Before and after- powder room with peel and stick wallpaper

I am popping in today to show one of my favorite before and afters- the cutest little powder room with peel-and-stick wallpaper! Seriously. I still can’t believe how this tiny room turned out. The peel-and-stick wallpaper steals the show and might be my favorite part of the renovation. You can see the entire house here.

Where we began:

When we bought this property, it was VERY distressed. We had bought it sight unseen at an auction, and I remember feeling excited the first day we saw it because it could have been so much worse than it was! However, the smell was HORRIBLE! I aired this room for days before beginning, as I couldn’t handle the smell.

Before pic of a distressed powder room.

I don’t even want to talk about what we found in the sink. But I knew we could get a big “WOW” factor in this tiny space. We ditched the sink and medicine cabinet (we are using it as an Airbnb property, so we weren’t concerned with storage) and replaced the toilet because it was a mess, too.

Peel and Stick Wallpaper:

Spoonflower Peel and Stick Wallpaper

Once everything was out of the bathroom, I decided to use peel-and-stick wallpaper as it is durable (this little powder room will have lots of use), and I love the idea of switching it out easily. I Choose this pattern from Spoonflower. I love the bold pattern, and because we are close to Lake Michigan, it feels beach and coastal. Perfect for the Airbnb.

Installing Peel and Stick:

This was the first time I had used Peel and Stick Wallpaper. I followed the directions on the Spoonflower website, as I was a little nervous.

COLLECT YOUR MATERIALS:

Grab a friend to help! I was working in a pandemic, so I was on my own. But an extra pair of hands would be VERY helpful. You’ll also need a sharp utility knife and a squeegee.

*This post may contain affiliate links.

PREPARE YOUR WALLPAPER:

Re-roll your wallpaper so the top is on the outside of the roll. -This was important. I tried to skip this and struggled, so I followed the directions and returned to it the next day.

The top of the roll has no white space, whereas the bottom has a narrow line of white and is printed with a barcode. Do not trim any part of the paper before hanging.

PREPARING YOUR WALL

Before applying any wallpaper, ensure your wall is smooth, clean, and dust-free. Patch any damaged areas of the wall, especially where sharp edges might pierce or tear the wallpaper. For best results, apply wallpaper to a surface that is a solid, light color.

YOU ARE READY START HANGING:

START IN A CORNER:

If you’re applying multiple rolls of wallpaper, hang them from left to right OR right to left to ensure a smooth design repeat. Start in the top corner of the room; if covering an entire room, choose an inconspicuous corner to begin since the repeat will not match up on the final seam.

Installing Peel and Stick Wallpaper from Spoonflower

APPLYING THE FIRST ROLL

Pick up the first roll and peel the paper backing carefully from the top of the roll. Fold the backing paper away from the adhesive and crease it, giving you a few inches of tack to begin your application. Unpeel it slowly as you go. Line up the wallpaper with the ceiling, ensuring it’s straight and even on the wall. Step back and check that the roll is straight and your patterns are level, then press against the wall. Peel and Stick wallpaper is repositionable, so if you need to adjust the placement, peel the paper off the wall slowly and reapply as necessary. Note: I did the first strip four times.

Once the top of the roll is in position, gently peel the paper backing down 5-10 inches (15-25 cm) at a time and smooth the wallpaper onto the wall, moving from the center outwards. If necessary, use the squeegee to move large air bubbles to the edge of the design, being careful not to scratch your design.

BEGIN OVERLAPPING

Pick up your second strip of wallpaper and apply it so that its edge overlaps the previous strip by approximately 3⁄4 inch, carefully visually matching the repeat. When aligning the paper, use a gentle touch to prevent stretching or warping. Do not trim the overlap; it guarantees that the wallpaper will repeat seamlessly. Repeat this step, overlapping each new roll over the previous one.

Mid way point of peel and stick wallpaper install.

Once I got the hang of it, it took a couple of hours. But remember, I was alone.

TaDa!

Spoonflower peel and stick wallpaper install.

I love how the Peel and Stick wallpaper turned out!

