Monday, March 12, 2012

How to make a faux wallpaper





Let me add some Before and After images (gosh, I love this part!):







 


Difficulty: easy peasy;
Time to complete: 3 hours;
Budget: 6,5 euros;
What I love the most: that it looks like a single wallpaper roll (which is exactly what I wanted to do).

I cannot commit to wallpaper, although I love the look so much!
I tend to get bored with my home decor, so nothing stays the same for more than one or two years. Imagine if I had to install a wallpaper and then take it down in a couple of years! I've seen it done on other blogs and there is only one conclusion: ripping down a wallpaper is hard work, is messy and requires refinishing the wall :((

So I decided to make a temporary wallpaper, using wall stickers. I know it sounds cheap, but if you do it right it looks just like the real thing. And I can take it down quickly, without destroying the wall.
I saw these dirty cheap bicycle stickers (made in China) in a warehouse. They had me at "Hello".

Here's what you need: 4 sheets of wall stickers, a builder's square, measuring tape, pencil, paper.



Tutorial:
1. Peel off the sticker sheet. 
PAY ATTENTION! Don't try to peel off the printed sections, they can get cut in the process. Instead, peel off the adhesive that is NOT printed - I mean the white parts between the actual stickers. In the end, only the printed sections will remain on your sheet and you can take them off without ripping them in the middle.

2. Prepare the surface.
Take a smooth sponge and immerse it into a mild soap solution. Carefully wash up the wall surface, without rubbing too much.

 


3. Make a grid for your fake wallpaper roll.
This is by far the trickiest part. I wanted to make a fake wallpaper roll, not an impressionistic painting. So it had to look seamless and perfectly aligned.
Measure the width you want to have on the wall and trace a grid with the pencil on the wall. Since I had 4 sticker sheets, I drew 4 boxes on the wall, one on top of the other. Use the builders square. You want the grid to be perpendicular to the floor and aligned with the corners of the wall.
As you can see, I drew the grid three or four times, then I erased the wrong grid lines with a simple eraser.



4. Stick the first sheet on the wall grid.
Start with the biggest item, it will anchor the composition. Don't put your fingers on the glue side, it will damage the adhesive properties of your stickers. Press gently from the middle towards the edges, in order to  eliminate any air bubbles.

5. Repeat step 4 for the next sticker sheets.
Do exactly the same as before. Start with your biggest item and align it perfectly with the previous one.



6. Add the final details.
The wallpaper looks complete. Well, it's not. I left out the little grass stickers, on purpose.
Take an overall look at your pattern and look for the gaps. Fill the blank spaces with the smallest items (the grass, in my case) to make it balanced.



7. Erase the grid.
8. Step back and take a picture.



So there it is. It looks like the real thing, doesn't it?











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105 comments:

  1. Super, super cute & sooooo creative!!! Great idea & great job!!

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  2. That's what I mean! A wonderful unusual idea and a clever execution. Lovely!

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  3. i would have never guessed that it wasn't wallpaper! i love that wall!

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    Replies
    1. You make me so happy, Andie Jaye, thank you very much <3

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  4. That is simple but so brilliant;)
    THank you for sharing.
    I`m you latest follower;)
    Please visit my blog too if you like.

    http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/2012/03/giveaway-time.html

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  5. I had no idea that it was wall stickers looking at the first picture!
    I am seriously amazed!! I'm getting ready to move into an apartment and I HAVE to do this!! I'll link back to this awesome tutorial when I do ;)

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    Replies
    1. Yes please, I can't wait to see the pics from your Granada place:)

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  6. I love the biking theme. This turned out great I am very impressed.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jordan! Apart from drawing a straight grid perpendicular on the floor, it's quite an easy job:)

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  7. That looks so cool, better then a room of wallpaper.

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    1. I'm so happy that you like it, Mindie! The "single roll" look has been on my To DO List for years... I guess I need some blank wall space in the room :)

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  8. That is so fun and cute! Great idea! Love the stickers you chose!

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    1. Thank you, Jadyn! I almost believe that the stickers chose me :)

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  9. Thank you thank you! You made my day. Now just to find some wicked cool wall stickers. I doubt there are any as cool as yours!

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    Replies
    1. Cheer up, Janel! The world is full of cuter than cute stickers, perfect for out lazy asses ;)

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  10. I LOVE those wall stickers. We used some in our daughter's room. I was much more random than you. It looks great.:)

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  11. I love it!! I would have never thought by looking at the stickers that it would have come out so great! GENIUS!

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    1. Thank you, Sandy! I think that you can do the "wallpaper roll" look with any kind of stickers, as long as you draw a straight grid on the wall :)

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  12. Love the idea!!! Cheap but still looks great!

