Peel & stick wallpaper is one of the best beginner-friendly ways to add color, texture, & personality to your spaces! I’m breaking down my step-by-step for hanging peel & stick wallpaper — PLUS sharing my 7 tips that are sure to make your diy wallpaper project seamless!
Check out the step-by-step below ▽
— you’ll need —
tip 01 — if you JUST painted your walls, you should actually wait 2-4 weeks before applying wallpaper so your paint can fully cure. It may feel dry, but uncured paint can peel of the wall
— how to hang peel & stick wallpaper —
tip 02 — make sure you’re using a high quality paper like Tempaper that is *actually* temporary, there are a lot of low quality papers marketed as “renter-friendly” but they actually have an adhesive that will damage your walls
step: 01 — start in the corner and leave overhang
Starting in the corner of the room stick the paper up lightly — leaving overhang on the top (about 3-5 inches) and corner side (about 2-3 inches).
You can use a laser level to ensure the pattern is straight before sticking it all the way down, but floral patterns are usually pretty forgiving meaning you don’t have to be too particular about getting the wallpaper perfectly straight.
tip 03 — Walls are usually not perfectly even — leaving overhang allows you to cut off the excess paper using a utility knife for a perfect edge against the ceiling and in the corners.
Gently smooth the paper against the wall, pulling downwards and outwards to work out all of the air bubbles. I like to press the paper down in the middle, then take turns on each side smoothing from the center to the edge.
tip 04 — use a plastic scraper or a felt-covered wallpaper smoothing tool to help smooth out the bubbles in your wallpaper. Metal scrapers can tear or scratch the paper
step: 02 — line up the patter + add the next panel
Starting at the top and leaving 3-5 inches of overhang, line up the pattern with the edge of the existing panel, ensuring everything matches up.
I like to smooth the panels from the matched side towards the blank wall to make sure my panels stay touching and exactly matched up so there is no gap.
When applying, I start at the top and work my way towards the bottom, pressing out all air bubbles as I go.
tip 05 — smooth the wallpaper gently — pulling too hard can actually stretch the paper which will distort the print and cause the patterns not to line up
step: 03 — trim the edges
Smooth the wallpaper all the way into edges of the walls, trim, ceiling, baseboards, or around windows and doors. Press gently with your smoothing tool to crease the wallpaper in these areas.
Using a straight edge — like a ruler or paint shield — or your smoothing tool, cut along the crease to remove the excess paper (I.e. overhang) and create a crisp edge.
Enjoy your new gorgeous wall for as long as you love it AND remove it damage-free when you’re ready for a change or when it’s time to move!
tip 06 — when using a utility knife to cut the paper around edges like doors, windows, trim, and outlets. change the blade often for crisp edges — a dull blade can tear the wallpaper
tip 07 — Did you know…you can apply peel & stick paper to textured walls? BUT note that you might be able to see the texture through the paper, so if that bothers you skim coat your walls first.
See below to pin this project for later and shop everything in the space HERE
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