Removable Wallpaper Is The New Holy Grail Of DIY Décor

by Raj Desai | 2/15/22

All products listed were in stock and priced as shown at the time this was written. Dulhan is not compensated for any of the following recommendations.

Removable wallpaper is a home decorating godsend. In our last house we had these fugly bookshelf built-ins that were in serious need of some TLC. So I ordered a couple of rolls of this night sky patterned wallpaper from Amazon, applied it to the back panels of the bookshelf in one evening, and it was an INSTANT face lift.

via GIPHY

The best thing about it was that when it came time to sell the house, we just took it off. Simple!

Which got me thinking, what better way to create a temporary statement backdrop or photo wall for a wedding event than removable wallpaper? From Rifle Paper Co. to Target, Etsy to Amazon, you can find it just about anywhere for any price.

I’m not the only one to champion for removable wallpaper as party décor either. And if it’s good enough for Mindy Weiss, party planner to the Gods (AKA the Kardashians), then it’s good enough for me!

I’ve been very excited to test this out. And I decided to go the less-permanent route of painters wood panels vs. wallpapering an entire wall in my house.

Supplies

2x wood painter’s panels from Amazon ($70)
1x roll of wallpaper from Rifle Paper Co. ($65)
1x wallpaper squeegee set from Amazon ($6)
1x scissors (mine)

~$140 for an impressive, stylish, high quality wedding backdrop. Not too shabby!

The squeegee set had a ton of different tools that I tried to use, but I preferred using my personal set of scissors for cutting, and the set’s squeegee for smoothing.

Pro tip

Not an expert DIYer? Pick out a wallpaper design with non-geometric patterns. Not worrying about sticking down wallpaper so that the pattern lines up exactly is an easier, stress-free approach.

Process

This was surprisingly easy to do A) by myself, and B) when you’re short on time. From start to finish, this project took me 1.5 hours.

In fact, it may have taken me a bit longer than it’ll take you because I kept stopping to take photos. To shave off even more time on this project, enlist the help of at least one other person.

Step 1

Cut out 4 pieces of wallpaper, 1 for each panel.

But not to the exact dimensions of your panel! Slightly larger is best so you have enough to stick on the sides (for aesthetics) and back (for security) of the panel.

Step 2

Peel off a tiny bit of your wallpaper backing—just enough to stick to the top part of your panel. Gently squeegee the wallpaper down in smooth sweeping motions from the middle, smoothing out bubbles and tiny pockets of air.

Step 3

Continue to peel off your wallpaper backing, bit by bit. Squeegee and continue all the way down the panel.

Once you’re finished with the front of the panel, wallpaper should be stuck to the top, the front of the panel, and the bottom of the panel. Now all that’s left is securing it to the sides.

Step 4

For each corner, take your scissors and cut two straight lines towards the sharpest 2 corners of your panel.

Take the long strip and smooth down on the right and left sides of the panels.

Trim the remaining overhanging and squeegee it down so the corners are covered.

The Finished Product

Here’s what the panels look like on their own:

And some inspo on how you can dress it up for a wedding event, like your mehndi party:

What I like about panels is that once your event is over, you can keep them as is (patterned wallpaper art), or turn them into frames, or stick wedding photos in the center and add glass on top.

Make It Your Own

There are lots of ways to make this DIY project your own.

Add more panels for wide length photos. Choose different size panels to make your background dynamic. Give it some flourish with a floral arch or hanging lanterns. Add a wood frame to the edge and spray paint it in your color of choice.

Fan of this DIY? Used it in your wedding or event? Share your experience in the comments below!