Wallpaper shows every bump under it. Orange peel, knockdown and skip-trowel texture — standard in Utah homes built since the 1970s — has to be skim-coated smooth before paper will lie flat. It's the step other installers skip or subcontract. We do it in-house.
A patterned paper stretched over knockdown looks like a pattern printed on a rocky road: every high point catches the light, every low point stays dark, and the seams sit up on the ridges. Worse, the adhesive only bonds to the tops of the texture, so the paper lifts at the corners within months.
There are three ways to deal with it. A heavy liner paper can bridge fine texture, but it adds a layer that can fail. A thick embossed vinyl hides some texture at the cost of the look you wanted. Or you skim-coat the wall to a true smooth finish and hang whatever you like. We recommend the third, and we can do it because SwiftHand Painting is a licensed Utah drywall, paint and plastering contractor.
Knockdown texture, half skim-coated
Two days, start to finishFloors, furniture and fixtures covered. Loose texture knocked down, holes and old anchors patched.
Hour oneA thin, even layer of joint compound troweled over the whole wall to fill the texture.
Day oneAfter the first dries, a second coat to level the surface completely.
Day twoSanded to a smooth finish, raked with a light to catch anything the eye would miss, dust removed.
Day twoA wallcovering primer-sealer so the paper bonds evenly and strips clean years from now. Then we hang.
Day two or threeTwo coats over orange peel, knockdown or minor damage, sanded and dust-free.
Wallcovering primer is part of every SwiftHand install; itemized on prep-only jobs.
Skip-trowel, popcorn ceilings and cracked plaster priced from photos.
Send us the brand and pattern link, three photos and your wall dimensions. You'll have a written price in one business day, or book a route-friendly measure online right now.
Send photos for a quoteBook a Design Session. We measure, shortlist five to ten papers from trade accounts that fit your room and budget, order the samples, and calculate the rolls — and the fee comes off your install.
Book a Design SessionMost Utah walls are textured, and wallpaper shows every bump; this guide explains your options, what a two-day skim coat involves, what it costs, and why a licensed painter has the edge.
Read the guideAn honest guide to stripping old wallpaper: national costs, the right order of steps, the failure modes that generate most of our repair calls, and the removal-plus-repaint bundle.
Read the guideA plain-spoken look at what hanging wallpaper costs along the Wasatch Front, why the wall you have matters more than the paper you pick, and where SwiftHand's starting ranges land.
Read the guidePick a route-friendly time online, send us three photos and your wall dimensions for a written price in one business day, or call and talk to a person who hangs wallpaper for a living.