Wallpaper Rehab

by Lian Wright

$45

12 Hours

Medium

Wallpaper.....it's back! Better, bolder and not just for walls anymore. Just use your imagination and get inspired with Walls Republic!

wallpaper rehab, painted furniture, repurposing upcycling

It truly is inspiration paper, thanks to Hometalk & Walls Republic!!! You can find them at www.wallsrepublic.com and see their unbelievable choice of wall coverings, truly mind blowing!

So it took Hometalk & Walls Republic's invitation to sample their product in my how-to, to finally, after about 12 years, refinish this tired, dated, worn down cabinet I purchased for $50 from my sister's neighbour. It has served many purposes from liquor cabinet (my fav) to an overflow or serving dishes, vases etc.

Let the fun begin. I removed the top veneer...only after 3 hours of hard labour did my husband advise we had an electric planer...so I removed my striped jumpsuit and finished the job quickly. Removed the two top front panels that didn't even match the cabinet- definitely a quick fix way back when.

I decided to go with a cream tone and distress it (in a later photo) as most of my pieces around the house are all wood and dark. Needed some lightning up. I wanted the paper to pop and not be subdued by a dark paint/finish.

The biggest challenge in this, besides learning about the adhesion, was to create a template for the two front doors and the sides. Thankfully I had a good large roll of the covering for several attempts...a bead of sweat or two was shed, let me tell ya...

I had only used wallpaper once before in my life, so it was nice to have Shawna from Walls Republic as my go-to gal, in that I had a question on the adhesive...it sure isn't like the the old pre-pasted method. She explained to me that Walls Republic wallpapers use new paste-the-wall technology, so you will need wall covering adhesive as their papers do not come pre-pasted or with adhesive in any form. You just paste the surface you are wallpapering and apply the wallpaper dry. They do recommend the Lowe’s brand Roman or the brand Dynamic from other stores but any wallpaper adhesive should do the trick! This paste-the-wall technology also means that their wall coverings are dry strippable so that when the time comes to remove them from the wall you just need to pry up a corner and peel off the sheet in a single strip. Hallelujah, finally!

My project didn't require a lot of wallpaper, but this particular pattern caught my eye the moment I saw it. I knew it was the one for my project, plus it was fun and somewhat whimsical...maybe like me! I certainly was drawn to it.

Applying the paste in a thin coat onto my cabinet with a paint brush then applying the paper was a breeze! It just doesn't get any easier and once the paper was applied I just used a dry sponge to wipe it down, releasing any air pockets...it truly was the easiest part of the project! Walls Republic provides very clear instructions on how to apply the paper to the wall, including matching your patterned paper! I did take the easy route in not having that dilemma, however, I had always wanted to paper the cabinet and appreciate Walls Republic for providing the inspiration!

I apologize for being so long winded, however, there was a lot of info I wanted to share, mainly for the wall covering newbies like myself and for the old school folk. Walls Republic has made it so much easier for both application and removal! If you know what I mean 😉 (who has had to remove several layers...ugh!) no more!!

With a natural top and trim added around the natural finish. I inserted a shelf with baskets stained to match the top, to add more interest, not to mention use. This piece sits at my entry, so it's a catch-all most days. The baskets will help hide some of that...as long as my family cooperates, right? 😳

I think she's pretty. Happy I saved and dressed her up. Thank you again Hometalk & Walls Republic, again visit them @ www.wallsrepublic.com , they rock the wall covering world!

I normally like to ReUse, Repurpose etc...however, to make it special, I did have to purchase the 'rosette' knobs and the baskets...otherwise it would have cost me nothing!

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3 of 5 questions

Daw7513522 on Oct 04, 2016
I have a situation similar to this I wish to spray paint my flea market find high boy black but don't know what to do w/the top, as it also seems to be veneer that has started to lift. I don't have a planer, so need to do it by hand. What did you use in the beginning to lift it off, or would it be easier to place something on top instead? I was think of slate, but have to check out the cost. Any suggestions?

1
Sue Scimeca on Apr 02, 2017
I now this isn't about your cabinet (Its lovely finished and updated, by the way) but I love your wall color. Do you know the name of the color and who it is made by??

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Kelley P Devereaux on Jun 27, 2018

Did you use anything to cover the paper after it was in place? Like Mod Podge or something?

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2 of 25 comments

Susan Beery on Sep 10, 2020

Beautiful piece!! Thanks for giving insight on freshening up older furniture

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Deborah Frakes on Aug 28, 2021

BEAUTIFUL!

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