Ideas on how to update my walls?

I’m thinking just paint them. A fresh coat can yield excellent results.

I think I would try to remove the wallpaper and clean off the glue...it may require some sanding. Then patch any blemishes on the wall. There is a lightweight spackling compound you can use for this that is easier to sand. It may take a little practice to get it done, but it will be worth it.

Apply in several coats instead of trying to cover a thick coat at one time. It can cause problems in drying. Do not sand between applications. Let each application dry before putting on another one. Don't worry if you get it not so smooth when applying spackling...you can sand it smooth with a sheet of hand held sanding sheet that looks like a heavy duty screen that that used on porches...here is a link...

https://www.homedepot.com/s/sanding%2520screen?NCNI-5

They make a sheetrock that is very thin, but you would have to take off all of your molding, install the sheetrock and put back the molding (be sure and make a drawing of where every piece came off...number the pieces of molding and put the number on the back of the molding and then in the right place on the drawing.

"Floating out sheetrock" takes some practice...a task I have never been able to master! You can google, "videos on putting up sheetrock" to watch several of them.

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/replace-singlewides-walls-drywall-103022.html

This is info on a single-wide, but should still apply. More:

http://www.foremost.com/mygreathome/mobile-home-repair/interior/hanging-drywall.asp

If you’re planning to paint it all, horizontally-hung boards, the same size as your panelling, could be very fun and attractive.

My first order of business would be to buy a good stud finder, even one with a wiring finder Cheap enough investment https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/g1687/the-best-stud-finder-sensor/

Without knowing your budget, i would suggest you peal off or glue down the loose pieces of wallpaper. Then sand the dark wood. Paint a good primer over entire wall and paint all the wood a light creamy color. Lastly there are so many easy hang wallpapers out there today. Choose one that brightens your room and gives you the new feeling you want. www.feathr.com/blog/eas

I remember that linen or birch look wallpaper. Use a sponge to wet down one strip of the wallpaper. Use a hair drier to blow under the edge as you are pulling off the strip. If the whole strip won’t come off, you will need to score the surface. At a wallpaper or paint store, you can find a hand held scorer, which is like a flat hairbrush with sharp plastic or metal bristles. You basically use the scorer to rip up the wallpaper. Then water to soften the glue, and a scraper to scrape off small pieces of wallpaper. When the wallpaper is off, wash the walls with warm water with a little Dawn, to remove the rest of the glue. Dry it down. Then your walls are ready for painting or repapering. And in a mobile home, you can be adventurous with color and design. Best wishes! ☺️

We painted our paneling on the bottom n wallpapered the top yrs ago...now I'm going to do 2 co-ord. paint colors. Slightly darker on the bottom so the area looks larger (w/lighter color on top). Have fun. Paint is a good way to make an area look fresh n new again.

Hi Amber, yes, you can sheet rock. They make a very thin drywall that is 3/8" or 1/4". You can use this since you already have structure to your walls.

Here are a couple of things to be aware of. First, know where your electrical wires and stuff are in the walls so that you don't accidentally nick them when screwing your drywall. You can trace them by the location of your outlets. I've found that most mobile homes have a few quirky, non-standard things in the the framing.

Secondly, the chair rail will need to be pulled off while you are drywalling. You can put it back on when you finish or you can drywall over the paneling below also and eliminate the chair rail. Depends on the look you want.

I've done a lot of this in mobile homes. So let me know if you have any questions

Years ago I lived in a double-wide and I trimed the walls and then I painted over it and it took really well turned out nice that is probably the easiest way to do I'm sorry that was supposed to say primed the walls and then painted over the primer and it turned out very well.

If the wallpaper seams are in decent condition, you can paint the wallpaper. I did that several years ago and it still looks great. The new paints have primer in them and should work wonderfully. Otherwise,use a scoring tool then spray the walls with a mixture of water and fabric softener. I used half & half. Made the room smell good too. Let it sit for about 10 minutes then use a scraper and take the wall paper off. The fabric softener helps take the glue off too. If any is left use dawn or a cleaner degreaser and a scrubby sponge. Clean with clear water, let dry and now you can repaint.

If there is any damage on the wall, just buy some pre-mixed wall mud and roll on with a cheap dollar store roller. Let dry and paint.