When I think of wallpaper I start having flashbacks the days of scraping and peeling a sticky mess off the walls of all the homes I lived in. Wallpaper can be daunting to remove, install, and honestly even shop for. If you do it correctly it can truly transform your room! Much like a paint color, once you have chosen a wallpaper you have a starting point that will impact the design choices for the rest of the space. Recently I have been using wallpaper in my designs and my first impressions of “modern” wallpaper choices are drastically different from 50 year old wallpaper we all hate. Each have there own pros and cons, so lets dive a little deeper into the options.
PEEL & STICK WALLPAPER
I used peel & stick wallpaper for the first time in our powder bath. I wanted to try my hand at a option my renter viewers could use as well. After scouring the internet I found TEMPAPER, a brand that pioneered a new way to decorate your space with peel-and-stick. Tempaper prides itself on providing a wallpaper that is easy to apply, removes cleanly, safe for bathrooms & high humidity areas.
I used the design “MOSAIC SCALLOP - MS579” Coming in at $98.00 per double roll (56.37 SQFT) it is one of the more affordable wallpaper types. I purchased the recommended squeegee through the Tempaper website and I have actually used this tool with other installs as well and I love it, highly recommend (linked at the bottom.) Tempaper has a great video guide and typed document to instruct you on how to install peel and stick paper.
PROS:
Overall this wallpaper is affordable and cleanly removes itself from the wall. My walls were painted with a semi-gloss paint finish, and when removing the wallpaper I had zero issues with it peeling off the paper or paint. That is a huge win for renters with this brand! Wallpaper is very wipeable and with a peel and stick backing easier to work with having only one person.
CONS:
My major drawback with this paper is the “give,” or the ability to stretch this paper. With typical paste paper you have the ability to manipulate the paper edges a bit to get everything to match up. Think of peel and stick as one massive sticker, there is no give. If your walls aren't perfectly even or maybe you just didn’t line something up perfectly square, there is no forgiveness in the wallpaper. I recommend peel and stick for renters, or areas that are very square (accent wall) unless you are very comfortable with wallpaper.
PREPASTED WALLPAPER
I used prepasted wallpaper in our dining room, prepasted means that the wallpaper already has adhesive applied to its back. This adhesive is dry non-activated glue that has been added to the back of the wallpaper to simplify the application process. The easiest example I’ve read was to think of prepasted wallpaper as an envelope. The glue is there on the back of the envelope, you just have to lick it or wet it to active the glue.
I purchased my wallpaper from Anthropologie in the design “MEADOWFIELD - Style #39245063” Coming in at $118.00 per roll (54 SQFT) The website Dimensions sections explains how much wallpaper you will need to order for the repeating pattern coverage. The roll will also arrive at your doorstep with instructions on how to activate the glue on the back of the paper.
PROS:
Not having to purchase any extras to install this wallpaper was very nice, I used the same tools I had for the peel and stick paper, plus water. The paper, once the glue is activated, is very easy to manipulate! This is fantastic because it means if you hang the paper just slightly “off” you can push the design into place and have it line back up. Also if you choose a busy print it is actually easier to hide mistakes. Larger prints or strips are the hardest in my experience.
CONS:
My biggest con with prepasted is the wait time, once you spray or roll water on the back of the wallpaper, fold it onto itself to active the glue, and give it time to become sticky you are wasting a lot of time just …waiting. The glue itself also makes the paper heavier, so installing with a one woman team becomes harder. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t break a sweat.
UNPASTED WALLPAPER
Anthropologie sells the crème de la crème of patterns, colors, and honestly even paper quality. You can only purchase Anthro designs online and they are rotated out frequently, so if you see something you like snag it up before it disappears. My most recent wallpaper splurge was design (RIFLE PAPER CO. PEACOCK - Style #58022096) Coming in at $128.00 per roll (60.75 SQFT) Unpasted is a traditional wallpaper format that has lasted throughout the years and timeless. Adhesive is required to install this paper and can be purchased at your local hardware store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc) or even purchased through Amazon for quick delivery.
PROS:
Being able to apply the adhesive to the wall instead of the paper is much easier to work with for the solo DIYer. The glue rolls onto the wall easily and holds the wallpaper just as well as prepasted. This was the best quality wallpaper I have ever used in my life, granted the price for the paper was shocking honestly. After working with such a gorgeous product, I can understand why.
CONS:
You do have to purchase adhesive paste on top of the price of the wallpaper. I used a paint tray and rollers to apply the adhesive to the wall before applying the wallpaper.
The wallpaper from your past is no longer the wallpaper of today! Whatever your taste is, wherever you live, there’s an option for you out there!
CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE FOR LINKS TO ALL PRODUCTS!