Creating a wallpaper accent wall, with before and after photos
Entryway Wallpaper
An entryway is an ideal location for a wallpaper accent wall. You can immediately let guests know the mood and style of your home.
Follow me on Pinterest to view my Wallpaper board for more great wallpaper looks and ideas.
How long does it take to wallpaper an entryway?
Changing an entryway hall can be as easy as peel and stick wallpaper and as quick as an afternoon.
Using Wallpaper to Cover Wall Damage
In this townhouse flip, the walls at the entry had damaged drywall. The drywall work simply wasn’t smooth and even. Structurally they were fine, so we didn’t want to rebuild the wall, but we needed to dress up this area and take the eye away from the slightly bumpy wall.
Here’s where we were starting:
In this project, I was teaching a group of middle and high school students how to flip a townhouse. The teens did the work themselves. This is definitely a project you can do and hopefully you’ll love the change with your wallpaper entry. If you’d like to view more about this teen mentoring townhouse flip, including the money made, please check out the full townhouse flip project post and sign up for my library to get access to the income and expense report.
Wallpaper Accent Wall
Creating a wallpaper accent wall at the entry made this renovation project quick and easy, and inexpensive. Photos are below, but if you’d prefer to view this as a narrated video, here’s a link to the YouTube video.
Damaged drywall:
This is a look at the damaged drywall. It wasn’t wet or damaged. It’s just that whoever finished off the drywall here used a different color paint and it looked bad on this side of the wall. The other side looked even worse.
Bumpy Drywall
Here’s the other side of this wall. You can see that the finish work was completed very poorly. We purchased this unit as a fixer upper and this is the way we received it. Structurally everything seemed fine, it just looked really ugly.
Simple Wallpaper
You can purchase a simple peel and stick wallpaper to cover cosmetic damage like this. Here’s a photo where you can see that the paper easily peels from the backing. While I love a bold wallpaper, we kept this entryway wallpaper limited to a simple wallpaper since it was located in a narrow hallway.
Entryway Wallpaper
The wallpaper we used at our entryway was a faux grasscloth that I purchased on Amazon. I’ll provide links for convenience. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) I think a textured wallpaper might have worked a little better, but this was perfect for our budget and our use. Here are some wallpapers you might like:
Hanging a Wallpaper Accent Wall
When you hang the wallpaper accent wall, start from the top of the wall. Allow the roll to hang down, so that gravity is helping you when you start. It is easiest if you have someone helping you. They can pull down the backing little by little so that the paper doesn’t get stuck to itself while you’re working.
Installing the peel and stick wallpaper
Start with a new roll for easiest results. This way you have a factory made straight edge to start with. If you don’t have a new roll, use a straight edge before you start and cut the starting piece level and straight across before you start.
How to line up wallpaper strips
Before you peel the backing off of your second piece, make sure that you know where it’s going to line up so that you continue the pattern properly. In the photo below, you can see how I lined up my wallpaper. The yellow arrows help you see the major indicators I looked for to make sure my entry wallpaper was lined up properly.
When you place the second piece of wallpaper in place, make sure to overlap the first piece slightly so that you avoid gaps between the pieces. Take your time and keep things straight so that your line stays uniform all the way down.
Smoothing the Wallpaper
While you’re sticking the wallpaper to the wall, from top to bottom, run your hand along it to smooth it down continually. I like to run my hand diagonally from the center and then down and out toward the sides. Continue this while going down the wall.
Below you can get an idea of how the teens were doing this while installing their second strip of wallpaper.
Pro Tip for your Wallpaper Accent Wall
When smoothing the wallpaper, you may get some stubborn bubbles that drive you crazy. Don’t worry! Just smooth it as best you can then take a straight pin and pop the bubble. This will allow you to smooth it away by removing that trapped air.
After Photos of Entryway Wallpaper:
Below are photos showing the end result
Wallpaper Accent wall with decorative items added
After adding a wallpaper entry:
It’s amazing to see how this space was transformed and how great the wall looks now.
Bedroom Wallpaper Accent Wall
View my site for other wallpaper projects, including a princess room and a wizard room created using wallpaper. Creating a bedroom wallpaper accent wall is quick and easy and completely transforms the room.
Harry Potter Wallpaper
My favorite wallpaper transformation came in the creation of a Harry Potter room. You can create the look by using wallpaper that looks like the inside of Hogwarts. The feeling invoked by the stone wallpaper is amazing. Here’s a look at the Harry Potter wallpaper look I created in a Disney Airbnb Condo.
Also below are other Harry Potter Wallpaper designs you may like:
If you’d like more information on this townhouse flip, and the other projects performed in the renovation, including the creation of an accent wall and study nook using leftover vinyl plank, head to the main page covering this townhouse flip.
Other Wallpaper Ideas
View more wallpaper ideas on my Pinterest page and leave a photo or comment about your wallpaper project!
Thank you!