This post is sponsored by Tempaper but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Our new home has so many spaces that I still need to put my stamp on, especially those with the dated wallpaper. I admit the bathroom off my daughter’s room was not on the top of the list until I received an offer from Tempaper to give their removable wallpaper a try. I have used removable wallpaper before but never to paper an entire room so I was a little nervous to try. What I was most excited about was not having to remove the old wallpaper. After browsing their selections I settled on the BOBBY BERK , SPATTER Black On White shown in my design plan above. I figured this random print would save on waste since you don’t have to match up the pattern, it is non directional, and much more forgiving for this novice.
Here is my lovely before picture, not the worst wallpaper but not the best either and certainly not what my sixteen-year-old daughter would have picked. So off we go on a bolder modern look, let’s get started and see how it goes.
I am papering over existing wallpaper so I started with a pretty smooth finish that I wiped down with a damp cloth. For easy removal later down the road it is recommended to go over a smooth surface (it is not recommended to use over flat paint). I am not too worried if the wallpaper comes off with the Tempaper when I take it down since that would be my ultimate goal but if you are in rental you may want to consider that before applying removable wallpaper over existing wallpaper.
I’ll start with a disclaimer that I am in no way an expert on hanging wallpaper. This is a tutorial of what worked best for me but if you have any pointers feel free to share, I’m always open to a better way.
I started my first strip along the side of the door frame since it was a nice straight line and then worked my way around. If you don’t have a good straight line to start you could use a level to draw a starting line.
To begin lay the roll on the floor and then pull the end all the way to the ceiling and just a few inches beyond.
Now cut the piece you have pulled just above the roll. This will give you a few extra inches on either end. Can you see why I chose this pattern now? No matching no waste.
To apply peel back the backing paper just the first 12″ or so from the top. Then match the edge up against your starting line or, if you’re moving around the room, the previous strip of paper overlapping about 1/4″ or so. Once aligned you can adhere the top 12″ to the wall smoothing it out with your hand and then pressing out any air bubbles with a rubber squeegee or if you are cheap like me an old store club card.
Once you have the first bit attached and straight you can start working your way down the strip
peeling the backing paper back a little as you go. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT remove all the backing paper at once. The Tempaper will stick to everything in sight, especially the toilet, the sink, or anything smooth. I’m sure you can guess how I know this so learn from my mistakes my friend.
I found the best method for smoothing the Tempaper down was to squeegee straight down the middle,
then fan out to the left and right paying special attention to any spots where you may see an air bubble. You can lift the paper off the wall again if you can’t get a smooth adhesion but be careful not to pull too hard on the exposed edges because the paper is plastic-based (similar to contact paper) and it can stretch.
If for some reason you have any small air bubbles you can’t smooth out don’t worry, you can puncture them with the point of an Exacto knife or pin
and use your card to smooth it out.
Now with the sheet all smoothed out use your knife to cut the excess at the top and bottom.
The bottom seemed to cut pretty smoothly along the baseboard but I found getting a straight edge at the top worked best when cutting against my large drywall taping knife or a metal ruler.
Well? What do you think? Not bad for a first go.
Let remember… Before!
and After!
I kind of love it and once I got past the learning the whole room only took a few hours. Now I’m ready to paint the vanity and get her styled!
oooh i love that paper! such a fun pattern!
I love this! I’m dying to try removable/temporary wallpaper, but my husband won’t get on board. He’s afraid it will come off like a regular wallpaper and ruin the walls. Can’t quite convince him that it shouldn’t do that.
I used it at my old house on painted walls and it came off the wall no problem. I’ll update you guys if I ever take this down.
That would be great! Thanks!
Love the wallpaper! It’s so fun!
Interesting. I have been curious about this product for a while now. We have learned a few things by trial and error over nearly 28 years together doing DIY including wallpaper, so since you asked, I will offer you a couple of tips in addition to your good ones. Use a plumb-bob to get a straight line (it’s a gizmo that chalks a string with a weight on it). We found out the hard way that door frames etc. are often not straight! Also, you need to check your wall almost every time you hang a new piece. Your cute pattern is very forgiving, but some are not — and you probably can guess how that turned out before I discovered that plumb-bob thing. The other thing I was going to suggest is a little plastic paddle with one end wider than the other which I found somewhere years ago. It is about 8″ wide and has a straight edge which can double as your guide for cutting. It will smooth out your paper much faster than that credit card! It only cost a couple of dollars way back when, but it couldn’t be much more than that now, assuming you could find one. I actually think I bought it in a store that sold paint and wallpaper when I lived in Texas. You will have to let us know how this paper holds up. BTW, we also discovered a couple of ways to change a tile floor till we could replace it if you are interested!
I always enjoy your blog and your projects.
Love it! Wish I had chosen something like that!
Super forgiving pattern, I’m so glad I picked it!
Good job Maggie! I love that you are so on board about trying new things!