How to Install Peel and Stick Wallpaper | Step-By-Step for Beginners

To date, I’ve wallpapered well over a dozen walls across our various rental homes, as it’s really become my absolute favorite way to quickly and dramatically change the look of our spaces in a damage-free way. And while wallpaper doesn’t intimidate me anymore, I can well remember my potent hesitation when embarking on my first few projects. I don’t want you to feel scared giving this awesome solution a try; so today, I’m breaking down my tried-and-true process for installing peel and stick wallpaper. Is this the most “professional” or “perfect” method out there? Probably not. But this easy approach helps me move beyond the nerves and actually get some gorgeous papers up on our walls!

Why Use Peel and Stick Wallpaper In Your Home?

Once upon a time, paint was my tried-and-true method for personalizing our rental homes. But painting is messy and time consuming. Plus, having to repaint walls before moving out is always a process we never seem to have the time or energy for.

Although peel and stick wallpaper can be more expensive than a gallon of paint and a little trickier to hang, the overall process of putting it up and pulling it back down is, generally, much faster.

These days, I choose wallpaper over paint (almost) every time. Here are just a few snapshots of some wallpapered spaces across our various homes.

The other reason I love wallpaper so much? With so many amazing patterns now available, you get a lot of bang for your buck. With just a few rolls of paper, you can totally transform a room without replacing anything else.

Whether you rent or not, using peel and stick wallpaper can provide an instant refresh and will be well worth the sweat and frustration usually involved in hanging it. Let me break the whole process down for you!

Step 1: Prep Your Walls for Peel & Stick Wallpaper

Unlike traditional wallpaper, there isn’t much you need to do to prepare your walls for peel and stick wallpaper.

I do recommend removing all outlet covers and switch plates where possible, and wiping down the walls and baseboards with a microfiber cloth to eliminate any dust, dirt, cobwebs, etc. In my experience, there is no need to freshly paint, sand, or clean your walls.

Wondering about walls with texture? See my experience here: Can You Wallpaper Textured Walls?

Step 2: Hang the First Panel

I’d love to say that hanging the first strip is the hardest; but really, each strip will be uniquely challenging. That’s just the nature of this project. However, the placement of your first strip will dictate how the rest of your wall will go, so take your time!

I tend to choose tight, all over patterns so it doesn’t really matter where I place my first strip; as such, I always start in one of the corners. However, if your wallpaper has a particular pattern that you want on a specific part of the wall, you might want to use that placement as your starting spot.

With that mark in place, use a level or laser level to create a vertical line the entire length of the wall.

Next, use that line as a guide to measure the height of the wall to determine the length of your first cut.

With that first measurement in hand, cut your wallpaper down accordingly. I recommend adding about 3-5″ to every length to give yourself some wiggle room.

Again, my pattern is an all-over pattern so it didn’t matter where on the roll I cut this first length. However, if there is a certain part of your paper that you want at a certain place, make sure you account for that in your measurements.

Next, peel the paper backing off the first 20-30″ of the wallpaper panel. Okay…this is where it gets scary, so let me share a few tips:

• Peel and stick wallpaper is called repositionable for a reason. If it sticks to something…anything…you CAN peel it off. This includes the wall, itself, furniture, your hair, etc. Don’t be scared of it. If you bought good wallpaper, it won’t rip as you pull it apart/away. Yes, even if it is SUPER wrinkled or creased, you will be able to smooth it out flat. I promise.
• I’ve experimented a TON with keeping the paper backing partially on or taking it all the way off at the start. While I don’t recommend completely removing the backing off the entire panel, you will need a good length of paper to start with. I recommend pulling the paper backing off 20-30″ from the top and getting the panel into place before removing the rest.

With the paper backing partially removed, line up the side edge of the wallpaper with your level/pencil line (in my case, the left side of the panel). I recommend first placing the side of the wallpaper down along the line, then smoothing the panel out, horizontally at first and then upward and downward.

The static, vinyl nature of most wallpapers will cause them to lay down pretty smooth and flat. If not, use a scraper to smooth out air bubbles and work the paper tightly into corners and edges.

With the initial 20-30″ of wallpaper in place, continue pulling away the paper backing and smoothing the paper down as you go.

Again, my favorite technique is: smooth the paper down the center of the panel and then spread and smooth outward toward the sides.

If your paper is veering, it will only continue to do so as you move down the wall. At any time, don’t hesitate to pull the panel up in order to re-direct it or smooth out large wrinkles.

Keep moving down the entire wall until the first panel is in place.

You’ve got the first panel up! Take a deep breath…there’s more work to be done!

Step 3: Hang Follow-On Panels

In general, you will follow the same process to hang additional panels across your wall. However, there is one major factor you will need to take into account each time: pattern matching.

How to Match Wallpaper Patterns

Most wallpapers are not designed in a way that you can just pre-cut strips a standard length and hang them side-by-side. Each wall is a different height and each paper has a different pattern design/repeat, so you will need to “manually” figure out each strip as you go (unless you’re great with math and patterns, of which I am not!)

I have pre-cut sooooo many strips wrong over the years in attempts to short-cut the installation process. So I can say, without a doubt, that the best way to know if you’re cutting the right part of the paper is to figure it out fresh each time.

