paperhanging vs covering

paperhanging and covering both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
paperhanging	Yes	No	No	No
covering	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, covering is a hypernym of paperhanging; that is, covering is a word with a broader meaning than paperhanging:

Other hypernyms of paperhanging include application, coating.

paperhanging (noun)	covering (noun)
the application of wallpaper	the act of protecting something by covering it
	the work of applying something
	the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it
	an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it)
	a natural object that covers or envelops