My Experience with Peel and Stick Wallpaper + Tips and Tricks

Well I did it! After living with white walls for a little over a year, I decided to add some color back into our lives. Actually a lot of color. Bright green herringbone wallpaper to be more precise. To achieve this I used the temporary hair dye of the design world: inexpensive peel and stick wallpaper from Amazon. It’s a fun way to spruce up your home without making a long-term commitment. This was my first time installing wallpaper, and overall I had a positive experience. I wanted to share what I learned along the way in case anyone else wants to foray with peel and stick wallpaper and go bold.

But first the “before”:

Remember when I painted the entire downstairs white? I still love the crisp, clean look of white walls but I needed a pop of color.

And pop it does!

The bright green and chevron pattern is so cheery and brings a smile to my face every time I pass by. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Wallpaper Inspiration

Truth be told, I have had wallpaper on the brain for a couple of years now. One of my favorite Instagram accounts is Blakely Interior Design. The mantra of the company is to “live vibrantly,” and the company’s designs live up to that aesthetic. They are bright and colorful. A lot of neutrals mixed with bold pinks, greens and blues. Several months ago, they posted an entryway table with a fun green wallpaper by Quadrille Fabrics (see the completed project on Blakely Interior Design’s website here). I immediately fell in love. I knew I wanted to wallpaper a little bit of our house, but I had to wait for the wallpaper stars to align with my DIY budget.

Wallpaper Reality

I don’t know if you’ve looked into wallpaper recently, but it’s not like the 80s and 90s. All of the good stuff is $100 – $500 (and up) per roll. And that doesn’t include install cost (because if you are spending $1000+ on wallpaper for a room you want to hire someone who can do it right). Definitely out of reach for me.

Amazon and other big box stores have us covered, though. As an alternative to the swoon-worthy wallpaper for the Architectural Digest crowd, peel and stick wallpaper has come a long way in style and price. I will admit that at first I was dubious about ordering cheap wallpaper from Amazon, but after perusing patterns and reviews online I decided to pull the trigger.

My peel and stick wallpaper

I ended up purchasing this green peel and stick wallpaper (Amazon link):

My wallpaper arrived in a bundle of pretty little rolls–admittedly not unlike the shelf liners you also find at big box stores.

But when I put it up on the wall, I was really happy with the results.

The Pros –

I loved that I could unpeel the wallpaper from the wall if I didn’t get it lined up correctly on the first try. I also love that the material is vinyl and wipeable and less likely to stain than traditional paper wallpaper. The best part was that I completed the entire install by myself in one night. This particular peel and stick wallpaper is a good pattern for beginners because it is easy to match up the vertical lines.

And the price! I ordered two extra rolls and ended up returning the one roll that I didn’t use (mistakes do happen). The total cost of my project was under $100, which is expensive compared to paint but a lot less expensive than the real stuff would have been.

The Cons –

As cute as it looks, the peel and stick wallpaper is not without its faults. There are a few areas on the wall in which the wallpaper is rolling up from the bottom.

This could be the result of me not cleaning the wall well enough before installing the wallpaper. Because I overlapped the wallpaper when I installed it, I went ahead and super-glued the offending piece on top of the piece next to it without having to glue the paper to the wall. So far it has held up pretty well.

The other negative is that the peel and stick wallpaper is fairly thin and tears easily. The install proved to be tricky in the corners because the wallpaper would tear when I pressed on it if I didn’t fit it into the corner snugly. However, I went over some of the more obvious tears with a green sharpie and can’t see the imperfections at all.

Installation Tips

If you want to take the peel and stick wallpaper plunge, I have set forth my approach to applying the wallpaper below along with a few tips and tricks I learned along the way. Keep in mind, however, that I am not a professional wallpaper installer and this was my first time installing peel and stick wallpaper. But I wanted to share what worked for me because the final result turned out great.

