Adding peel-and-stick wallpaper to the middle bedroom of our beach house took only a few hours and cost less than $100. It was a dramatic update for very little money and minimal skill. Best of all, this type of wallpaper is fully removable, so swapping it out later is simple and far less messy than removing traditional pasted wallpaper. In this post I’ll walk you through how we installed it, including tips that made the process fast, forgiving, and budget-friendly.
Selecting your wallpaper
We made two decisions that kept this project quick and inexpensive:
- Use peel-and-stick wallpaper. Unlike traditional wallpaper that needs paste or pre-wetting, peel-and-stick is essentially a large repositionable sticker. You can lift and reapply it until the alignment is right, which makes installation neater and far more forgiving.
- Wallpaper only above the wainscoting. We installed board-and-batten molding to brighten the room and create a beachy feel, and then wallpapered just the upper portion of the walls. Doing a partial wall is faster and cheaper than covering full walls floor-to-ceiling, though the same basic installation techniques can be used for larger areas.
We also saved money by shopping around for the same pattern at multiple retailers and using coupons. That can make a big difference in the final cost, so compare prices before you buy.
Because peel-and-stick options vary in price, a little patience and price-checking can yield a great deal. We ended up getting multiple rolls at a deeply discounted rate, which kept our total under $100 including shipping and tax.
Tools & materials
You don’t need many specialized tools for peel-and-stick wallpaper. Here’s what we used:
- Sharp utility or craft knife
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Metal yardstick
- Wallpaper smoother or a credit card
- Small level (we used a 9″ level so it fit above our molding)
- Step ladder
- Pencil or pen
A cutting surface like scrap wood or cardboard is also handy.
Planning your pattern placement
To reduce waste and get the most out of each roll, check the pattern’s repeat before cutting. Our pattern repeated every 20.5 inches, so we made the wall height above the board-and-batten slightly less than that to fit one full repeat with a little wiggle room. If your wall measurement doesn’t divide evenly by the repeat, you’ll have to work with partial repeats and accept some waste, or consider rotating the pattern if the design allows.
Coincidentally, our roll width matched the repeat, which gave us the option to run the paper horizontally. That would have been faster, but we preferred the vertical orientation for the final look.
Hanging your first piece
Measure and cut your first strip to one pattern repeat using a metal yardstick and sharp knife. You can cut multiple sections at once, but we recommend cutting one or two at a time and measuring the wall as you go—small ceiling or wall irregularities sometimes require slightly taller pieces.
Decide whether you want the pattern centered on a wall or to start in a corner. Whatever you choose, don’t rely on the corner itself to set your vertical. Corners are often not plumb, so use a level to draw a straight vertical guideline on the wall a little less than the width of the roll from the corner. It’s better to start slightly inside than risk coming up short.
Peel most of the backing off the first panel, align the edge with your level line, and press it to the wall. Peel-and-stick is extremely forgiving—you can reposition panels multiple times until they line up. Once positioned, peel the remaining backing and smooth the paper outward with your smoother or a firm card to eliminate bubbles and wrinkles.
Cutting off excess at the ceiling or floor
Trimming is quick and satisfying. Hold your smoother tightly into the ceiling corner, place your utility knife blade against the top edge of the smoother, and cut while moving both across the panel together. Keep upward pressure on the smoother so the cut stays flush to the corner. Peel away the trimmed strip. You can trim after every panel or wait until several are in place, whichever you prefer. Repeat the same method at the baseboard if you have excess at the bottom.
Dealing with corners
Corners can be tricky because they’re rarely perfectly square. We trimmed the edge of the first panel flush at the corner, then cut a fresh piece for the adjacent wall so the pattern matched and the vertical alignment stayed accurate. That approach can create a slight overlap or repeated motif near the seam, but these small imperfections are usually hard to notice once the room is furnished.
Cutting around a window or door frame
For windows and doors, use scissors to remove large sections and make small relief cuts so the paper can fold and press neatly around molding. Cut conservatively—trim less at first and remove more only if needed. Taking your time here helps achieve a clean edge and minimizes waste.
Ending your pattern
It’s uncommon for a room’s dimensions to divide perfectly by the pattern repeat, so the final seam will often require a partial repeat. Plan to finish in a corner that’s less visible—behind a door or where curtains conceal the wall is ideal. Once the furniture and textiles are in place, minor mismatches are rarely noticeable when viewing the room as a whole.
Other peel-and-stick wallpapers to try
There are many attractive peel-and-stick patterns available. If you like the convenience and reversibility of removable wallpaper, explore different motifs, scales, and colorways to find one that suits your space. Smaller repeats can help minimize waste, while bold, large-scale prints can make a strong design statement on a single wall.
I hope this guide gives you the confidence to try peel-and-stick wallpaper. It’s affordable, forgiving, and a fast way to transform a room. Happy sticking—and don’t be afraid to restick until it looks right!
For more information on the board-and-batten we installed and planning this room, look for full tutorials and planning tips from the same project series.