If you’re interested in freshening up your home, I’m sharing how to install peel and stick wallpaper, including best tips for avoiding creases!
Spend any amount of time in my home, and you will quickly realize I am a big fan of wallpaper. I’ve only ever owned one house, so peel and stick wallpaper is usually my go-to. Admittedly, the first time I used it, I was nervous about how to hang it. Would it show a lot of creases? Would the designs match up? If you’ve been curious about how to hang peel and stick wallpaper, today’s post is for you.
How To Install Peel And Stick Wallpaper
I’ve used several different brands of peel and stick wallpaper, but my favorite is Photowall. I’ll tell you why: they take care of making sure your designs match up without having to trim.
One of the trickiest parts of peel and stick wallpaper is making sure any repeating designs (leaves, florals, geometric patterns, etc.) align panel to panel. This isn’t a huge deal if you’re wallpapering a small area, but on bigger walls this is an enormous hurdle, so it’s an important factor to consider when ordering.
For example, this tropical plant print was not pre-measured and pre-cut into strips, so it required quite a bit of extra work! Admittedly though, it was gorgeous and worth every moment so if you find a print you love that requires some measuring and cutting on your own, don’t despair.
How To Hang Peel And Stick Wallpaper
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If you are not ordering from a company that pre-cuts your strips to align with exact wall measurements, my biggest tip is ordering more peel and stick wallpaper than you think you’ll need.
My next biggest tip is doing all the necessary trimming prior to applying it to your wall in order for the designs to match up. This will save you a lot of stress and headache, because though there is some wiggle room with affixing the wallpaper (it functions like a sticker), there is an expiration on how many times you can lift and re-align before it begins to lift. More on that later!
Peel Stick Wallpaper
If you’re installing peel and stick wallpaper that is pre-measured and pre-cut, start here. First, make sure the wall you are hanging on is dry and clean. I use a damp paper towel to do a quick once over before beginning. This is just to be sure there is no lingering dust, and definitely no cobwebs in corners.
Next, figure out if your peel and stick wallpaper is using a rubber cement style paste or if it’s truly a sticker. I’ve used both! I will say I prefer the rubber cement style paste, which functions exactly as normal wallpaper paste, but is not permanent.
If you are using an adhesive, be sure to apply the adhesive to the wall, not your paper, so that you aren’t wetting the paper too much. Work in strips and start at the top of the wall, making sure to smooth the surface as you go down. I like to use a long wallpaper brush for initial smoothing and flat edge for final smoothing. I work left to right.
The first strip of wallpaper is the most important. It needs to be aligned to the top and bottom of your wall, as well as straight, because it will set the alignment for the rest of the wall.
When your first strip is in place and aligned to your specifications, it’s time to trim off any excess. I line up my paper from the top to make sure I have enough, then just trim any excess off the bottom using a box cutter, or razor blade.
The next steps are a repeat of the first strip, just making special care to align every edge so the print matches up correctly.
Peel And Stick Wallpaper Tips
The best part about the paste adhesive is that it does not dry right away, so you have some time to make adjustments if there are air bubbles or you get a crease. This is why using the brush I mentioned above is important. When you have everything in place, use the flat edge to smooth. If you use the flat edge before you get all the air bubbles out, you’ll create creases in the paper that cannot be removed.
If your wallpaper is more like a sticker, with a backing that peels off, it’s even more important to smooth edges, but particularly as you work your way down the wall. It’s a little less forgiving, in my experience, and easier to make an accidental crease in your paper. As far as alignment and trimming, it’s the same as the adhesive backing. Work top to bottom, and left to right, and trim at the END.
I hope you found this post helpful and let me know if you have any specific wallpapering questions. I’m a tiny bit obsessed 😉
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