Fabric Wall Panels

Here’s a wall treatment that’s jaw-droppingly spectacular. Yet it’s really simple, without requiring fancy shmancy painting techniques. The look is “all white,” but different fabrics -- like fake fur, satin and quilting -- are used to create a grid of textures. Fabrics are stretched around foam core and attached to the wall with Velcro -- how easy is that?

What you’ll need:

Fabrics of your choice
Foam core
Polyester batting
Heavy duty Velcro
Duct tape

1. Determine the dimensions of each panel

First, you’ll want to decide how big you want your panels to be. Measure the dimensions of the part of the wall that you would like to cover. Say, for example, the wall is 120 inches wide. If you wanted four panels across, just divide that 120 inches by 4, and each panel will be 30 inches wide. Do the same for the height.

2. Cut foam core to size

The foundation of each panel is a wonderful thing called foam core. It’s very lightweight and easy to trim with an exacta knife and straight edge. You can buy it at any art supply store. Remember that you will be adding padding and fabric to the foam core, so you have to compensate by about a half inch for the added thickness when sizing the foam core.

For example, if you want a panel that’s 30 inches wide, then you should cut the foam core to 29 1/2 inches to allow for the padding and fabric when they’re wrapped around it.
You may be thinking here, "How complicated. What if I don’t get the dimensions exactly right? What if I’m off by an inch?" Don’t worry about it. My philosophy is "Close enough." To the naked eye, any mistakes won’t be detectable, and if they are, people will think it’s supposed to be that way. From a practical standpoint, the padding and fabric you add are squishable or expandable, so they will compensate for any irregularities in the foam core sizing.

Another pearl of wisdom here: be careful with your exacta knife. Cut gently and slowly. Even though it’s easy to cut foam core, it’s also easy to veer off track and cut yourself. I actually use an oven mitt on the hand that’s holding the straight edge. It’s goofy, but at least I still have all my fingers.

3. Cut the padding to size.

The padding gives each panel depth, as well as that soft, cushy feel. Padding also helps when you align the panels side by side, hiding your not-so-straight edges. For padding, use polyester batting that you can find at any fabric or upholstery store. It comes in a roll, so just tell them how many yards you want and they’ll cut it for you. Trim the batting for each panel so that it’s about an inch wider on every side than the foam core. E.g., if your foam core is 32 x 30, your batting should be trimmed to 34 x 32. Again, this doesn’t have to be perfect. You just want the batting to overlap the foam core a little bit. Put your piece of foam core on top of the batting and eyeball it.

4. Cut the fabric to size

Now take your fabric of choice and cut it so that it’s about an inch wider on every side than the batting. Again, you don’t have to be perfect, or even close to perfect.

5. Wrap the padding and fabric around the foam core

Place the trimmed fabric upside down on your work surface. On top of the fabric, center your batting. And on top of the batting, center your foam core. Trim the corners of the batting at a 45 degree angle to the corners of the foam core. This will eliminate extra bulk in the corners when you fold the batting over to wrap around. Then trim the corners of the fabric so they are about an inch wider than where the batting is trimmed.
Working one edge at a time, wrap the batting and fabric around the foam core and secure it in place with duct tape. I like duct tape because it holds well but is also forgiving, so you can adjust it on the foam core if you need to. If you use heavier or more textured fabrics like faux fur, duct tape doesn’t work as well. That’s when you use a staple gun.

6. Attach the panel to the wall

I use Velcro to attach the panels to the wall, rather than nailing them or using double sided tape, because Velcro allows you to reposition the panels if you need to. Also, you can take the panels down and clean them easily this way. Velcro comes in different grades. I prefer the industrial grade rolls sold at hardware stores.
Cut squares of the "fuzzy" portion of the Velcro and stick them to the four corners of the foam core that are not covered with duct tape. Now comes the nifty part. Instead of sticking the "spiky" portion of the Velcro on the wall and hoping that the fuzzy and spiky sections match up, cut squares of the spiky portion and place them face down right on the fuzzy part that’s already on the panel. Then take the protective backing off of the spiky portion and attach the whole panel to the wall like that. Press the panel firmly onto the wall where the Velcro is, so the adhesive attaches firmly.

You’re done. Line up all the panels on the wall and admire your handiwork.