Hey y’all, don’t you think it is time to catch up on the details of the powder room makeover that got forgotten amidst all the holiday frenzy?
Even though I had never tried it before wallpapering was one project that had slowly made its way up my “Want to Do” list. However after hearing many horror stories about it online I got scared and needed some sorta push to actually try it. That push came in the form of Wallpaper Direct! When the kind folks at Wallpaper Direct asked me to review one of their wallpapers I took it as a sign from above and dived right in. Out of the vast selection they had this beautiful vintage style newspaper wallpaper fit the bill perfectly. Did you know they make all the “how many rolls do you need” calculations very simple? All you have to do is enter the room’s measurement in the calculator tool on their website and it tells you the number of rolls you need! Frankly I wasn’t sure if that would work but to my surprise the 4 rolls that I had ordered were more than enough. I even have some extra for a small project.
First up this is the newer “paste on the wall” type of wallpaper. i.e. You roll the wallpaper paste onto the wall with a roller just like you would with paint and glue the paper onto the wall. For the older versions you would lay the wallpaper strip on a large table, roll the glue onto the back of the paper, then try to move the paper (glue n all), and glue to the wall. As you can see, it is a whole lot easier with the “paste on the wall” kind.
Supplies
Wallpaper Clean paint tray liner Paint tray Fresh paint roller Wallpaper cutting knife -I used both a box cutter and an Exacto knife, was not happy with the results. Would recommend going with the real thing. Putty knife – This was my smoothening tool. You could also use a soft brush. Wallpaper paste -$20 at Home Depot. Didn’t even use a third of it but that is the only size it comes in apart from tubes.
The instructions and the Tips & Tricks video on the Wallpaper Direct website were pretty clear and simple. I also found this video helpful when it came to working with corners. The only thing to remember about wallpaper is that for every strip after the first one, lay the strip against the wall, match the design exactly, allow for some allowance on the top & bottom,and only then cut your piece.
To cut the paper, I laid it flat on the floor in the hallway. That way I could measure and cut accurately.
The tricky parts were of course working around the electrical outlets and fittings.
Sometimes I got lazy and cheated. Still no harm done, the wallpaper is very flexible. That said for best results you should remove all the hardware and outlet covers.
As it usually happens with me, I made a huge fess up thanks to another instance where I tried to cheat. I could’t pull out the picture hanger so worked around it. In my defense at that time I had no plans of a gallery wall, all I wanted to do was hang the original art back in there. So, smart ass Vidya did this and that too right at the eye level on the wall you see as you enter!
But remember, I was working with a very pliable and user friendly wallpaper…. not all hope was lost. I scoured the Ramsay Paints rectangle with an Exacto knife. The top layer peeled off right away. All that was left was the bottom layer and glue. I wet a rag with warm water and gently rubbed on the remnants in a circular motion. Soon enough the second layer and the glue peeled away and I was left with this.
I cut the exact same rectangle out of my extra paper and glued it back. Seamless! Can you spot the piece in this ‘After’ picture?
That’s where the rhino’s hanging!
All said and done, we LOVE the wallpaper and our new powder room. To think that it was one of the easiest projects that I’ve done, even better than painting (though it took a little longer, 6 hrs over a period of 2 days)!
Thank you Wallpaper Direct for the opportunity!
Anyone else wallpapering or plan on wallpapering any rooms?
Disclaimer: Wall paper Direct sent me the paper to review, free of charge. The views and opinions in the post are solely mine.
Beautiful! I have always wanted to use wall paper but it looks like a very challenging project. I laughed at your blunder, it looks like something I would do too!
Thanks Jhanis. Actually it was pretty easy to do. I wasn’t expecting that at all. I think the key is to get the “paste on the wall type”.
Vidya
I’ve always been scared of wallpaper – but I’m just going to have to try it! This looks great 😀
Thanks Jesse. You should it was very easy. The only catch is it can get expensive if you are doing a large room.
V
What a fun idea, give people some nice vintage newspaper bathroom reading!
LOL Britni, that’s exactly what my daughter said. “Mommy, I don’t have to take books into the bathroom anymore, I can just read off the walls!”
🙂
It looks awesome!! What a fun print!
Thank for dropping by Jenny!
V
I love the vintage look, it turned out nice.
Thanks April!
That wallpaper choice is so cool! Love the look of this room!
Thank you Donna. Every time I go in that room, I have to spend 5 minutes just admiring the wallpaper. 🙂
V
Great post and I love the wall paper you choice.
Thanks Marlys.
Wow! I wouldnt be able to pull this off even though im itching to try !
Aww…Madhu. Give it a try, you can do it. Keep me posted.
V
That wallpaper is amazing! What a great job, Vidya. Wallpapering is something I’ve yet to tackle and while it looks kind of tricky, the outcome is beautiful!
Thank U Gwen! The only tricky part is to make sure that you match up the pattern and only then cut. The other way doesn’t work.
V
I love the wallpaper you chose…it’s both sophisticated and whimsical. And I love how you accessorized the walls too. Great job!
Thanks Sharon. Love your blog!
Vidya
good selection of the wallpaper . it looks like pretty easy than i thought !
Yes, Rakhi. It was really easy. I’d say less stressful than even painting!
V
I love the wallpaper you chose! 🙂
– Brooke –
Thank U!
Looks great! I love the wallpaper! Pinning!
Thank you!
Nice! I don’t have a single wallpapered wall but, love wallpaper. Dropping in from DBB hope your having a great week!
It looks so good! You make it sound easy. 🙂 (Oh how I HOPE it is!)
Trust me, it is easy Kelly. You will LOVE it.
Vidya