How to Hang Removable Wallpaper
Hi y’all! If you missed it, I just shared our under the stairs storage closet reveal. It was such an easy project that made such a dramatic transformation! One of the biggest parts of the transformation was adding removable wallpaper to the space. So today, I’m going to share how to hang removable wallpaper.
- Active Time: 1 hour (dependent on size of your space)
- Total Time: 1 hour (there’s not really any downtime in this project)
- Cost: I spent $110 for 3 rolls of wallpaper and the application tool
- Power Tools Needed: Nope!
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Help Needed?: Nope! I did this solo while 8 months pregnant
Picking the Right Space for My First Attempt
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at removable wallpaper for a while now, but I couldn’t decide on the right first project. I wanted it to be a place where the wallpaper would make a big difference in the space. But, I also wanted it to be a place I could easily hide any flaws, since it would be my first timing hanging it.
The under the stairs closet seemed like the perfect place. It was a small space that needed a little pop to make it more fun. But, it was also going to be filled with shelves and things on said shelves, so any flaws would be hidden!
There were definitely a few tricks I learned during this quick project, so I’ll be sharing all of them during this step by step guide on how to hang removable wallpaper.
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Supplies Needed
- Removable Wallpaper (Make sure to buy at least an extra roll. You can easily return what you don’t need, but you don’t want to run out mid-project)
- Wallpaper Application Tool
- Straight Razor
- Laser Level
- Step Stool
Step 1: Buy Your RemovableWallpaper
A few tips for buying your wallpaper before getting started:
Make sure you measure your wall space and calculate how much wallpaper you need. For me this was a hard step because my wall has an angled to it. So, it involved a little high school math, which took way longer than it probably should have (area under a triangle, anyone?).
And, once you know how much you need, add at least 1 roll to your order. If you’re doing a whole room, I’d probably add 2-3 rolls. By the math, my project only needed 2 rolls. But, in order to get the pattern to line up correctly, I needed to use the 3rd roll. You don’t want to get stuck in the middle of the project without the wallpaper you need to finish it.
Ok, that’s really it! Time to dive in to learning how to hang removable wallpaper!
Step 2: Prep Your Space
Ok, before you get all wallpaper happy and peel the backing off, let’s prep your space before.
For me, that meant removing old shelving and patching the holes left by said shelving.
For you, that may just mean, wiping down your walls with a dust rag.
You are essentially putting contact paper on the wall, so the walls need to be clean and without any major defects.
Other than that, I set up my step ladder, and I also made sure to set up an extra light source so I could see better (since I was working in a closet).
Step 3: Hang Your First Piece of Wallpaper
Ok, now you’re actually ready to get started! This first piece took me the longest (like almost double the other pieces), so don’t get too discouraged in the beginning.
Starting Your First Piece
To get a clean finish, you want to make sure your wallpaper overlaps any edges. So, for the first piece, I had wallpaper overlapping the top of the wall, the corner, and the bottom.
So, line up your first piece so it overlaps the corner and top by at least an inch, and unroll the wallpaper. I just let it fall to the floor.
Then peel off the backing for about a foot of the roll, and stick it to the wall. Get it as straight as you can. Now, pause before you worry about wrinkles or sticking any more wallpaper on.
Making Sure Your Wallpaper is Level
It’s super important to make sure your first piece of wallpaper is level, or straight. You’re going to be basing all your other pieces off of that.
So, before you peel off too much of the backing of your wallpaper, you want to mark your level line.
A laser level is hugely helpful in this. I pinned my Ryobi laser level to the wall at the end of the first piece. Once I had my level line, I used a pencil to mark that line a few inches at a time, all the way to the ground.
Next, I made sure the rest of that first piece of wallpaper lined up with the level line. And, when it didn’t, I adjusted the piece I already stuck until it did.
Smoothing Out the Wrinkles
Once everything was straight and level, I unpeeled more wallpaper until I had about a 2-3 foot section to work wit and stuck it to the wall, while making sure it stayed level.
Then I picked up my wallpaper smoothing tool. Yes, you can just use a credit card, but it’s so much easier to buy this $2 tool that is bigger and easier to handle than a credit card.
Using the wallpaper smoother, I pressed out the wrinkles. I found it worked best to smooth them out in a diagonal direction. And, if the wrinkle was super big, sometimes it’s easier to unpeel the paper from the bottom and restick it while smoothing it.
Trim the Excess
Repeat this until you get all the way to the bottom of the wall. Cut the wallpaper with scissors or your utility knife about an inch below where the wallpaper will end. Once you’ve unpeeled and smoothed the wallpaper to the end of the wall, use your straight blade to cut the end of the wall.
You also need to use your straight blade to trim the upper portion of the wall, and the corner portion.
Ok. Phew. That’s a lot of steps. But, now you’ve got your first piece up! And, I promise, that was by far the hardest step for me.
Step 4: Repeat Step 3 Until Done
Ok, let’s dive into the other pieces. The only part of the subsequent pieces, that is different than the first, is making sure the pattern lines up. For me, that meant overlapping the pieces by about 1.5 inches.
After making sure the pattern lined up, I followed the same steps as the first piece (getting the piece started a little on the wall, marking the level line, smoothing out the wrinkles, repeat til the end, trimming excess).
What if My Wall Isn’t Straight?
This was my biggest struggle in figuring out how to hang removable wallpaper. My brand new house with brand new walls has walls that bow out. So, no matter how hard I tried, I struggled to get my pieces level.
Because of that, I had some wrinkles I couldn’t smooth all the wrinkles out.Now, I was ok with that because most of the wrinkles are covered by shelving.
If you can’t cover up your mistakes, there’s a few tips I would try. First, you can cut the area where your wrinkles are using a tiny blade or a needle. Then you can smooth out the air trapped behind the wrinkle/bubble. You may still see a little bit of a wrinkle, but it won’t be nearly as bad.
And, second, you may want to try to use a less complex pattern than I did. That way when there are wrinkles and bubbles you have a hard time smoothing out, they won’t be as obvious
Final Result
Once you get all your pieces up, you’re done! Here’s what my final project looked like!
What do you think?! It takes a little bit of thought and effort, but I feel like you quickly become a pro at how to hang removable wallpaper.
I think hanging removable wall paper is a great way (and easy DIY) to add some character to any space!
Now, the question is, where do I add it next?
Have Questions? Looking for Home Decor Tips?
Check out our posts on The Under the Stairs Closet Reveal, How to Add Beadboard to Your Space, and How to Install Board and Batten Without Removing Your Baseboards!
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