With the paper backing still on, hold the roll of paper up to your previously installed strip. Locate where the pattern matches up and then mark the wallpaper along the ceiling AND the baseboard/floor (a crease is usually sufficient). These folds will (generally) be your next panel measurements.

Always add a few extra inches before trimming down the paper.

With your paper trimmed, again remove 20-30″ of paper backing. Then, just as you did with your pencil/laser level line, match up the edge of the wallpaper with the previous panel, right where the pattern matches. I recommend getting the vertical edge matched up before smoothing the paper down.

Once the edge of your new panel lines up with the previous panel, then use the scraper to smooth out the rest of the panel, again working out horizontally at first, then moving up and down the wall. With persistent smoothing, you will be able to get most bubbles out.

If you find yourself with a really open seam between panels or bad wrinkles that will not smooth out, peel up the panel (yes, all of it) and lay it down again.

Continuing working across the entire wall in the same fashion:

1. Hold up the roll of paper to your previous panel to identify the pattern match.
2. Use the ceiling and baseboard to “finger crease” the panel measurements.
3. Cut the panel with +1-2″ on both the top and bottom.
4. Remove the paper backing off the top 20-30.”
5. Match the pattern along the seam first.
6. Smooth the panel flat across the center, then up and down.

Step 4: Clean Up the Edges

Once you have all your panels hung, the finishing step is to use a sharp craft knife along the baseboards, ceiling, corners, windows, etc to remove excess paper and create clean edges.

My Top Tips for DIY Peel and Stick Wallpaper Installation

Take It One Panel at a Time

While I’ve outlined my basic process here, I can’t over state how much wallpapering involves constant problem solving. Because every room has different features and each wallpaper pattern is so unique, it really is a “one panel at a time” project.

You may have to cut away parts of your panel to fit around an outlet or AC unit. Or perhaps use scraps to patch up a shorter area below a large window. You may need to cut a panel in half vertically to go on one side of a door and then use the second half to re-start the pattern on the other side.

Take it one panel at a time, and don’t hesitate to get creative in order to make the paper work the way you need it to.

Don’t Hesitate to Patch

The pattern repeat of my specific paper was about 30″ (that’s a lot!) You’ll notice in the photo below that on some panels we chose to cut long and let the pattern extend over the ceiling edge; while on other panels, we opted to cut short, leaving bare wall.

Having wallpapered enough, I knew we’d be able to patch those blank top edges with the excess from the other panels (and that they’d be practically impossible to notice, especailly from the floor.)

Sure enough, once we trimmed away the excess paper off the longer panels, we had more than enough paper to patch up the other panels in order to create a seamless design all the way to the ceiling.

I will admit that this is most certainly not the “professional” way to do it. But I try REALLY hard to keep the cost of our wallpaper installations down. By patching with scraps (instead of wasting up to 30″ of paper on each panel), I was able to save tons of paper and money!

Go Light

In general, lighter papers are easier to install compared to darker papers because the seams don’t show as easily. This is one of only a few dark paper I’ve ever installed, and I was struck by how noticeable even the slightest seams were. Sure, some of my other walls have teeeeeny tiiiiny seams too, but thanks to light paper on light walls, they are practically camouflaged.

Go Small (Scale)

Small scale patterns will require less paper than large-scale patterns. The pattern repeat can waste A LOT of paper, so if you’re looking to keep waste and cost low, pick a tight pattern.

Don’t Panic About Wrinkles

The paper WILL smooth out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten my paper stuck to itself (sticky side to sticky side) and I’ve had to work really hard to pry it apart, resulting in a wrinkly mess. But once it’s smoothed up on the wall, all those creases and wrinkles disappear. Seriously.

If you find yourself with a mess of a panel (which you will when you’re first getting started), DON’T throw it out. Put it up, smooth it out, and step back. If it’s still in bad shape, replace it, but my bet is it will look just fine!

Step Back

Like any project (such as sewing or painting furniture), it may seem like an awful mess when you’re in the middle of it. You’ll be hyper aware of every crooked panel, mis-matched pattern, and overlapping panel. But I can guarantee once it’s hung and you step back, you won’t notice all those imperfections. And in your everyday living, all those tiny details won’t even catch your eye!

Take a Break

I’ve hung peel and stick wallpaper in well over a dozen rooms now; and without fail, there is always (at least) one panel that gives me trouble. And every single time, I find myself frustrated, sweaty, and ready to pull it all down.

But I’ve also done this enough to know that it will look amazing if I just keep at it. And so after taking a little break, I come back and keep going. Peel and stick wallpaper IS frustrating to work with. But the results are amazing…so take breaks when you need them and then come back to finish the job.

Will Removable Wallpaper Damage Your Walls?

Maybe, but probably not. I wrote an entire post answering this frequently asked question about removal: Does Peel and Stick Wallpaper Damage Walls?

Phew! I’m not sure what was more exhausting: wallpapering this huge bedroom wall or writing this post!

I hope what I’ve shared here not only inspires you to give peel and stick wallpaper a try (because it really is so transformative!), but also thoroughly helps you take your project from start-to-finish with as little frustration as possible. You can do it!