Prepasted Wallpaper Scrap Decor for Afternoon Crafting

See what you can redecorate in a just a single lazy afternoon, with prepasted wallpaper scraps, along with yard sale, or flea market furniture finds. Prepasted wallpaper will adhere permanently to most surfaces, and can add artistic beauty without any real talent required, as demonstrated in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine online.

Prepasted Wallpaper Scrap Supplies

Visit a local paint and wallpaper store to see if they have wallpaper sample books about to expire, and request them when they are ready to be tossed, or purchase them for a couple of bucks. I've found prepasted wallpaper is the easiest to work with, as it only requires water to activate the paste sealed onto the backside.

You won't need extra glue, brushes, or be left with additional messes when using prepasted wallpaper scraps. However you will need a plastic wallpaper smoother, to remove all the air bubbles (and possibly a seam-roller) to ensure a tight seal. Read the easy-to-follow tutorial below, or on the last page.

Repurposed Decor Projects

Rejuvenate a dingy lamp shade with a fresh new look, by lining it with prepasted wallpaper for a "Bright Idea". Wallpaper-covered containers mounted to the wall create extra organizing spaces, as shown above, and in this "3-D Wall Art" display, quick and easy.

Line the inside of a stray drawer to hang on the wall, as this shadowbox-style bulletin board suggests in "Bits and Pieces", or to use as a "Clever Bath Cabinet". Try lining the compartments of an old wooden silverware-sorting tray, to organize jewelry, as shown in "Jewelry Art" for the same functional shadow-box effect.

Refurbished Furniture Pieces

Paper the inside and outside of a refurbished antique medicine cabinet to create a "hidden" jewelry box to hang on your wall, as in "Retro Redo". Then reface a worn-out pressed-wood table top with the appearance of a hand-painted floral-design wallpaper print, as displayed on this surprise "Table Topper", or by lining the bottom of a table-top tray as shown in this "Paper Plain Accents" project.

Face the inside panels of a freshly painted bedroom armoire to hide organized clutter, as shown in this bright pink, "Cover-Up" presentation, to add a lacy feminine touch. Or paper just the smooth outer-drawer panels, to perk-up an old nightstand, as revealed in "Top-Drawer Design", or an antique desk as in this lovely "Furniture Facelift".

Framed & Matted Artwork

Wallpaper scraps are the perfect size for matting prints, photos, or artwork, as shown in these dramatic "Bold Art" pieces, and adding color to treasured black and white photos, as displayed in "Instant Art". Or simply exhibit pattern art as in these "Quick Frames", mirrored "Frame Update", and also as in this framed "Fabric Art" presentation (replacing the fabric with wallpaper artwork).

Wall Dcor

Create repeating wall panels to make a daring statement, as showcased in this "Easy Art". Apply prepasted wallpaper right onto the wall, at pre-measured intervals, and then finish off with framed molding.

Using several color-coordinated wallpaper scraps, make an exciting patchwork wall, by first piecing together, and then layering a design onto table or floor, as demonstrated in "Patchwork Perfect", until you are happy with the positioning. Paste the background pieces first, continuing in layers, to end up with a finished "Patchwork Statement" decorator wall.

Wallpaper Application Tutorial

Roll wallpaper into a loose tube, and place into your kitchen sink (filled with water) to completely soak the roll. Remove and fold the glue sides together, in half known as "booking", to work the water-activated paste into a tacky, ready-to-stick consistency.

Apply wallpaper wet, smooth out the air bubbles, and pat surface dry with a sponge or towel. Set your project aside to finish drying, and you will end up with beautifully decorated items in an afternoon, that look as though you've spent months to paint and redecorate.