Go Bold with Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Looking for ways to brighten up a dull space? Why not Go Bold with Peel and Stick Wallpaper! Let me show you how to install removable wallpaper to change the whole feel of a room. For more home decor ideas see my All things Interiors page.
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I have always wanted to try making over a room with wallpaper, but my husband, who has nightmares of bad 1970’s floral walls of his youth, refused to let me. Several weeks ago I did a review post on my Tidal Blue Velvet Sofa. When I received the sofa, I knew the space it was in needed an extra color punch to it.
At first, I thought I would paint the walls with a rich dark contrasting color, but I was afraid it would make the room look way too small. I decided to take a chance and try peel and stick wallpaper to add dramatics to the space. This post is my tips and tricks to get the best results from removable wallpaper.
How to Hang Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Supplies:
- Opalhouse Jungle Arms Peel and Stick Wallpaper enough for the room + 1 Extra Roll for Mistakes, I used 4 rolls for one wall.
- Rotary Cutter & Mat
- Box Cutter or Heavy Duty X-Acto Knife
- Yardstick and/or Tape Measure
- Level
- Wallpaper Smoother
Instructions:
A Few Tips Before I Begin:
The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have one extra roll of wallpaper for mistakes. You can use a Wallpaper Calculator to get the correct dimensions. I chose a busy pattern so it would hide mistakes or uneven areas.
Because this pattern was so forgiving, I overlapped each row by a 1/8 of an inch so there would not be any white sections in between each row of paper. I know with regular wallpaper applications you can paint the wall first to match the paper so the spaces between sheets do not stand out. You can also paint the white spaces to blend them in after the paper is installed.
To ensure a smooth finish, before applying the wallpaper, clean your wall with a damp cloth to remove any dust particles.
Start at one side of the wall and measure with a yardstick and a level the width of the paper roll. Mark it with a pencil at the top of the wall and midway down. This will be your guide for the first sheet to hang, Measure the length of the wall from the ceiling. Mark and measure the back of the paper for length,
Cutting the Wallpaper
The easiest way I found to cut the wallpaper and keep super straight lines was with a rotary cutter and matt. Peel and stick paper is basically heavyweight contact paper so It cuts pretty easily with a rotary cutter.
Once you get the piece you cut and ready to go you need to peel back the edges at the top and fold down the back a few inches to reveal the sticky side of the paper. Holding the sticky edge of the paper straight evenly place the paper close the ceiling or crown molding.
You may notice in my image above that I left some extra paper on the top near the ceiling. My ceiling is at an angle so Ieft some overflow to trim once I got the paper on the wall.
Using a wallpaper smoother. smooth across each edge of the paper.
Slowly move down the wall while pulling the paper off of the back of the wallpaper. Use the smoothing tool as you work your way down the wall.
Trim the edges by holding the wallpaper smoother next to the wall as a guide, place an X-Acto knife on the edge and cut across to trim. Using the smoother as a guide will make a straight line while cutting. Repeat across the wall.
To trim out an outlet, lay the paper over the outlet and slice and X over the outlet. Smooth the paper around the sides and trim with an X-Acto knife.
All in all, this was a fun project! The great part about peel and stick wallpaper is you can makeover a space that was, well rather boring, If you get the pattern off a little bit, you can pull it off and replace it until you get it right. For now, I like this fun wall. I am pretty sure I will probably end up pulling it off and painting it instead, That’s the fun of peel and stick it is not permanent!
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How to Hang Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Equipment
- Rotary Cutter & Mat
- Box Cutter or Heavy Duty X-Acto Knife
- Yardstick and Tape Measure
- Level
- Wallpaper Smoother
Materials
- Peel and Stick Wallpaper Rolls: Enough for the room + 1 Extra Roll for Mistakes (I used 4 rolls for one wall).
Instructions
- To ensure a smooth finish, before applying the wallpaper, clean your wall with a damp cloth to remove any dust or particles. Â
- Start at one side of the wall and measure with a yardstick and a level the width of the paper roll. Mark it with a pencil at the top of the wall and midway down. This will be your guide for the first sheet to hang, Measure the length of the wall from the ceiling. Mark and measure the back of the paper for length.
- Cut the wallpaper with a rotary cutter and matt.
- Peel back the edges at the top and fold down the back a few inches to reveal the sticky side of the paper. Holding the sticky edge of the paper straight evenly place the paper close the ceiling or crown molding.
- Using a wallpaper smoother. smooth across each edge of the paper.
- Slowly move down the wall while pulling the paper off of the back of the wallpaper. Use the smoothing tool as you work your way down the wall.
- Trim the edges by holding the wallpaper smoother next to the wall as a guide, place an X-Acto knife on the edge and cut across to trim. Using the smoother as a guide will make a straight line while cutting. Repeat across the wall.Â
Notes
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
For more fun pics of my Wallpaper see my Sofa post!
It looks like your walls a slightly textured? Did you have any issues with the wall paper sticking?
Yes Erlene, my walls are plaster and have a slightly shiny eggshell finish with texture. I live at the beach and there is humidity but it is still sticking well!
Good to know. Our walls look like yours and I didn’t think peel and stick would work on it. Now to see where I can wallpapper :-)
hi Kim, how fun is this? Sharing on the weekend edit. I actually think I can do this!!! xo laura in CO
Hi Laura,
Thanks for sharing! It was fun I may need to do more peel & stick around the house!
Kim