A New Love: Textured Wallpaper November 28, 2011 DIY, Our House, Tutorials 43 Comments When Jessica from Joyfolie emailed me about her brown paper floors, I jumped over to her blog to check them out. {JoyFolie} Click image for details. Aside from the amazing shoe eye candy all over the place, I couldn’t help but notice that amazing finish on the riser. That’s when I knew it: I had been outbagged. I wrote her back right away saying I loved her makeover and that I was totally stealing borrowing her idea. The only place near me that I found paintable textured wallpaper was at Lowes. They have a limited selection, but I found something I liked in a medallion pattern (like a tin/plaster ceiling). This stuff is seriously cake to install-it comes pre-glued and all you have to do is wet it, let it get tacky for about 5 minutes, then put it up. Instant makeover! For $20 a roll (11 yards by about 2ft I think), you can’t go wrong. I may actually cover my entire house in it. If only I had known about this amazing product earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go through the trouble of cutting out hardboard to cover the risers in the first place. Remember this? Ugh! Well, I wasted no time in covering up my painted panels once I saw the light. Eventually I’d really like to add some picture frame molding to the bottom of the staircase walls and put this in the center of the frames. One day-when I figure out how to cut that angle- it will happen. Thank you again Jessica for sharing your brilliant idea with me! 43 Responses Rachel November 28, 2011 I love the look of this! I might just have to “borrow” this idea too. Reply Anna November 28, 2011 OMgosh!!! This is great ! Thank you for sharing!!! Reply Angela November 28, 2011 Love this idea- and so simple too! Looks great especially with the dark paper flooring Reply Barb Marshall November 30, 2011 I have this exact same wallpaper on my ceiling! It looks great. Reply rachaelevans December 1, 2011 I’m soooo tempted to put it up on our ceilings! Reply The Beatrice Dresser January 18, 2012 [...] textured wallpaper from an estate sale (odd?) for $2. It wasn’t pre-pasted like the kind I used on my stairs, so I just applied it with Mod Podge which worked fine. I added the wallpaper to the drawer fronts [...] Reply Meg @ Nutmeg Place June 2, 2012 I am SO stealing this idea! It’s gorgeous! How have the stairs held up so far?? Reply Tanya June 26, 2012 I love this idea! It is paintable too. I have used the anaglypta paper on altered book covers but never thought about it on my ratty ole stairs! It would even work on the sides of my stairs, which look just as bad…. Thanks fo the idea! Tanya Reply Renee June 28, 2012 I love this simple idea for risers, but am also wondering how they hold up? Do they scuff easily and are they easy to clean? Reply rachaelevans July 4, 2012 Renee- It probably depends on what paper you use, what color you paint them, and if you wear shoes in the house. Ours are holding up pretty well, could use some touch up paint here and there, but I’d imagine any painted riser (papered or not) would need to be touched up now and then as well. Reply 10 DIY Ways to Makeover Your Home « La Vie En Rose July 11, 2012 [...] pinterest – painting them like books, rainbow stairs etc. This idea is one of my favorites! Lovely Craft Home took some textured wallpaper and painted over it and how gorgeous is the [...] Reply Brenda Graddy July 29, 2012 I think my kitchen ceiling is about get made over and painted copper. Thanks for sharing!! Reply renee July 30, 2012 i acutally used this wallpaper to cover my backsplash in the kitchen! painted over it to give the pattern more definition. i cant wait to use the left overs for the stairs! Reply rachaelevans July 30, 2012 I love it as a backsplash! I bet it looks awesome. Reply C. Hancock August 3, 2012 I love this! I really want to do this in my home, but I am having difficulty finding a place that still sells wallpaper. any suggestions? Thx! Reply rachaelevans August 5, 2012 They have it at Lowes and Home Depot Reply Anita January 12, 2013 Also found it online…just google paintable wallpaper Reply Buffie August 16, 2012 Do you know how this holds up as far as cleaning it goes? We usually get those nasty little black shoe marks on them. Thanks! Reply rachaelevans August 16, 2012 Buffie- It will scuff (I would imagine any white painted riser would though), but basically I just touch it up with paint Reply Michelle Johnson September 7, 2012 I love this! What did you do on your stair TREADS? Is that wallpaper too? Do you even think wallpaper would hold up on stair treads? I am eager to hear your response because I have some very yucky looking stairs that really need a good makeover…like YESTERDAY! Thanks! Reply rachaelevans September 7, 2012 Michelle- that’s my brown paper floor treatment: http://lovelycraftyhome.com/2011/11/09/the-ultimate-brown-paper-flooring-guide/ Reply Michelle Johnson September 8, 2012 Thanks for the quick response! I CANNOT believe that your treads are made of paper bags. They look so, so, so beautiful. Well done! I think that my stairs are particle board. Do you think this paper bag treatment