Finishing the Powder Room:

We found and installed the cutest little sink! Seriously, our Airbnb guests always comment on how cute it is!

Bold Wallpaper in powder room with a tiny sink

After replacing the toilet, we changed the toilet paper holder to a white one and added a few accessories, including a mirror and stool.

Coastal and Beachy patterned wallpaper in a powder room.

“This room is tiny, but that wallpaper provides a huge”wow” moment. I absolutely adore the bold pattern.”This room is tiny, but that wallpaper provides a huge “wow” moment. I absolutely adore the bold pattern.

Spoonflower bold pattered peel and stick wallpaper.

That’s all I have for today!

Related Posts you may like:

5 Tips for installing Traditional Wallpaper

Installing a wall mural in a bedroom

Coastal Accent Wall

Rope Accent Wall

Until next time,

-Libbie

 

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  1. Wow, what a transformation. It looks great well done.

  2. Maria says:

    I’m doing a wallpaper for my daughter bathroom and lining up
    The pattern is tough ! Yours is lovely! Great job

  3. Heike says:

    The transformation is incredible, and the wallpaper is adorable. I would never think of hanging wallpaper, but that transformation made me think.

  4. Love this makeover! Everything turned out perfectly!

    • Libbie Burling says:

      Cindy,
      It is a short term rental for us, and every time I walk in I think this little house is so CUTE! 🙂

  5. Rebecca says:

    What a statement. Such a unique and colorful wallpaper. I like how you added it to part of the bathroom and not to all the walls.

  6. Sara says:

    I adore that wall paper!. Of course as one half of Birdz of a Feather, that goes without saying – lol! Well done Libbie!

  7. Christine says:

    What a fabulous makeover! I absolutely LOVE that wall paper!

  8. I clicked on your link at the Grandma’s House We Go party because of the wallpaper. I just put up wallpaper last weekend for the very first time but it wasn’t peel and stick. The next time I will definitely order the peel and stick kind. The small bathroom looks awesome. The whole house is coming together so nicely. I invite you to share this post with us at the Home Matters Linky Party soon over at http://www.modernonmonticello.com. Good luck with the renovations.

  9. The bathroom looks amazing! The wallpaper really distracts you, in a good way, from seeing a very small bathroom. I would think the busy pattern and dark color would make the room seem smaller but it actually does the opposite.

  10. michelle says:

    WOW!!!!!!! I looked really hard to try to find any seams. You did a stunning job and I love that wallpaper. The design is so cool

  11. The wall paper is so cute and the perfect punch for this small space. It definitely has that wow factor! I’m so excited to share your post this week at the Tuesday Turn About Link Party!

  12. Rachelle says:

    You did a great job wallpapering this little bathroom and took it from ugg to wow! The print makes me smile 🙂
    I will be papering a wall and your tips will help.
    Would you consider adding this post to my Friday with Friends link party?
    thanks
    RR

    • Libbie says:

      Thanks for stopping by Rachelle! I just dropped it into your link party and I’ll stop over again next week! 🙂

  13. maria says:

    This looks wonderful!! And I appreciate the tutorial as I am considering peel and stick wallpaper in a new room and I have never attempted that before!
    Thanks for sharing:)

    • Libbie says:

      It’s a little tricky but not bad once you get the hang of it. I love the idea of being able to change it out. It makes me feel like I can step outside my comfort zone!

  14. Kim says:

    What an adorable bathroom! Love the [pattern you picked. It’s super cute. Pinned.
    Kim

  15. I knew this had to be good because I’ve already seen it featured on at least two blog parties. a huge WOW from me. Great job!

  16. Thank you for sharing this over at #HomeMattersParty. My husband and I have been discussing purchasing an Airbnd but it will probably be a few more years before we get to that phase. I will enjoy the renovations of yours so much in the meantime.

  17. This is absolutely darling! I’ve never even heard of peel-and-stick wallpaper, so you really have me intrigued. I agree that it’s just right for a small room. What a makeover!!

    Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!

  18. Jennifer says:

    Very striking makeover! Thank you for sharing with us at EH&F!

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