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    1. Thank you, Wanessa! It really looks great in reality, none of my friends who saw it "live" noticed that those were just stickers:)

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  13. What a great idea! Love the stickers you chose!
    Found you through Diamond in the Stuff - would love for you to come by for a visit!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for visiting, Ann! The bicycle pattern was love at first sight:)

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  14. What an awesome idea!! I love your side table too!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jessica! I made the pink table myself - here's a quick tutorial: http://meehameeha.blogspot.com/2012/02/before-and-after-pink-coffee-tables.html

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  15. Very clever and cute--and good job on lining it up perfectly as well!

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    1. Thank you, Amy, I'm so glad that you like it! As I said in the post, the lining up was the hardest thing to do (but I managed after a few failed tracers).

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  16. Love it! I want to try it. Now to find some really cool stickers. Thanks for the tutorial! Great job:)

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    1. I'm so happy that you like it, Carol Ann! I think it would work great with any sticker pattern, as long as you replicate the "single wallpaper roll" look.

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  17. What a great idea!! Pinned it!
    xo Becca

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the comment and for the pin, Becca, I saw it on your board :)

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  18. That looks fabulous! Love your pattern choice!

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  19. i love this!!! i already pinned it to make sure i won't forget.
    by the way, i have the same paper lantern i spotted in one of your pictures, the one with the cherry blossoms. did you also buy it many years ago? i guess that means we both have a great taste :)

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    Replies
    1. Great minds think alike :))
      I bought the cherry blossom lantern 3 years ago, but they still sell it today. Thank you for the visit and for the pin! XOXO

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  20. Awesome and original! Very cool! It turned out so cute! Please come by my linky party hapening now to link it up - I would love to see you there!
    Stacey of Embracing Change
    http://staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com

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  21. Mă bucur c-am fost martor la aşa ceva. Şi mă bucură că sunt atâtea comentarii!
    Mulţumesc, au fost câteva minunte deosebite!
    Cele bune să se adune!

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  22. This is so sweet and you make it look so easy. I'd love it if you'd share this at Whimsy Wednesdays at www.thenymelrosefamily.blogspot.com/2012/03/whimsy-wednesdays-2.html

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  23. This is such a creative idea! I would love for you to link up at my linky party via: http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/2012/03/show-me-what-you-got-linky-party-5.html


    PS: I am your newest Linky Follower!


    Mrs. Delightful
    www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the invite, but I already linked up at your party :)

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  24. Well how awesome is that! Thanx for sharing your "wallpaper" for THt!

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    Replies
    1. Pamela, thank you again for taking the time to visit yourself :)

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  25. Looks amazing! And if you ever get tired of it, you won't have to spend hours removing it.

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    1. I'm glad that you like it, Tara, thank you so much for the comment! Indeed, it's quickly done, quickly undone!

      Delete
  26. Cute! I need to do something like this for my apartment. Love it. Thanks for sharing at Cutesy Monday!

    Kathryn
    destinationcraft.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you sooooo much for the sweet comment, Kathryn!

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  27. This is genius, and makes such a massive difference to the room too.

    www.katiescreative.blogspot.com

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  28. Great idea. I love how it's only in one section. I also love the paper. Where did you get that?

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    1. Hi, AllyJo, it's no paper at wall, just stickers on the wall. Scroll down the post and you will see for yourself how I did it.

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  29. Wonderfully creative! I love the vintage vibe.

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  30. Just beautiful! Thanks so much for linking up with us this week! You are quite talented!

    Take care,

    Trish

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  31. Thank you for sharing this on Handmade Tuesdays. This idea is so helpful, especially when decorating my children's rooms.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so happy that you like it, Carrie! You can do it any time in the children's room - it's quick and easy to replace.

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  32. It does look like the real thing! I like your choice of subject matter. It looks great with your pink table. So chic! Thanks for sharing your ingenuity at Show & Tell!

    Sharon @ mrs. hines class

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sharon, I'm really happy that you truly like it :)

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  33. wow this is SOOO fabulous!
    i would love for you to link this post up to my weekend wrap up link party: spread the love.
    there are no rules, just link up and share your fun things with others! http://lovenotesbylauryn.blogspot.com/2012/03/spread-love-2.html
    stop by if you are interested!
    {love} lauryn

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  34. Wow - I'm really impressed on how you lined it up so perfectly!! And with your patience with the whole project. I'm not sure I could do that for 3 hours. Maybe if I took breaks. I really love it though!!

    Thanks for linking up to the Take it on Tuesday blog hop. I'm definitely pinning this!!

