No Paint Dresser Makeover
If you are tired of painting and need a quick and easy furniture makeover - try using peel and stick wallpaper.
This was by far the fastest and easiest project I have done! It was nice to take a break from the painting and upholstering. I had acquired this dresser from a multi family yard sale I hosted. This piece did not sell and rather than donate it to a thrift store I thought it could be a practice DIY project.
This dresser is very plain with no detail or anything exciting about it. I'm 99.9% sure that it came from Ikea. Since it is so flat with no texture whatsoever, I thought it would be a fun change to try out peel and stick wallpaper on it. I had just bought some from Lowe's and did a wall in my mudroom and it was so easy to put on, I thought it would be a nice break from my regular painting projects.
If you have never used peel and stick wallpaper - it is so easy!! The only tools you need are the plastic smoother (pictured above) and utility knife. The smoother will do just that - smooth out all the air bubbles to make it nice and smooth and the utility knife is used to cut excess or make a clean cut on the edges.
I have a Lowe's less than a mile from my house so I stopped there and picked up the Scott Living Peel and Stick Wallpaper in Scottish Plaid. This is the HGTV Property Brother's line they carry. Right next to their selection is the NuWallpaper Wallpaper Application Kit.
You simply peel off the backing of the paper and I started on the top of the dresser first. You line up the edge and slowly start to lay it down as you use your smoother pushing down or to the sides to release any air bubbles or creases that may be forming. It is a constant movement as you lay it with one hand and use your other hand to smooth it out until you get to the end of your piece.
Then I started on the sides, again peeling off the backing and lining it up with the edges and making sure the pattern lines up with what has already been laid.
The drawers took me the longest to line up the pattern just right. It is basically a big giant sticker you stick on your furniture and smooth it out. The paper was wide enough to cover two drawers at once. All I had to do after I laid it on was take my utility knife and slice between the drawer fronts. These drawers could not be removed so I just keep them shut and attached as I did the drawers so it was easier to line up the pattern.
The overall application only took me about 1 hour, if that. A lot of people that have seen this thought I had painted it. From a plain and boring piece of Ikea furniture and a roll of wallpaper, this turned out fantastic! If you have covered furniture in wallpaper - send me a picture, I would LOVE to see it! Or hopefully this inspires you to use wallpaper for more than just your walls. Happy creating friends!
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All Within the Home on Nov 15, 2019
that looks amazing!!! I LOVE IT!!
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Jean Billington on Oct 01, 2020
Isn't it funny, one woman's trash really is someone else's treasure.
I would have looked at this credenza and thought it was to far gone.
But you have done wonders with it.
Guess I will have to start looking at things I think need to be trashed a little bit better.
Thanks for showing us this!
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Carolyn from NH on Oct 02, 2020
That came out very nice. Love your idea.
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How can I make my stainless steel sink look like new
Why wasn't the plaid on the sides also matched up to the plaid on the front, instead of a continuous match from the top down?
Can you buy smaller lengths of wallpaper for projects like this or must you buy the whole roll?