Wood Panel Wallpaper: How to Get the Look of Paneling Without the Carpentry

There is something about paneling that makes a room feel finished. It adds rhythm to a flat wall, brings in the quiet warmth of timber and suggests a house that has been loved for a long time. The trouble is the work involved. Real boards mean measuring, cutting, filling and painting, and usually a carpenter. Wood effect wallpaper gets you most of the way there with a roll, a brush and an afternoon. This guide explains what wood panel wallpaper is, how it compares with real paneling and where it works best in an American home.

What is wood panel wallpaper?

Wood panel wallpaper is a wallpaper printed to look like wooden boards or panels. The better designs mimic the lines, grain and tonal shifts of real timber closely enough that, from across a room, the eye reads them as wood. It is sometimes called wood look wallpaper or faux wood wallpaper, and it sits within the broader family of wood effect wallpaper alongside planks, parquet and reclaimed-board prints.

The two Martha Stewart wood designs at No Two Houses are both printed on a non-woven substrate. That matters for two reasons. Non-woven paper is dimensionally stable, so it does not stretch or shrink as it dries, which keeps panel lines straight. It is also paste-the-wall, meaning you paste the wall rather than the back of the paper, so there is no soaking time and no pasting table. Both designs are spongeable, so light marks can be wiped away with a damp sponge.

Which Martha Stewart designs look like paneling?

The collection includes two wood designs, and they are quite different in character. Choose by the mood you want rather than by color alone.

Martha Stewart Wood Panel captures the timeless charm of traditional paneling. The boards are clearly defined, with visible joins, so the wall reads as a run of painted or stained planks. It comes in Natural, Sage, Mineral Blue and Chestnut, and it has a free match, which means you do not need to line up the pattern between drops. Any cut-off is simply the trim at the top and bottom.

Martha Stewart Bedford Faux Bois captures the understated elegance of softly grained wood panels. The grain is quieter and the panel lines are gentler, so it works as a background rather than a feature. It is a smooth, printed finish, not an embossed or textured paper, which gives it a refined, almost painted quality. Colorways are Natural, Sage, Mineral Blue and Goose Down. It has a straight match with a 64 cm (about 25 in) repeat.

If you want to go deeper on what "faux bois" means and where the term comes from, the planned guide to faux bois wallpaper covers it.

Wood panel wallpaper vs real paneling: which should you choose?

This is the question most people are really asking. Real wood paneling and wood panel wallpaper both add warmth and architecture to a room, but they ask very different things of you.

How do the costs compare?

Real paneling is a materials-plus-labor project. You pay for the boards, the trim, fixings, filler, primer and paint, and then for the time of whoever installs it, which for most homes means a carpenter or a very patient weekend. Wallpaper is a materials-only project for most people. You buy rolls and paste, and the labor is your own. Check the Martha Stewart collection for current pricing and work out how many rolls you need from your wall measurements.

How long does each take?

A wallpapered feature wall is a one-day job for a confident beginner and a half-day for someone who has hung paper before. Real paneling on the same wall typically runs over several days once you allow for cutting, fixing, filling, sanding, priming and two coats of paint, with drying time between each. Wallpaper also makes far less mess. There is no sawdust and no need to clear the room for a week.

Which is more permanent?

Real paneling is a structural change to the room. It is there until someone pries it off, and it will leave fixing holes behind. Wood look wallpaper is a surface finish. It can be changed when your taste changes, and No Two Houses publishes a how to remove wallpaper guide for when that day comes. Treat it as a long-term finish, not a temporary one, and prepare the wall properly.

Where does each one win?

• Real paneling wins on knocks and scuffs in a busy mudroom, where you want a wall you can lean a bike against; on the lower third of a wall that gets kicked by chairs; and where you want genuine depth and shadow lines you can run your hand along.
• Wood panel wallpaper wins on full-height walls, where real boards get expensive and heavy; on ceilings and awkward alcoves; on rental-grade plaster that will not take fixings well; and anywhere you want to try the look before committing to carpentry.
• A mix wins in dining rooms and hallways. Real chair rail at 32 to 36 in (about 80 to 90 cm) with wallpaper above or below gives you a tactile edge and a printed field at a fraction of the labor.

Where does wood panel wallpaper work best?

Wood effect wallpaper is at its most convincing where paneling would naturally be found. These four rooms are the ones we return to.

