Fabric As Removable Wallpaper

My laundry room was a total bore. To make things worse, it's viewable from my fabulously green dining room. I decided I wanted to wallpaper, but didn't want to spend the cash for a nice modern print or make the commitment. I've removed wallpaper before, and it's really not fun. I also have textured walls, so it would require an enormous time commitment to smooth them out.

I opted to apply fabric to the walls with starch. It's easy to apply and remove, and the fabric is reusable afterward.

For fabric wallpaper application:

fabric

fabric starch

rotary cutter and cutting mat OR scissors

dishcloth/rag

thumbtacks

Other makeover materials:

indoor house paint

moulding and/or trim

hammer

brad nails

box saw

level

painter's tape

The walls were a boring shade of beige, so I updated them with a coat of purple paint. I didn't want to have to detach and move the washer and dryer, so I opted to only makeover the walls on the top half.

Tape off any applicable areas and apply two coats of paint.

I have textured walls and I've only ever seen this done with smooth walls, so I wanted to see how the fabric application would work and make sure it wouldn't damage the walls.

Spray the starch onto a small patch of the wall.

Lay the fabric swatch over the starch.

Spray more starch over the swatch until it's saturated.

Smooth the swatch until it's stuck.

I couldn't wait until it dried naturally, so I used a blow dryer to speed up the process.

When it was dry, I lifted a corner and peeled it right off. It came off easy and clean.

Measure your walls and cut your fabric to fit.

Because I planned to apply trim around all the edges, I did my best to cut the pieces to fit the space while not worrying too much if they were a bit off. If you don't plan to put trim around it, you may want to cut the fabric a bit bigger and cut the edges off after it's stuck to the wall.

Use thumbtacks or pins to tack the fabric at the top of the wall.

On one of the walls there was an annoying security console that I just couldn't figure out how to remove. The next step will deal with simple things like an outlet, but this was bit more tricky.

Tuck the fabric behind the top of the object and use a pencil to draw a line along the top.

Do the same to one side.

Cut a knick in the fabric inside the lines and cut along them.

Cut straight down from the other top edge.

Tuck the bottom edge under and draw a line.

Cut along the line.

Gently fit the object inside the hole.

Remove the plate from the outlet.

Feel for the edges and draw lines around it.

Cut it out.

Apply the panels the same way you applied the swatch.

Spray starch on the wall beneath the panel.

Start at the top spraying starch over the fabric with one hand and smoothing with the other hand.

When the panel is well saturated and stuck, use a dishcloth to press it down firmly. This helps the fabric stick well over the texture. It may not be necessary if your walls are smooth.

Anywhere I couldn't see the texture through the fabric, I applied a bit more starch and pressed firmly with the dishcloth.

At the top, between the two panels, I opted to just let it overlap a bit. The fabric didn't have a repeating edge to connect with. If it did, I would have been a bit more careful to match up the pattern.

Allow to dry.

When dry, you can replace the faceplate of any outlets.

As it dried, there were a few places where the fabric lifted up like small bubbles. Simply apply more starch to the area and press it firmly with your dishcloth.

Measure each wall and mark the top of the moulding.

When the edge will be set into a corner, line up the mark with the gap in the box to cut at 90 degrees.

Nail the pieces in place where they overlap the fabric and paint line using a level to make sure they're straight.

I opted not to mitre the trim since it's square. Simply measure, cut, and nail in place.

I added a curtain and swapped the yellow bulb with a daylight temp bulb to finish off the makeover.