Making improvements to their house is one of the most productive and fulfilling activities a homeowner could undertake. This is especially true if you have plenty of spare time on your hands or are ensuring that you stay home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. No wonder why many people have been measuring for their custom curtains and painting homes to make for a quick refreshing revamp.
Whether or not you’re an expert at such restyling adventures, there are projects you can take on that can help ease your boredom, get your creative juices flowing, and take your mind off the health crisis.
Not sure where or how to begin? This article offers 10 mind-blowing hacks for using wallpaper, including some interior design ideas you have probably never thought of.
5 Secrets of Easy Wallpaper Installation and Removal
Wallpapers are considered an affordable alternative to paint. They also come in more colors, designs, and even textures to match just about any interior design.
Before you go ahead and contact your trusted local wallpaper supplier, you must first learn how to install and remove wallpaper on your own. Lucky for you, these five secrets can make these tasks a whole lot easier:
Undo the roll
Before installing the wallpaper, unroll, re-roll in the opposite direction, and hang it for a few days first. This will make it easier to paste the wallpaper evenly.
Use paint rollers for consistent paste application.
Instead of using a sponge, opt for a paint roller when applying the paste to your wall for a more even spread. This will help you avoid putting too much paste or missing some areas when installing wallpaper.
Once it is installed, you can smooth out the wallpaper using a clean and dry paint roller. This will help you cover more areas with every stroke you make.
Rip, don’t cut
During installation, the wallpaper may sometimes need fixing in small areas. To deal with this, rip off the replacement using your hand instead of cutting it with scissors. The ragged edge you get from ripping blends better than the straight edge of a cut piece.
Score the wallpaper before removing it.
When removing wallpaper, score it first with a utility knife. Then, dab on an equal mixture of water and liquid fabric softener, and let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will ensure that your wallpaper will peel right off.
Loosen the glue with hot air.
Loosening glue by blowing hot air onto the wallpaper is another nifty trick in wallpaper removal. When doing this trick, you can choose between a hairdryer or a hot air blower gun.
5 New Ways to Use Wallpaper
Aside from finding out how to make removal and installation easier, you should also figure out when and where you can use wallpaper. Besides the walls, wallpaper can also adorn other parts of your home’s interior. In fact, you can use scraps from the previous wallpaper installation to enhance your furniture and decor.
Not sure how? Here are 10 lesser-known ways you can use wallpaper in your home:
Bookshelf background
Regardless of a room’s size, decorating its bookshelves with wallpaper is a great way to enhance its beauty. Some expert designers consider the aesthetic of the bookshelf to discern what color, form, or style of wallpaper to use. The bottom line is to give the space an “off the shelf” look.
If you choose not to use the same print as you have on the walls, you must make sure that the wallpaper pattern complements the hue of the shelf or the overall color scheme in the space where it is located. This means that if you have patterned walls—be it wallpaper or paint—you must use a solid color for your bookshelf and vice versa.
Here’s a good example:
If you have quite a plain living room or bedroom and you adore the look of reclaimed wood, you can use wood-pattered wallpaper to bring the area to life.
The best part is that you won’t have to go through the hassle of making your own furniture with chopped-up pallets and old boards. Simply line bookcases with wallpaper, and voila! You now have an elegant update to your bookshelf, and you didn’t have to get your hands too dirty.
Inset doors
Tired of your boring doors? Why not try and spice them up a bit with patterned or textured wallpapers?
You can do this via two methods, depending on the type of door you have:
- If you have a plain and uncarved door, you can cover the entire thing with the wallpaper of your choice.
- If your door is carved in some way, work within the space and inset the wallpaper you chose for the project. Make sure that the grooves are still visible by cutting off the wallpaper piece by piece for every portion of the door divided by carving.
When doing this hack, make sure that the wallpaper design you choose doesn’t clash with the rest of your interior. This applies to both sides, of course.
Wallpaper as a work of art
This is one of the designer’s favorites in terms of extraneous uses of wallpaper. Fortunately, it is also the easiest one to do.
To start, pick a couple of different wallpaper prints for the project. Then, buy several small picture frames for each. Once this is done, arrange the framed wallpapers on your walls to make the room more stunning.
Liners for drawers or cupboards
Although the decoration will not be immediately visible, lining drawers with wallpaper can still bring your interior design to a whole new level.
Like with the bookshelf idea, the only thing you need to think about is the unique wallpaper print to use. Then, cut out pieces according to the dimensions of the drawer.
You can also use wallpaper to adorn your kitchen cabinets, cupboards, and other pieces of storage furniture in your kitchen, dining room, bedroom, or living room.
Colorful lamp shades
Another quick and easy way to change the way your room looks is by switching lampshades. To achieve a unique look every single time, use different wallpaper patterns and cover up the frame of the lampshade.
With the wide range of wallpaper designs, colors, and patterns available on the market, you won’t run out of options for this project.
Wallpapering Is an Art.
Arguably the easiest DIY interior design improvement project, wallpapering is considered an art that allows your creativity to flow freely. When undertaking such a task, arm yourself with knowledge about how to make installation and removal easier as well as some clever ideas to make the most out of your wallpaper scraps.
