DIY Wall Decals

Many of us 20 something’s out there live in apartments. And many of those 20’s something’s have landlords that won’t let them paint the walls, even with a lease. When I moved into my first apartment this last year, the white walls were driving me INSANE. I really liked the idea of removable wall decals, but they are so expensive for anything bigger than four inches. I really wanted something to cover a large part of my wall but didn’t want to break the bank.

(Before)

(After)

So I turned to contact paper. Yup! That stuff your grandmother uses to line her kitchen cupboards. It is super thin, easy to cut and the best part – cheap! They come in tons of different colors and textures. I wanted black contact paper for my design so I found a huge roll of contact paper on Amazon.com for around $30 with shipping. It gave me plenty of paper to experiment with and use in other rooms. But you can find contact paper at any art or hardware supply store in smaller rolls if you want to go even cheaper and don’t want to wait for shipping. Contact paper will work on smooth and textured surfaces. However, it won’t work on popcorn style walls and ceilings. Sorry!

It is super simple! All you need is:

Contact paper of your choice
Scissors
Felt tip marker or pencil
Painters Blue Tape
Newspaper or poster paper
Old library or old credit card
Your imagination

Step 1: Take your contact paper and roll it out on a flat surface with the contact paper facing down. The backing has a white logo that peels off – this should be the part facing up.

Step 2: Draw your design on the backing of the contact paper with a felt pen. If you wish to repeat a pattern like I did, you can cut out a template using newspaper or poster paper. I found using a thicker piece of paper helps when tracing out the design multiple times. You can also trace out stencil patterns, leaves, flowers, birds and if you have A LOT of patience – try letters and words. Use your imagination!

Step 3: Cut out your design

Step 4: Now take your cut out pieces to the wall you wish to use the decal on. With the backing still on the contact paper, use a couple of pieces of painters tape and tape up the cut out design to the wall to see if it is in the position you want. This way you can get it in the spot you want without wasting the contact paper.

Step 5: If you like the position of your design, start at the edge or corner of the design and start to pull the backing off the contact paper of the first 3” or 4” inches. Smooth it down with the library card to get out any air bubbles. Keep working in 3” to 4” inch increments until you get the hang of it. Smooth out any air bubbles with the plastic card and remove the painters tape.

If you don’t like where you placed the design after you pulled off the backing, don’t worry! Just gently peel the design off of the wall and re-stick where you want it. Smooth out any air bubbles with the plastic card. You can do this about 2 to 3 more times before the contact paper starts to lose its tackiness.

Step 6: If you like your design – then there ya go! If not, layer more pieces of contact paper on top of each other. The great thing about the black contact paper is the layers are almost invisible to the eye making one big seamless design like mine. My design was just layers of four or five swirl designs that I layered how I liked. I then cut out little flowers and slapped them on the wall where I wanted. Bam! You got yourself a cheap awesome way to dress up your walls!

(Close up of the design - layered pieces of contact paper)

Step 7: If it’s time to move or you are sick of your design and want to do something new, just gently pull the contact paper from the wall starting in one corner. The Contact paper shouldn’t leave any marks or stickiness on the wall. But always check the manufactures website to ensure the surface you wish to use is safe. The Kitterich Corp who makes Contact paper is helpful in this area. Their website is http://www.contactbrand.com/

ENJOY!