Wallpaper is back, baby!

They say wallpaper is back, but I’ve been using wallpaper for small projects around the house for the last 5 or 6 years. I put it inside my kitchen cabinets behind the shelves after I painted them, on the inside behind the shelves of a couple of small bookshelves in the living room (after I painted them), a couple of bookcases I turned into closet shelving (my less expensive take on closet organizers), and actually on a wall in the hall bath after we completely renovated it.

There are so many options in patterns these days! There is peel and stick and the traditional kind where you have to paint on  the adhesive. They both have pros and cons, I have used both, it just depends on your preference and if you can find something you love.

Peel and Stick Wallpaper

The peel and stick can be tricky to handle. It can stick to itself and stick to the item you are wallpapering before you are ready, which can be frustrating. Once you figure out how to peel the backing off as you go instead of peeling it all off and then trying to apply it properly it makes it much easier. It’s said that the peel and stick is supposed to only last for about 3 years….. The ones I have done with peel and stick are still going strong. No peeling or anything and it’s been at least 6 years for those.

Traditional Wallpaper

The traditional kind can get messy. Then there’s the question of do you paint the adhesive on the wall or on the paper? How much do you use? If you keep reapplying the adhesive to cheaper wallpaper it starts to disintegrate a little. I used this kind in the hall bath. The wallpaper I bought is striped and was a little thin in the white striped areas and the adhesive started to go all the way through the paper after we reapplied a couple of times trying to get it on the wall perfectly. It has held up in the bathroom for over 5 years now.

My Take

I liked both types for various reasons. The peel and stick works really well on bookcases and cabinets with a smoother finish. I don’t think the traditional wallpaper would work well on anything with those smoother finishes, but I haven’t tried that.

For more home decor ideas with wallpaper go here