TOOLS

I used my favorite rotary cutting mat (Amazon link here to similar mat), an acrylic cutting ruler (Amazon link here), a utility knife, a level, a pencil, scissors, and a ladder. I was only installing the paper on the top half of the wall because I had previously installed board and batten on the bottom half. Accordingly, I measured the distance between the ceiling and the top of the board and batten and added four inches to the wallpaper for play.

Luckily this wallpaper has lines on the back so you can get a straight cut. I flipped the wallpaper upside down on my mat and slid it along in 20 in increments until I got the length I needed. I then used the utility knife to cut it along the edge of the acrylic ruler. The clear ruler is also really helpful to make sure your cut is straight if you aren’t cutting along the preprinted lines.

APPLYING THE FIRST PIECE

I took a left-to-right approach and started at the left-most corner of the room. For the placement of the first sheet, you want to make sure the vertical line down the wall is straight. I used the level and pencil and drew a vertical line slightly right of where the wallpaper would end. Then I used that line as a guide to make sure the wallpaper was straight on the wall. After that, installation of the next pieces go a lot faster because the pattern of the wallpaper allows the other pieces to line up along that first vertical line.

It’s good to check with a level as you proceed, though, to make sure you aren’t too off. Mine wasn’t completely perfect, but it turned out ok in the end.

APPLYING THE PEEL AND STICK WALLPAPER SHEETS

I applied the first sheet of wallpaper by peeling back about 5 inches of the backing along the entire width. Then I lined that up with the ceiling and my penciled vertical line. I pressed the five-inch length onto the wall by hand and then slowly unrolled the rest of the backing, gently pressing the wallpaper against the wall and smoothing out any air pockets.

For the subsequent sheets, simply match up the chevron pattern and the vertical line at the ceiling and repeat the above application process (smoothing it out by hand).

Don’t worry if there is a lot of excess paper at the ceiling line and base line because you can trim that later using the utility knife and a straight-edge. I used my acrylic rule as a straight edge, but a putty trowel/knife would work too.

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PRESSING THE WALLPAPER ONTO THE WALL

After reading several reviews, I did not use a tool to press the wallpaper onto the wall. I used my hand to smooth it out and did not have any issues with the wallpaper tearing (other than the corner issue mentioned above).

WORKING THE WALLPAPER AROUND RECEPTACLES

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I cut around the switch receptacles as I went. I removed the switch plates and proceeded as if nothing was in the way and then used a utility knife to cut around the hole. Then I pulled the wallpaper away from the receptacle and trimmed out the hole with scissors.

NOTE: To do this “cut-as-you-go” approach, it is imperative that you turn off power at the breaker before handling metal tools around the receptacles (light switches or plugs). If you don’t want to do this step, premeasure where the holes will go and cut out the holes away from the receptacles.

APPLYING THE PEEL AND STICK WALLPAPER TO CORNERS

For the corners, work your way toward the corner by smoothing the wallpaper out from left to right until you reach the corner. Ideally, someone would hold the other side of the wallpaper away from the corner while you do this. Then press the left side of the wallpaper into the corner and fit the right side in snugly. As I mentioned, my approach to this was not fool-proof because Mr. L was away on a business trip, and I didn’t have a second set of hands. Looking back, the above approach would have been ideal. If anyone knows of a better way to wallpaper corners, I’d love to know what it is.

Final Thoughts

So far we’ve had the wallpaper up for about three months and, aside from the peeling in two places, haven’t had any major issues with it. I’m hoping it weathers well because I absolutely love how cheery it makes the entryway feel. It also goes well with my new chinoiserie vases.

In any event, even if it doesn’t last, it’s like that temporary hair dye: A good visual confirmation for determining that I may want to save for that particular wallpaper that I love if I ever decide to go permanent.

Sources

Wallpaper (Amazon link here)

Mirror (Hobby Lobby)

Light fixture (Wayfair link here)

Entryway table (makeover of IKEA Rekarne sofa table using gel stain)

Blue and white vases (Home Goods finds, but I love this one from Amazon)

White pot (Home Goods find)

Wall hook (Kirklands)

Bench (antique)