How To Install Peel And Stick Wallpaper

Wallpaper is back and I think it is here to stay for a while. It adds a lot of personality to any room, and I am happy that there are so many good peel and stick options. The best part about this is that there is no need to use messy paste, and if you make a mistake, you can just peel it off and start over. With the right preparation and tools, peel and stick wallpaper is easy to hang. Follow these steps to achieve a finished look. All you need is a little patience, some time, and clean walls.

SELECTING YOUR WALLPAPER

This peel and stick wallpaper was gifted to us for Maeve’s room and we love it. This company is different from others I have found, because you can customize a pattern you like to whatever color fits best in your space. They will also send you samples in different colors.

We also have this peel and stick wallpaper on a small wall in Marley’s room and we used the same method.

HOW TO HANG PEEL AND STICK WALLPAPER

SUPPLIES NEEDED

There is a short list of items that you will need, in addition to your wallpaper, to install it. Here are things to have on hand:

Wallpaper smoother - The peel and stick wallpaper we got from Love Vs. Design came with a great tool to smooth the wallpaper along the wall, but if you need a tool, a credit card works great.

Step ladder (or a kitchen chair)

Pencil

DIRECTIONS

Prep your walls

First, you will want to first wipe down your walls with a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water to clean the surface.
You will also need to move furniture out of the way and remove outlet covers

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Make a guide for the first piece

First thing is first - do not use the corner as a guide for making the paper level! It is important that the first piece of wallpaper be straight on the vertical edge. Otherwise, the pattern will run slightly off as you continue around the room and by the last piece, it might not match up at all.
To ensure that the first piece was level, I measured out from the corner slightly less than the width of the wallpaper roll. Then I drew a pencil line along a level right on the wall. With the line drawn, I lined up the edge of the first section of wallpaper along the vertical line, slowly peeling away the backing. Any excess wallpaper in the corner can be cut off with a utility knife.

Apply the wallpaper

Once you have lined up and applied your first piece, you just repeat the process around the room, making sure to carefully line up the pattern along each edge as you go. Peel and stick wallpaper is very forgiving because it is basically a giant, repositionable sticker. You can easily peel it off and try again if the first attempt doesn’t turn out perfect.
The key to creating an invisible seam is to spend time getting the pattern to match at the top of each strip. With each new strip that you hang, start by pulling the backing away just a little bit at a time instead of removing a ton of the backing at once.
The only tricky part is work around corners, windows and doors. This is where your scissors come into play. You can use the scissors to cut away large sections where the windows and doors are as you are applying and peeling the backing off. To do this, make gradual cuts to get close to the edges of the windows and doors. This will make it easy to press the wallpaper along the edges of the molding. You can then go back and use the utility knife to cut away any overhang.
Make sure to trim away any excess wallpaper at the ceiling and baseboard with a utility knife.

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Work around outlets and switches

Once you get to an outlet or switch, you can leave the paper backing on that section and lay it over the outlet. Use a pencil to trace the outline of the outlet on top of the paper, and then cut the outline with scissors or a utility knife.

Check for bubbles and wrinkles

Go back and check for bubbles and wrinkles and use the wallpaper smoother or credit card over these spots. And if there are any spots you can’t fix, don’t sweat it - I promise nobody is looking that close.