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Are you scared of the commitment of real wallpaper? Or are you living in a rental or dorm room? If so, then peel and stick wallpaper is the answer! You are going to learn how to easily install peel and stick wallpaper on any wall in your home.
Peel and stick wallpaper is the perfect mess free and easy to install solution to literally any space in your home.
It can be installed in places such as your living room, dining room, bedroom, office, etc. You can use peel and stick wallpaper as an accent wall or decide to wallpaper an entire room.
The best part is, is that if it’s not your vibe anymore, you don’t have to worry about any sticky paste or leftover residue.
Peel and stick wallpaper comes in a HUGE variety of colors, patterns, textures, etc. just like normal wallpaper. The options are limitless.
Let’s get started!
This post is all about how to hang peel and stick wallpaper.
How-To Guide On Hanging Peel and Stick Wallpaper
With all of the updates we were doing to our home, I couldn’t forget about one of the most important rooms in our house…my office!
This space is so important to me because it is where I work on all of my client projects, my blog, and all other aspects of my business. It is a space where I need to feel creative and inspired.
I always knew I wanted to have a wallpaper accent wall behind my desk. I thought it would be great as a backdrop for any virtual meetings or calls.
But, I did not want to have to worry about a huge mess, and I did not want to choose something permanent, mainly because of future resell reasons as this is not our forever home.
I searched and searched and searched for the perfect wallpaper. All I knew was that I wanted something very unique and something that had a kaleidoscope pattern to it. I always loved kaleidoscopes as a young girl. My grandma and I would play with them and I loved to see all the unique patterns and colors it made.
It was fascinating to me and if you know me, you know I like to be unique and set myself apart from what others are doing, so I wanted that to be reflected into my home office sanctuary.
There were a few peel and stick wallpaper options that I found, but nothing compared to this one.
It is funny because I originally ordered this wallpaper sample from York Wallcoverings and liked it, but then I put it aside for months because I began to get frustrated with myself because I could not make a decision to save my life. I am very indecisive when it comes to designing for myself!
Then, I started my search again and I was looking on Amazon to see what options they had for peel and stick wallpaper and I found one that I loved.
It turns out that it was the same exact one from York Wallcoverings that I had already ordered a sample of! At this point, I knew it must have been meant to be, so I ordered it! It was actually a bit cheaper on Amazon too.
I love the kaleidoscope pattern and metallic finish the wallpaper has!
Something I want to point out!
We have textured walls throughout our entire home. It is a knockdown/orange peel texture. It is not heavily textured, but textured enough, so I was very worried about how well the peel and stick wallpaper would adhere to the wall. Luckily it worked great!
If you are going to install a peel and stick wallpaper on your textured walls, please be sure to do your research and choose an option that is high quality.
Always order samples before you purchase anything to ensure you like the quality, appearance, texture, etc. If you choose a peel and stick wallpaper that feels a bit thicker, you should be just fine. You will know when it feels cheap vs high quality.
There are some air bubbles that appear on my wallpaper from time time to time, but I am able to smooth them out with my wallpaper smoother tool.
We also noticed that the spots with the air bubbles are from the very first roll that we did. We didn’t have our process down at first, but it got better as we worked.
I have had my wallpaper installed for over a year now and it is still hanging! It hasn’t budged an inch!
Things you will need:
Click the links below to shop the products.
- Wallpaper-Click here for my wallpaper
- Wallpaper Smoother Tool
- Stepladder
- Exact-o Knife
- Tape Measure-This is my tape measure and I LOVE it!
- Two people! it make is much easier to install with another set of helping hands.
How to install peel and stick wallpaper
1. Measure your wall and see how much wallpaper you will need
Ordering wallpaper can honestly be SO confusing! You have to keep in mind the pattern repeat and how often it repeats. Luckily, the one I chose was pretty straight forward.
I measured the height and width of the wall I was applying the peel and stick wallpaper to. Then I multiplied the two numbers to figure out the square footage. This number was how I knew how much wallpaper to order.
It was great because there was a wallpaper calculator on York Wallcovering’s website that I used to figure out how much wallpaper I needed. I ended up ordering 3 rolls and it ended up being the perfect amount. I had just a little bit left over.
Here is the wallpaper calculator I used: York Wallcovering Wallpaper Calculator
2. If you can, get a buddy to help you!
Installing the peel and stick wallpaper can be tricky if you are doing it by yourself, so I had my husband help me. He actually ended up doing most of the work…hehe! Thank gosh I have a handy husband!
It’s not difficult to hang, but it can get kind of annoying at times because it basically a huge sticky sticker! If you do not take your time and carefully align the wallpaper all the way down, you will have to peel it off and start over.
You also need to be very careful so that it doesn’t rip! The stickiness of a peel and stick wallpaper is one down falls of it because you are not able to easily adjust the wallpaper.
When you work with a pre-pasted wallpaper, you can easily move around the wallpaper as it has a smooth/wet surface. But, peel and stick wallpaper is less of a mess and once you get your process down, it is no biggie.
3. Prep your walls
I did repaint my office, so it had a fresh, clean coat of paint to adhere to. If you are planning to repaint, I recommend doing so before installing the wallpaper.
Otherwise, I highly recommend cleaning the wall surface with a damp rag because it is going to stick much better to a clean surface.
4. Start from the top and work your way to the bottom
We started from top to bottom with the wallpaper roll and we began installing from the middle and then went outwards. It is best to do it this way because it is easier to match up the pattern repeat.
You will also want to leave a bit of excess wallpaper at the top and bottom of the wallpaper and cut your wallpaper strip about 6 inches longer than the height of the wall. This is because you want to ensure a nice straight edge.
To the naked eye, your ceiling might look level, but I guarantee it is not. Especially as your homes foundation settles over time. Nothing is ever square unfortunately.
One person should be working from the top and smoothing out the surface and removing all the air bubbles and applying the wallpaper like a big sticker to the wall, while the other person is working on lining up the patterns and ensuring that the wallpaper is being aligned correctly and is not crooked.
Each wallpaper strip should flow seamlessly with one another so you cannot see where the patterns start and stop.
You will want to slowly work your way all the way down to the bottom where the wallpaper meets your baseboard.
5. And Repeat!
Repeat the above steps until your entire wall is wallpapered. Then again, take your wallpaper smoother and take your time smoothing out every inch of the wallpaper.
6. Smooth it out!
Once all of the wallpaper strips are hung, take your wallpaper smoother tool and work out all the air bubbles and make sure it is sticking very good to the wall.
7. Cut off any excess wallpaper
You will really want to make sure the wallpaper is tightly up against the wall toward the bottom near the baseboard so you can easily cut off any excess wallpaper in a straight, clean line.
8. Enjoy your finished product!
Then VOILA! You have a beautifully hung wallpaper!
A MAJOR Tip! Try to avoid using peel and stick wallpaper in a bathroom
Bathrooms can be a little tricky when it comes to using a peel and stick application due to the moisture it brings. Peel and stick wallpaper is definitely possible to use in a powder bathroom or a bathroom that does not get much use, but I would highly avoid using a peel and stick wallpaper in a heavily trafficked bathroom or one that does not have any windows or ventilation.
This is because it can cause the wallpaper to loose it’s stickiness and bubble or peel off the wall you applied it too. It can also cause mold and mildew build-up. Eww!
Instead of a peel and stick wallpaper for a bathroom, I would choose a high grade vinyl wallpaper, especially if you plan to install it behind a bathroom vanity. This way if any water splashes up onto it, it is less likely to damage or grow mold. It is also very easy to clean.
