Wallpaper has come a long way over the years. No longer do we need to be scared of the time consuming process of both putting it up and also removing removing. Ask anyone who has worked with it in the past if they enjoyed working with it, and I’m pretty sure you’ll be met with a firm NO! In recent years, we have seen the introduction of fabric, reusable wallpapers and decals. A product which is well and truly a game changer! Easier to put up. Easier to take down. And you can use it again and again. Amazing! Now, I’m going to be honest. Although I knew that reusable wallpaper was a far better product to work with when doing a DIY project, I was still a little skeptical when it came to the installation of it. I’m a need to try kind of person before I can form a proper opinion and recommend it to you guys. So when the opportunity arose to install some myself, I jumped at the chance!

Tiny Walls is an Australian small business specializing in a range of gorgeous wallpaper and wall decals for children’s rooms. Every design is printed by Tiny Walls in Melbourne, Australia and they use an extremely high quality gabric media to print their designs on which is made from a fine woven polyester weave and features a low tack adhesive on the backing. This enables easy removal and reuse of their products over and over, without leaving behind residue or damaging your walls.

 

The Tiny Walls range of wallpaper and wall decals include designs to suit a variety of styles. From floral, watercolour, Boho and Scandi, they have something to help you decorate your Nursery, Boys or Girls bedroom. Some designs I think are even suitable for other areas of the home, or for retail spaces as well. The wallpaper I chose is the ‘gone fishing‘ design and it was to go in Jack’s room. He and his Dad love the beach and fishing so I thought it was very fitting. And also, it’s a style that will grow with him over the years, meaning I won’t need to redecorate any time soon.

 

Installation: My top tip is to make sure you don’t attempt installing wallpaper on your own… I did think I would be able to but thankfully I enlisted the help of Em from Stilettos & Bricks and am SO glad I did!! You definitely need more than one set of hands when it comes to lining up each sheet and getting it up. For the one wall in Jack’s room we used 5 sheets which were pre-cut and labelled so we knew where each panel was to be positioned on the wall. To apply, simply peel back the backing sheet to reveal the adhesive side of the paper which is to be stuck on to the wall. Line up the top of the sheet with the bottom of the cornice or ceiling line. Then using the supplied squeegee tool, push the paper on to the wall in an up and down, vertical motion to both attach it and also to smooth out any air bubbles. Keep doing this until you reach the bottom/skirting board. Trim off any excess by scoring/cutting the edge with a Stanley knife. Keep in mind that walls are rarely 100% straight so the paper may not meet up square with the edges of the walls. Ours didn’t, but it was so minimal that you couldn’t tell unless you closely examine it. Also, remember that if you do create a large air bubble or if you haven’t lined up the paper properly, you can slowly lift it back off the wall and re-apply. The beauty of a reusable wallpaper!

Repeat the process for each remaining panel, but now making sure that the images from each panel line up. We did have a little trouble with this, simply because we had never done it before so thought it would simply be a matter of sticking the panels exactly side by side. Where infact, you need to overlap them slightly so that the designs meet up smoothly to create the final look. Take your time making sure each panel lines up. Due to our uneven walls, some of the little fish are a little odd looking, but overall they look fine. If you have any items such as light switches or power points to wall paper around, you could measure it out and cut in advance, or do what we did and simply cut the holes while we were applying it by again using a stanley knife to cut where needed.And that’s it! Told you it was easier than traditional wallpaper installation!! No messy glues. Less chance of making a mistake. And it looks bloody good! (If I do say so myself 😉). So if you’ve been wondering about using reusable wallpaper in your own home but weren’t sure if you had the skills (or the patience) to tackle the project, remember than Em and I were able to do it with no prior experience of using wallpaper (and a lack of patience from me) So, you’ve got this!! 🙌

Below is the mood board I compiled when redecorating Jacks room. As well as a list of where each item is from.Cork board – Officeworks

Quilt cover – Kmart

Tan cushion – Kmart (old stock) 

Floor Rug – Bunnings (old stock) *IKEA has a similar design

Desk – Kmart

Timber book shelf – IKEA

White metal chair – Kmart

Blue knit throw – Madras Link

Whale plush toy – Kmart

Desk lamp – Beacon Lighting

Plush raccoon wall decor – Adairs

Tray side table – Freedom

Blue seat cushion – BigW

Small prints – Desenio

Large pier print – Boho Art Styling 

Fishing print & hanger – Adairs

Wall hook – Freedom

 

 

 

 

Zoe Gilpin, The DIY Decorator