How To Apply Removable Wallpaper – ORC Week 4

How To Apply Removable Wallpaper! It is so easy to transform a wall with peel and stick wallpaper!

Hello, friends! This is week 4 of the One Room Challenge, and this week I’m sharing tips on how to apply removable wallpaper! I honestly never thought I’d be hanging wallpaper in our home. This is because our first fixer upper (that we bought over 8 years ago) had tons of old school wallpaper all over the house.

I spent hours upon hours trying to remove the layers of wallpaper and swore that I’d never deal with wallpaper again. Well, here I am almost 9 years later I am changing my tune! After seeing how wallpaper has evolved with peel and stick backing (so easy to remove!) and with beautiful modern prints and colors I just couldn’t resist trying it!

I am joining up with this Spring’s One Room Challenge as a guest participant! There are over 200 other bloggers participating as guests in the challenge, along with 20 featured designers. 2 years ago I transformed my daughter’s bedroom! It is the perfect place to find some serious interior inspiration!

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3 weeks ago I shared my plans for our guest bathroom with a mood board. I did tons of research on Pinterest while planning our bathroom remodels after we purchased our fixer upper.

See how I plan to give my bathroom a Modern Farmhouse Makeover! from A Heart Filled Home

I recently found some beautiful peel and stick wallpaper at Target for 70% off and couldn’t resist! This wallpaper has a modern farmhouse feel and I wanted to try is out to see how it looked as an accent wall. I figured that if I didn’t like it after applying one roll, then I could just remove it and use it in a different space. But it turns out that I love it!

Materials Needed

How To Apply Removable Wallpaper

Start with the top left corner, and start aligning it along the side of the wall. Using a level you can see if your wall is straight. If it is straight then it will be a good guide for where to place the strip of wallpaper, making sure that all the other strips will be even as well.
I left a bit of overhang on the top, so that I could focus on aligning the strip along the left side. Sometimes ceilings can be uneven, so the overlapped part that is on the ceiling can be easily trimmed off with a utility knife.
Only peel away 5-6 inches at a time, because the backing is very sticky and will stick to anything it touches! By peeling away a little at a time, you will avoid mistakes. Smooth it out gradually with either a credit card, squeegee, or your hand. I used my hand and it worked great!
When you get to the bottom you can overlap a little as well, and then cut it off with scissors. Then you will smooth the wallpaper over the baseboard, and use your utility knife to trim off the excess.
If you have to reposition the wallpaper due to bubbling or misalignment, pull on it gently to avoid stretching the paper. It does remove easily but if you remove it and re-position too many times it can start to stretch out.
If you are working around fixtures or windows, it can get a little challenging. I found that it was easier to apply the wallpaper down until it is touching the fixture (for me it was a towel ring), then pressing my fingernail down on the edge where it meets the wall, and creating a crease. That will mark where you will need to cut the paper. Then I cut it across that mark, and used that same method for the rest of the fixture where it met the wall. You can also use a measuring tape or ruler to measure out where you have windows or fixtures to work around, so that you know where you will need to make additional cuts. The utility knife will be your friend when working around window sills!
Be patient! It is so important to take your time and make sure that the strips are aligned properly. If your first strip is off, then each following strip will be too. So take your time and make sure that everything is straight and lined up properly. It will pay off in the end!

I was hesitant about applying removable wallpaper, but I have to say that I’m so very happy that I took the plunge! Wallpaper wasn’t in my original design plan for this modern farmhouse bathroom makeover, but I’m loving this spontaneous design decision! What do you think of this accent wall so far?