Study or home office

A study wants to feel enclosed and calm. Martha Stewart Wood Panel Chestnut or Mineral Blue on all four walls turns a spare room into somewhere you actually want to sit down and work, and the vertical boards draw the eye up to make a small room feel taller. Our guide to the best wallpapers for your home office has more on choosing a backdrop that holds up on video calls.

Hallway

Hallways take a lot of traffic and usually lack natural light, so a paper that adds structure without darkening the space earns its place. Martha Stewart Bedford Faux Bois Natural keeps things light and warm, while Wood Panel Sage brings in a soft color that reads as classic rather than trendy. The planned hallway wallpaper ideas article goes room by room through narrow and awkward layouts.

Dining room

Dining rooms are where paneling is most expected, which is exactly why wood look wallpaper feels so natural here. Run Martha Stewart Wood Panel Natural below a chair rail and paint above, or paper the whole wall in Bedford Faux Bois Goose Down for a serene, tonal room that lets the table and lighting do the talking.

Bedroom headboard wall

A single wall of wood panel wallpaper behind the bed does the job of an oversized headboard and frames the whole room. Martha Stewart Wood Panel Mineral Blue is a favorite here, calm enough for sleep and deep enough to anchor white bedding. If you are undecided about which wall to paper, what wall should be a feature wall walks through the choice.

How do you hang wood panel wallpaper so it looks real?

The illusion depends on straight lines and a flat wall. Follow these steps and the boards will read as boards.

1. Prepare the wall properly. Fill any holes, sand smooth and apply a coat of wallpaper primer or size. Printed paneling shows every lump beneath it, so take your time here.
2. Mark a true vertical. Use a level or plumb line to draw your first line about 20 in (about 50 cm) from the corner. Walls are rarely square, so never trust the corner itself.
3. Paste the wall, not the paper. Both Martha Stewart wood designs are paste-the-wall. Roll a generous, even coat of paste onto the wall for one drop at a time. Our explainer on what paste the wall wallpaper is covers the differences from traditional paste-the-paper.
4. Hang the first drop to your line. Smooth from the center outwards with a brush or plastic smoother, working out any air pockets.
5. Match the next drop. With Wood Panel's free match, butt the edge up and carry on. With Bedford Faux Bois, align the grain across the seam before smoothing.
6. Trim at the top and bottom. Crease the paper into the ceiling line and baseboard with a scraper, then cut with a sharp blade. Change blades often for a clean edge.
7. Wipe seams as you go. Remove any paste from the surface with a clean, damp sponge before it dries.

For the full method, read how to hang wallpaper or download the how to hang wallpaper guide.

Frequently asked questions about wood panel wallpaper

Does wood panel wallpaper look fake?

From normal viewing distance a well-printed design reads convincingly as wood, especially in rooms where paneling is expected. Up close it is clearly a smooth, printed surface rather than carved timber, so pair it with real wooden furniture or a timber chair rail to carry the illusion.

Can I use wood panel wallpaper in a bathroom or kitchen?

Both Martha Stewart wood designs are spongeable, so light splashes can be wiped away, but they are not described as washable or waterproof. Keep them away from direct water contact, such as inside a shower or directly behind a sink, and ensure the room is well ventilated.

Is wood panel wallpaper textured?

Martha Stewart Wood Panel and Bedford Faux Bois are both smooth, printed papers. The grain and panel lines are created by the print, not by embossing. If you want genuine surface texture, the planned guide to grasscloth and textured wallpaper covers that family.

How many rolls do I need for a feature wall?

Each roll is 52 cm × 10 m (about 20.5 in × 32.8 ft). Measure your wall width and height, allow for trimming at top and bottom, and remember that Wood Panel's free match produces less waste than a straight-match design. Order a spare roll from the same batch to be safe.

Can I paint over wood panel wallpaper?

These designs are printed finishes intended to be hung as they are, not paintable papers. If you want a painted paneling look in a specific color, choose the closest colorway, such as Sage or Mineral Blue, rather than painting the paper.

Order a wood panel wallpaper sample

Paneling is a commitment, even on paper, so see it on your own wall first. Every design in the collection has an "Order sample" option on its product page. Start with Martha Stewart Wood Panel Natural or Martha Stewart Bedford Faux Bois Goose Down, hold them up in morning and evening light, and then browse the full Martha Stewart wallpaper collection or the wider range of wood wallpaper at No Two Houses.