What I learned from my wallpaper adventures and my tips for transforming a space with wallpaper.
Last year we bought a 40 year old home and inherited a lot of 40 year old wallpaper in the process (wohoo). I have spent the year stripping and sanding walls…. only to replace some with new wallpaper again. I love wallpaper!!! It is such an easy way to get a completely new look (almost) overnight.
Whatever your style is, there is a wallpaper for you. You can use different wallpaper styles and achieve completely different looks. Here is what I learned about transforming a space with wallpaper:
Less is more.
The more wallpaper, the higher the impact. Four walls can be pretty intense, depending on the design you pick. You might want to consider doing a feature wall and have the other walls in the room be neutral. Since our home is mostly white, adding black and white wallpaper was a fun graphic element. You could also add a chair rail or wainscoting and only wallpaper above it. This will help calm the room down, give a hint of classic style but also make the wallpaper really pop. Which wallpaper design you choose is completely up to you personal style and preference. Wallpaper styles range from traditional to modern.
Wallpaper can be expensive.
Once I had fallen in love with a particular wallpaper design for the dining room wallpaper we did the math and it was a very expensive. Mostly because the room is very large. Ordering the correct amount is kind of a balancing act. While you never want to run out of wallpaper, a lot of overage really adds to the cost of the project. Carefully measure out your surface area so you know how much you need. You are bound to have some mishaps so make sure to order extra. Check the return policy for unused rolls. Not everyone accepts them at full price. Also, make sure to really shop around because wallpaper prices really vary. Mine range from $15 per roll to $100 per roll. Limiting the area you will cover will help you keep your budget low. Sometimes transforming a space with wallpaper only requires two or three rolls.
It’s not that hard.
If you are somewhat handy and don’t skip the prep work, hanging the wallpaper is not that complicated. You want to make sure that you get a really accurate measurement for how long each piece needs to be and then you repeat the same process over and over, really making sure that you get the design lined up exactly and that the glue holds the paper nice and flush against the wall. Some wallpaper designs are more forgiving if you pattern did not line up perfectly, while others that are more graphic will show more. Some wallpapers have adhesive on the back and you just need to make them slightly wet, while others require you to purchase glue and add. While the panel is wet you can take it down and rehang. Work with brushes and scrapes to get all the bubbles out.
Start with a small project and once you have the hang of it wallpapering becomes a lot easier and you can do a larger area.
So go for it, try a cool wallpaper design and change your life! I mean walls.