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  35. This is really amazing and such a great tip. I would love it if you would come link it up at my Pinworthy Projects Link Party.

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  36. This is so clever and unique! It really creates an interesting focal point! Thank you for sharing at Potpourri Friday. You participation is always appreciated! Happy St Patrick's Day!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for making time to visit, Honey, you are very kind to leave a comment :)

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  37. That is so neet. I like it. I love your blog and can't wait to read more. I'm your newest linky and GFC follower.
    I hope you can come over to my new blog and if you like follow me too @ http://www.arosiesweethome.com/
    Thanks
    Rose
    PS I'm Hosting a New Linky Party at my blog on Sundays. I would love it if you came and linked up to the party this Sunday.

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  38. What an awesome idea! I am going to have to do this in my daughters room. We live in an apt so this is great since we can't paint or wallpaper. Thank you for linking up to A Pinteresting Party. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for leaving a sweet comment! Sorry I wasn't able to answer any sooner.

      Delete
  39. I love this, I like the look of a partial wall. I will keep an eye out for stickers, thank you!

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  40. Lovely, lovely project!
    Thanks for sharing :)

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  41. Beautiful wallpaper! Happy Pink Saturday! ~Diane (I am #75)

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  42. What a fun idea! and it looks amazing!


    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a fabulous week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for making time to visit, Jill (so sorry I wasn't able to answer sooner)

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  43. Gorgeous! Visiting late for Pink Saturday.

    Green Goodies, is my entry. Please come by when you get a chance. Have a great week ahead.

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  44. Thanks so much for sharing this at Whimsy Wednesdays at The NY Melrose Family. I can't wait to see what you share this week.

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    1. Thank you for making time to visit and comment, Jenny, you are so kind :)

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  45. Something I have never seen before. Don't know if we have wall stickers here in the US, but maybe now I will look for them.
    Thanks!
    Annie :)

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    1. Thank you very much for visiting, Annie! You can find wall stickers in any home improvement store in the US! PS: try the "kids room" section - plenty of stickers there :)

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  46. Hi, the faux wallpaper is such a great idea! I'm like you and get bored with my home decor after a while and have to move things around to freshen it up! So these stickers are perfect! Have to try it out!!! :)

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    1. Thank you so much for returning the visit, Rani! I can't wait to see your stickers when you'll be doing this project ;)

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  47. Oh my! It's fabulous! Will be featuring this tomorrow at Wild Wednesday! Great job! So original! Great job!
    Melody

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    1. Thank you soooooooooooooo much, Melody, I can't wait for tomorrow to grab the featured button ;)

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  48. This is so cool, so clever and amazing!!! I am pinning this. I hope you will come link it up to The CSI Project. The challenge is embossing and paper crafts. And fake wall paper fits that category!!!
    www.thecsiproject.com

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  49. So cute!! Thank you for linking up at Feathered Nest Friday!

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    1. Thank you for making time to visit and for your kind comments, Courtney :)

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  50. I'm going to feature this on Sunday at http://www.arosiesweethome.com/ for the Sunday Round UP! Be sure to come over and get a button.
    Thank,
    Rose

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    Replies
    1. Wow, thank you soooooo much, Rose! I am thrilled and I can't wait to grab the featured button!

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  51. This looks so amazing! Can't believe it's only stickers! Are you going to finish the rest of the wall?

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  52. What an incredibly fun idea! I can't even imagine how long it would take to do an entire wall, but it really is a huge impact for a small space!

    Great job!

    I'll be featuring this today on Feature Friday FREE-FOR-ALL!

    ~Abbie

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  53. AMAZING is all I can say!!! THANK you for linking up to SLEEPY SUNDAY!!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for making time to visit, Randee, I'm happy that you really like it :)

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  54. Amazing job! Found it through a rosie sweet home. Should have known it was you who did this. I remember how cool and intricate your hand painted entry wallpaper was.

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    1. Yes, that's me alright: craving wallpaper and fearing of committing to it :))) Thank you for noticing :)

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  55. You can learn to make faux wallpapers with the help of post here. Useful post

    Wallpapers

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  56. This is more than perfect. I love how you always with so little, achieve sooo much! The effect of this wallpaper is magnificent!

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  57. Those are stickers!!!! girl you are awesome!!!!! this look so real is incredible, I just want everyone to see it, so if is not a problem I'm going to show it at my blog, because this is one of the best DIY I seeing in a long time!!!
    XX

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  58. Super cute! Great idea to line them up like a wallpaper panel!

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  59. It was wonderful reading your article. Great writing style Digital production system

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