either\u2014our adhesive is low-VOC, so you can hang it and enjoy your new wall the same day.<\/p>\n

Now, what about the \u201cnice-to-have\u201d tools that make the job way less stressful, especially if you\u2019re working alone? Let\u2019s talk about the smoothing tool. Yeah, a squeegee or a wallpaper smoother\u2014specifically, one that\u2019s soft, not sharp, so it doesn\u2019t scratch the mural\u2019s surface. You can grab a rubber smoothing tool for $10, or even use a clean, dry cotton towel if you\u2019re in a pinch, but the squeegee works way better for getting rid of air bubbles under big panels. Air bubbles are the enemy here\u2014they look terrible, and if you leave them, they can cause the adhesive to break down over time. The smoothing tool helps you push them out from the center of the panel to the edges, no messy lifting required.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the cutting tool. Not your $1 box cutter from the gas station, either. You need a sharp utility knife with new blades, or even a rotary cutter if you\u2019re more into crafts. Mural wallpapers are thick, and a dull blade will tear the edges when you\u2019re cutting around window frames or baseboards, which leaves ugly, uneven lines. I always tell customers to swap out the blade halfway through the job\u2014trust me, that extra 5 minutes is way better than re-cutting a messed-up edge. Also, a straight edge\u2014like a metal yardstick or a 4-foot level, same as the one you use for leveling\u2014so you don\u2019t cut a wavy line. That\u2019s another one people skip, and end up with a cut that looks like a toddler drew it.<\/p>\n

Wait, what about if you\u2019re working alone? That\u2019s a common question I get, especially from people hanging murals in their home offices or bedrooms. Do you need an extra pair of hands? Not always, but there is one tool that helps a ton: a set of wallpaper hanging poles, or even just a few heavy-duty painter\u2019s sticks (the ones with the soft grips). You can stick the panels to the poles and hold them up to the wall by yourself, which makes lining up the top edge way easier than trying to balance a 12-foot panel on your shoulder. Again, these are super cheap\u2014you can grab painter\u2019s sticks at the dollar store, no need for fancy hanging equipment.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s address the \u201cspecial\u201d tools that you\u2019ll almost never need, unless you\u2019re doing a giant commercial job. I\u2019m talking about things like a wallcovering steam stripper (wait, no\u2014you\u2019re not stripping wallpaper, you\u2019re hanging new stuff, so that\u2019s irrelevant), a commercial adhesive roller, or a tabletop panel cutter. For most residential or small business murals (up to, say, 200 square feet, which is most of the orders we get), you don\u2019t need any of that. The tools I mentioned\u2014level, mural-specific adhesive, smoothing tool, sharp utility knife, straight edge\u2014are all you need. I\u2019ve had a caf\u00e9 owner hang a 15-foot-wide landscape mural by himself in an afternoon using exactly that set, and he texted me later saying it turned out way better than he thought.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: even if you have all these tools, there\u2019s one \u201ctool\u201d that\u2019s actually more important than any of the stuff in your garage: patience. Mural installation isn\u2019t like hanging a poster\u2014you can\u2019t yank and reposition 10 times. Once the adhesive touches the wall, it\u2019s gonna stick, so you have to line up each panel slowly. If you make a small mistake (like a tiny air bubble or a slight misalignment), don\u2019t panic\u2014most of the time, it\u2019s barely noticeable. But if you rush? You\u2019ll mess up.<\/p>\n

Wait, let\u2019s also talk about when you might want to call a pro. If your mural is super complex\u2014like, it has custom details, or it\u2019s going over textured walls that need prep, or it\u2019s a huge space (like a restaurant dining room that\u2019s 30 feet wide)\u2014then yeah, hiring a professional installer who has those extra tools (like a laser level for extra-long walls, or commercial-grade smoothing tools) might be worth it. But even then, most pros will use the same basic tools I mentioned, plus a few extra for big jobs. The biggest difference is that they do this every day, so they\u2019re faster and better at fixing little hiccups.<\/p>\n

Let me wrap this up with what I want you to take away, because I know a lot of people get overwhelmed by the idea of hanging a mural. No, you don\u2019t need a garage full of fancy, niche tools to do this. The only \u201cspecial\u201d things you need are a few basic, affordable items you can pick up anywhere, and a little bit of care to line up the panels right. I\u2019ve designed our murals to be DIY-friendly for exactly this reason\u2014we don\u2019t want you to have to spend hundreds on tools to get a beautiful result.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re ready to take the plunge and get a mural for your space (whether it\u2019s a cozy nook, a retail store, or an office), don\u2019t let the fear of installation hold you back. We\u2019re here to answer any questions you have, from prep tips to tool recommendations, and we can even connect you with trusted installers in your area if you decide pro help is the way to go. Just reach out to us to start a conversation about your mural project\u2014we\u2019d love to help bring your vision to life.<\/p>\n

PVC Wallpaper<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Wallpaper Installer Association. "Best Practices for Non-Woven Mural Installation." 2022.<\/li>\n
  2. Home Improvement Research Institute. "DIY Wall Covering Tools and Materials for Residential Projects." 2023.<\/li>\n
  3. Mural Wallcovering Manufacturers Alliance. "Guidelines for Installing Large-Format Wall Murals." 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Taizhou Kiya Wallpaper Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    As one of the most professional mural wallpaper manufacturers and suppliers in China, we have world-leading production equipment and strong manufacturing capabilities. Please rest assured to wholesale high quality mural wallpaper for sale here from our factory. Contact us for pricelist.
    Address: No. 252, Yongping Road, Xuzhuang Subdistrict, Gaogang District, Taizhou City
    E-mail: 120624016@qq.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.cn-kiya.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey there, it\u2019s Jake from your go-to mural wallpaper supplier\u2014you know, the one that\u2019s been hooking … Do mural wallpapers require special tools for installation?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[540],"class_list":["post-577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-mural-wallpaper-47af-7493d6"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hawkinsblog.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}