I completed this project last year (as some of you will be able to tell from the photo of my daughter) but have wanted to share it ever since. It is one of the best things I have done to make my bedroom more warm and cozy. We have two closets in our master bedroom. One has two sliding mirror doors and the other had just basic white flat panel doors. The white was glaring and annoyed me everytime I went into the room. I decided that one way I could make them look whatever way I wanted for very little money would be to wallpaper them. I was a bit afraid at first, because straight lines and I do not get along. I even contemplated paying a professional way too much money hang it for me. I was convinced that if I did it the pieces of wallpaper would be all wonky... I was wrong. I regained my "I can do it" attitude and with the help of my hubby, while I was nearly nine months pregnant, we were able to complete this project. It took us under an hour. I highly recommend the extra set of hands if you at all worried about starting this project. And to have another place for young children to be...
This tutorial is for self adhesive wallpaper. I have another project to share soon that uses vintage wallpaper with paste.
How to Wallpaper Flat Panel Sliding Closet Doors
By Tiffany Teske
Materials
- enough self adhesive wallpaper to cover your doors, you can measure them and then the people at the store can let you know how much you will need of the kind you select in order for it to match up properly (the kind I chose came in two roll packages, which gave me JUST enough if I did it correctly, and cost about $45).
- scissors
- tape measure
- an oblong mop bucket that you can wet your wallpaper in (or your bathtub if it is near where you are wallpapering
- a sharp straight edge razor blade or x acto knife or utility knife
- rubber squeegee (make sure it will glide over the wet paper and not scratch it)
- soft sponge
1. Wash your doors and let them dry.
2. Measure your wallpaper. Cut your first length. If your doors are wider than one piece and you need an additional piece, make sure you match up your pattern and cut the next piece so that your two pieces will match up correctly side by side. You will likely end up with a scrap piece of wallpaper left over from doing this.
3. Reroll up the first section of paper. Put the whole piece into the water in the mop bucket, briefly, making sure the paper gets evenly wet. Pull the paper out of the bucket by holding it in fingers of both hands from the top so that the weight of the wet paper unrolls all of the paper. Let the excess water drip off, then transfer the wet paper to the door, lining it up at the top and edge of the door. Press the paper onto the door with your flat hand, rubbing it so it attaches, then squeegeeing it from the top down and from the sides in, so that it is square and so that all the bubbles are removed between the paper and the door.
4. Once the piece is on, you can wipe it down with the sponge.
5. For the next section of paper, do the same, making sure the pattern lines up seamlessly when you add the second section next to the first. The second section of paper will likely be wider than your door so you will need to smooth the paper to the edge of the door, then cut the paper using your razor blade or knife. My door has a raised edge, so it was easy to cut it against that edge to make sure it the cut was straight and flush to the edge. Once it is cut, smooth out the whole section of the paper.
6. I needed four sections of paper for the two doors. Once it was all on, I wiped it down with the wet sponge again and let it dry.
All done!This tutorial is for self adhesive wallpaper. I have another project to share soon that uses vintage wallpaper with paste.
By Tiffany Teske
Materials
- enough self adhesive wallpaper to cover your doors, you can measure them and then the people at the store can let you know how much you will need of the kind you select in order for it to match up properly (the kind I chose came in two roll packages, which gave me JUST enough if I did it correctly, and cost about $45).
- scissors
- tape measure
- an oblong mop bucket that you can wet your wallpaper in (or your bathtub if it is near where you are wallpapering
- a sharp straight edge razor blade or x acto knife or utility knife
- rubber squeegee (make sure it will glide over the wet paper and not scratch it)
- soft sponge
1. Wash your doors and let them dry.
2. Measure your wallpaper. Cut your first length. If your doors are wider than one piece and you need an additional piece, make sure you match up your pattern and cut the next piece so that your two pieces will match up correctly side by side. You will likely end up with a scrap piece of wallpaper left over from doing this.
3. Reroll up the first section of paper. Put the whole piece into the water in the mop bucket, briefly, making sure the paper gets evenly wet. Pull the paper out of the bucket by holding it in fingers of both hands from the top so that the weight of the wet paper unrolls all of the paper. Let the excess water drip off, then transfer the wet paper to the door, lining it up at the top and edge of the door. Press the paper onto the door with your flat hand, rubbing it so it attaches, then squeegeeing it from the top down and from the sides in, so that it is square and so that all the bubbles are removed between the paper and the door.
4. Once the piece is on, you can wipe it down with the sponge.
5. For the next section of paper, do the same, making sure the pattern lines up seamlessly when you add the second section next to the first. The second section of paper will likely be wider than your door so you will need to smooth the paper to the edge of the door, then cut the paper using your razor blade or knife. My door has a raised edge, so it was easy to cut it against that edge to make sure it the cut was straight and flush to the edge. Once it is cut, smooth out the whole section of the paper.
6. I needed four sections of paper for the two doors. Once it was all on, I wiped it down with the wet sponge again and let it dry.
UPDATE: I was at an interior decorating firm today, collecting some old fabric sample books, and the woman I know there started talking to her friend about how wallpaper is making a comeback in this area. However, she has some she wants to have hung in her bedroom and there are only two people in the area who do this. She said the quotes were from $150 - $300 to hand less paper than I did on my closet doors! Maybe I should start hang wallpaper...
