How to Make Your Own Wallpaper for Free

Create free wallpaper from atlases or maps.

If your walls are bland but you aren't allowed to or can't afford paint, consider making free DIY wallpaper. Create a one-of-a-kind, removable wall covering for free using items you have on hand, already in your home. Tear out pages from an extra copy of your favorite book or an outdated road atlas, hoard newspapers for a few weeks or unearth vintage recipe cards from the bottom a deep junk drawer. Other wallpaper ideas include: vintage wrapping paper, sheet music, postcards, greeting cards or CD or record inserts.

Things You'll Need

• Your chosen paper material
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Iron
• Ironing board
• White school glue
• Basin
• Water
• Large paint brush
• Craft knife
• Plastic smoother

Instructions

1. Measure your material and figure out how many square feet or inches of paper you have. Measure your walls, remembering to account for windows and doorways, to find the total square feet of wall space; make sure you have enough material to cover the walls, plus ample extra to account for a large degree of overlap.

2. Cut away any jagged edges from where you tore out pages, if necessary.

3. Iron the paper material flat if you've chosen something like folded maps or newspaper for your project.

4. Mix one part white school glue with about two parts water in the basin until you get a slightly milky yet discernibly watery paste.

5. Apply the glue to one section of the wall and add your paper pieces one by one, starting with largest pieces first, layering the smaller pieces over those.

6. Cut away extra sections around window, door and floor molding using the craft knife. Repeat with other wall sections until you've completed your target area. Smooth out any bubbled sections with your plastic smoother.

7. Cover your work with a layer of watered down glue so all the papers appear unified and flat; this also protects your work from damage.

Tips & Warnings

• Simplify the hanging process by using double-sided tape instead of glue, especially if you seek a less finished appearance. Other removable, non-paint damaging hanging suggestions include hot glue and rubber cement.

References

• Curbly: Design This Newsworthy Wallpaper
• Apartment Therapy: Inspiration: Book Pages as Wallpaper
• Apartment Therapy: Look!: Maps as Makeshift Wallpaper
• Belle Décor: DIY: Map Wallpaper