Hi Everyone, After 10 years of use I'd like to refresh my LQ with a little mini facelift. I've already sewn new pillow covers, duvet, curtains, banquet cushions (apparently Upholsters don't work normal hours around me anymore), changed handles and sprayed my hinges. Has anyone ever painted their walls, if so how did it turn out? Did it get nicked or dinged up? What kind of paint and preparation did you do? What about wallpaper? I was thinking about the new cork wallpaper that they have now for homes and commercial use. Or maybe a grasscloth for some texture. But how does it work out with the panels that are the current walls and ceiling? Can you cover the seams with the wallpaper? Would you use a wallpaper paste or would you use Super 77 or contact cement to hang it? What about painting your cabinets? Most of my cabinets are light oak, but then there is the cheesy "oak look" paper backed luan that are the ends. I don't want to "ruin" something that is in good shape it's just that I'm tired of looking at it after 10 yrs. And lastly, if painting and wallpapering fails has anyone ever upholstered their walls? I'm pretty happy to DIY it but I don't want it to look DIY, you know what I mean? It's a very large open trailer and I just want to add to it not detract from it. Thanks for any and all input.

If you want to change the hue of your wood cabinets instead of painting, try a gell stain covered with a satin clear polyurethane. Lightly scuff the original finish with a Scotch brite pad, clean with a thinner and apply the stain. You can darken light Oak or completely change the tone to another wood species. A large LQ's cabinets can be restained for ~$35.

Also, if you paint over the wallboard that's already there, will it cause peeling or some other damage to the wallboard? IMO, covering the wallboard with that suede looking stuff, or wallpaper, would be safer.

Gel stains work very well on both porous and non porous surfaces. They are produced with thickneners, that do not allow the product to easily be absorbed into the wood cells, like a thin water or oil based stain. Woods that absorb non uniformly and end grains, will blotch if thin stains are used without a conditioner being first applied.

The gell stains are commonly used on steel, fiberglass and other man made materials, to replicate the looks of a wood product. Various "graining" techniques can be used to replicate traditional wood products. Exterior doors are often treated this way. Wiping some stain onto a paper based product, and then quickly wiping it off, should not harm the paper coated, particle board cabinets. They have some protection against fluids in a kitchen environment. The stain will not soak into the material, and instead will be a surfacing coating.

To test this theory, try staining a small inconspicuous area first. The gells stains offer a great deal of controllability, and small amounts can be initially applied, with secondary coatings being later added as needed.

Clear polyurethane coatings work well over the stain. They can be purchased in rattle cans, which ensures more even coatings than a brush, and an easier application.