The Only Time To Cut Corners & All Our Best Tips For Powder Room Wallpaper

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For some of you, wallpapering a powder room sounds like a nightmare and I totally get that… The process can be challenging and test all your project ambitions, but it also can totally transform your space. As I mentioned in the post describing our powder room mirror transformation, our powder room has felt a bit lacking. Lacking in drama and interest and youthful life. As a Jack and Jill powder bathroom between our guest bedroom and office space, this small 3’ x 6.5’ room has always felt like a challenge to me, so after almost 4 years in our home we finally set out to change it! The first step to adding some interest was our mirror transformation, and while it has helped tremendously, I wanted to add still more drama. Hence… the decision to add wallpaper. Yes, we are moving abroad and will be renting our house, but this was one of the last big projects we wanted to tackle before everything is boxed up. Charlie and I are by no means wallpaper professionals, but, if you have a space you have struggled with and are contemplating adding drama through wallpaper, I hope that our best tips for installing powder room wallpaper might prevent you from making the same mistakes we did and encourage you in your wallpaper journey. 

Removable (aka. Peel And Stick) Wallpaper VS. Traditional Wallpaper

The first question to analyze before you start your wallpaper project is to decide what kind of wallpaper you want to use. Back in the day, the only option was traditional wallpaper, but now there are a plethora of other wallpaper types including prepasted and removable / peel and stick wallpaper. Traditional wallpaper is a non-pasted paper that you cover with adhesive before applying it to the walls, while prepasted paper already has the adhesive on the back. The trick with prepasted is that it must be submerged in water to activate the glue before application. Lastly, removable wallpaper or peel and stick wallpaper is like a giant sticker that already has adhesive applied but does not need to be activated through water. 

Pros & Cons Of Removable VS. Traditional Wallpaper

While traditional wallpaper is a great option for homes, it can be quite a challenge to install properly with the adhesive and is a permanent choice. Once applied, traditional wallpaper can be a huge hassle to take off the walls. If you have ever been a part of a project that involved taking OFF wallpaper, particularly old wallpaper, it just might persuade you to never use it. Seeing this struggle, wallpaper manufacturers introduced removable wallpaper which provides for (generally!) easier installation and removal. Should you need to replace a spot down the road that is damaged or if you are renting and cannot apply wallpaper for the long haul, then removable paper is a great option. Both options have been tried and tested and can be a great solution, but you just need to know what you are getting into. 

WALLPAPER TYPE	PROS	CONS
Traditional Wallpaper	Great longevity (can last for decades)	Challenging to remove / repair
	Forgiving installation	Multi step installation
Removable Wallpaper	Less messy installation	Decreased longevity (most last between 3 to 7 years)
	Easy removal	Less forgiving during installation
		Location specific

Our Choice

Coming from the design industry, I typically recommend my clients to use traditional wallpaper and have it professionally installed if they are at license to do so (ie. not in an apartment). That being said, Charlie and I decided to go the removable paper route for our particular powder bathroom for a couple of reasons: 

First, the room we chose is just a powder room without a shower. If you want to transform a bathroom with a shower in it, then most definitely go the traditional wallpaper route (if you aren’t in an apartment) as the humidity from the shower will cause issues with the longevity of the removable adhesive. 

Secondly, since we will be renting our house while we are out of the country, we wanted to install something that would be easy to fix should we have to replace a panel or two upon return. 

Lastly, as we have been under a time crunch trying to pack/ make life arrangements etc. for our move, we decided to not take out the plumbing fixtures in the bathroom and therefore wanted something that was easier to install around existing fixtures. Typically, during a professional installation, a wallpaper installer would take out all of the lighting, toilets, vanities, furniture or anything else that might be a hindrance to wallpaper installation. They will set everything back in place at the end, but this does add an extra step. For us, we decided to try to save on the time and energy removing the plumbing would involve and instead went with an option that would be able to be used around the toilet and vanity. We did take down the light fixtures, outlet covers, hand towel and toilet paper fixtures etc., but left the toilet and vanity installed. 

Powder Room Wallpaper Options

Once you have decided if you are going the traditional or removable paper route, you must decide on your wallpaper pattern! Schumacher, Galbraith and Paul, Farrow and Ball, Thibaut, Hygge and West, Chasing Paper, and so many other wonderful brands have stunning wallpapers, but as we were on a budget, I wanted something that would look fabulous, feel great and not break the bank. After scouring online shops, I narrowed down my selections to 5 options I wanted to see within the powder room and feel the quality of. While not produced by Home Depot, I decided to order a roll of each from Home Depot as I knew that the return process would be very simple should the colors or textures not be quite right. Don’t be afraid of perusing big box stores for options, as the exact wallpaper we decided on is also sold at Ballard Designs for triple the price of what we bought it for at Home Depot. Home Depot carries thousands of options online, but not in store, so if you find a wallpaper at a different retailer, do a little bit of research to see if you can find it elsewhere as well for either less money or easier return abilities, especially when you are ordering samples or sample rolls to decide on your pattern.

Blue Saraya Wallpaper | Emerald Green Wallpaper | Woodland Fantasy Wallpaper | Teal Toile Wallpaper | Prussian Blue Wallpaper

Unfortunately, the colors or textures of the first 3 options clashed with our marble countertops, but the Teal Toile and Prussian Blue Garden wallpapers were both so beautiful in the space. I honestly was impressed by the quality of each of the rolls, but in the end, we decided to go with the bolder Prussian Blue Garden in the powder room to make a statement. That being said, I would love to use the Teal Toile in a calming bedroom or something in the future as it was beautiful as well. 

Wallpaper Tip #1: Measure, Measure & Measure Again

Having found your wallpaper, get ready to order! Honestly, my first tip is to measure, measure and measure again before you order. Be sure that you are ordering at least 10% extra to act as a buffer should you mess up. In hindsight, I would order an entire extra roll even beyond the 10% overage to give a bigger buffer and then return it afterwards if you don’t end up needing it. That way, you are ensuring they are all from the same dye lot and won’t be stressed about getting another roll to color match if things get a little out of hand during the install. Even with 10% overage, as Charlie and I were installing, we made a few mistakes and came across a roll that had a bleed mark half way through it, so we had to wait to finish the bathroom until our extra roll came in. Thankfully, it was from the same dye lot so the color matched perfectly, but in hindsight (so what I recommend to you!) is that if you are attempting this yourself, especially if it is your first time, just go ahead and order an extra roll on the front end. If you don’t need it, return it, but if you do, you will be glad to have it. 

Wallpaper Tip #2: Establish Your “Fake Out” 

In all the tutorials and information I had watched and read about wallpapering, I typically saw people jump right in with ordering your paper and creating your plumb line. While I definitely agree setting up your plumb line from the start (that will be tip #3!) is important, I believe that before you ever start the first piece, decide where you are going to end the last piece. 

Not knowing this, Charlie and I wallpapered the entire room and only had one piece left to match our first piece. The only problem was that it was to meet in a corner that ran the ENTIRE length of our 8’ wall and would be extremely noticeable as our wallpaper took 2 rolls side by side to complete the repeat and we had only 12” of space left. Seeing this, we had to remove all the pieces we had just applied and then work our way back around to finish above the door. Now that our fake out is above the door, the beginning and end is far less noticeable and transitions as nicely as possible. 

All in all, I highly recommend taking the time to decide where you want to start your first piece and then where you want to have your fake out at the end. It will save you SO much time in the long run. 

Wallpaper Tip #3: Create A Plumb Line

My next tip is to create a plumb line to ensure that you are hanging your wallpaper levelly on the wall. Measure off the width of the paper and then, using a level and straight edge, draw a line vertically down your wall. This will help to keep your wallpaper straight and your pattern more easily connected. While some people only create this plumb line for their starting piece, we found it helpful to mark a line for each piece we added since we had so many interferences to cut around (two doors, a toilet, vanity, outlet boxes etc.). Adding a level line each time helped us to ensure that we were installing the paper at the proper angle even after accommodating for the interferences. 

Wallpaper Tip #4: Peel Slowly & Smooth Gently

Another key tip that we discovered along the way during our wallpapering process was to peel slowly and smooth gently. Since removable paper has a sticker backing, only peel down sections of the backing at a time to apply the wallpaper to the wall. If you peel the entire backing off at once, you run the risk of the paper sticking to itself and/or to other surfaces as you are installing at the top. 

Similarly, as you install the wallpaper from the ceiling down, only peeling the backing off as you go, be sure you are smoothing gently. As a downside to removable paper, you really only have 2 or 3 opportunities to lay the paper correctly before the adhesive becomes less sticky. At the beginning of our project, if we had an air bubble, we would pull the paper back up until that problem point to ensure we got the air out. While sometimes this is necessary and unavoidable if the air pocket or wrinkle is too large, we found that pulling the wallpaper back up too many times would decrease the adhesive strength and begin stretching the paper, making the pattern hard to match. If when laying the paper, you find you have a small bubble, trade your smoother for a clean finger or piece of felt to try to work the bubble / wrinkle / situation out to apply the paper without peeling it back up. We found that more often than not, we could work out small issues without peeling the paper back up which might lead to bigger issues down the wall. 

Wallpaper Tip #5: Cut Your Corners

Wrinkles… Air pockets… Losing levelness… Paper tears…Losing your sanity!!Want to know how to avoid all of these issues: cut your corners.

While you do not typically want to cut corners in a project, I give you full permission and even HIGHLY recommend cutting your corners when wallpapering with removable wallpaper. When first beginning, attempting to wallpaper a corner does not seem that hard. You just peel the paper and apply, right?…. And yet it is far more challenging than you might think.

Wallpaper Tip #6: Abound In Patience & Grace  

Lastly, but certainly not least, have patience with yourself, your fellow installer and the project. To be honest, Charlie and I thought that we could knock out this tiny bathroom on a Saturday afternoon. I mean it’s only about 3 feet by 6 feet so how bad could it be? But 15 hours and many mistakes later we finally finished! It was a bit of an obstacle course with the both of us plus the toilet, vanity and ladder in the room, but we finally finished it and are so, SO pleased with the outcome. If you are doing a larger space with fewer interferences and mistakes like we had, I am sure it will take you half the time, so please learn from our tips and have patience in the project. Is ours perfect? No not entirely, but we are thrilled with it and love the final result. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of patience and grace for the project and once you have come to the other side it will all be worth it. 

Powder Room Before

Powder Room After

Final Thoughts

This project was such a learning opportunity for us, but I have to say, it was entirely worth it! Will I consider hiring a professional in the future, most definitely, but for this point in our lives, I am thrilled we tackled the project together. The bathroom now has so much drama and is such a fun space to be in. The mirror pops all the more and with our new hand towel and toilet paper holder, the space feels fresh, modern and sophisticated. So, what do you think… Are you up for a wallpaper project? 

Happy wallpapering!

Chloe

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