would work on this kind of surface? rachaelevans September 11, 2012 Michelle- my stair treads are MDF (vs the floor, which is plywood), I would imagine it would work on most types of wood/wood product…just be sure to try it on a scrap piece to check adhesion! Michelle Johnson September 12, 2012 Thank you! Stair Makeovers: Boring to Stunning | Interior Complex September 7, 2012 [...] credit: Design in Dublin, In My Own Style, Lovely Crafty Home, Sugar City, Take the Side Street, Jilly and Mia, Art Moms, and 619 Miles « Big Comfy [...] Reply Alicia September 7, 2012 Okay, I have read all of your directions and comments posted. So, if I understand correctly, I can do this on my stairs? I have cheap carpet and not a big budget. I can paper what is underneath carpet if I clean it up and sand as you did? Reply Monica November 29, 2012 I love it! It’s a great idea, if I ever have my own home I will “borrow” as well this idea. Thanks for sharing! Reply Mignon Young January 26, 2013 I love this and we are in the same boat with the condition of the carpet on our stairs. My question regards the treads. Did you put new ones on – or clean up the existing treads that you had? I am afraid if I pull the carpet, I may find the condition of the treads pretty rough. Reply Rachael Evans January 26, 2013 We didn’t put new treads on (our house is only 5 years old), but generally I would think you’d be able to work with what’s there. If I was going to spend money to replace the treads, I’d forget about the paper entirely and put hardwood down to stain…if that makes sense. Reply Step It Up | Highland Contractors February 14, 2013 [...] found this posted by Rachel on Lovely Crafty Home. I believe she was reposting from JoyFolie. Either way, these stairs are just amazing. Rachel [...] Reply Deirdre February 18, 2013 Hey Rachel! I sent you an email too! I want to feature you and this project on our site. Can you please shoot me an email? Deirdre@houselogic.com Reply Andrea February 20, 2013 I would never use this product on any stairs in my house. I’d spend all my days re-painting it. Reply Rachael Evans February 21, 2013 Andrea- painted stair risers in general can be hard to maintain. It works for us though, we don’t have kids or anything and I touch them up every now and then. Not as often as you might think though! Reply Friday Favorites: Stair Flair | architecture | St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles May 3, 2013 [...] a delicate white textured wallpaper creates interest without going too over the top. I like this simple pattern. It would give just [...] Reply Pia May 21, 2013 Did you paint the wall paper or did you just paste it on as is? Also did you find it to be very tacky? I want to do this and found the exact paper at Lowe’s but need to know if I have to buy paint too. Reply Rachael Evans May 23, 2013 I did paint it, I prefer the durability of a semi-gloss paint on top. Reply Courtney G. June 30, 2013 In my old house, we painted one staircase with oil-based paints, and it held up well even through a major construction project! I think I’m going to try using oil-based paint on the paintable wallpaper! cher May 23, 2013 I can see this as an idea for a few things that need some help in my home. My door to my garage is scratched to high heaven and I was thinking of using wall decals on it but I like this better. Closet doors and door to the pantry or weathered kitchen island. Eveyone seems so creative. I have a psuedo star type design on my ceilings and when I moved in I didn’t know what it was when I I found a dusty rolll in the garage. So sorry it ended up in the trash. Reply Brigid Keely August 14, 2013 The front entry of our two flat has embossed/textured wallpaper on the lower half of the walls, framed in beautiful dark stained wood. It’s super durable in that high traffic area. It’s damaged now because someone bashed the wall in a few places (a stroller or grocery basket got out of control I think), but we plan on replacing it with new textured paper because it looks so fab. Reply Laura Macken August 18, 2013 I love this, I’ve be en thinking about ripping up my stair carpet for a while, but didn’t know what to do other than paint the stairs. All I can say is I’m going to be busy at the weekend, thank you for this wonderful idea Reply Betty819 September 25, 2013 I have a clothes hammer that we rec’d as a wedding gift, 49 years ago. It needs a makeover and I had planned to spray paint it with a primer and then a coat of white spray paint but last night when I was “tossing & turning” trying to go to sleep, I thought about this type of wallpaper and wondered why it wouldn’t work. There is already a design from the vinyl covering that covers the front and sides from the manufacturer. It would serve the same purpose I think. Worth trying it and if I ever wanted to change the color, that type of wallpaper can be painted. You can purchased that textured wallpaper at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Do you think it would work? The back of the hamper is like wicker so I know spray paint would work on that part.. Probably the spray paint would be less costly? Reply Dina Westcott January 27, 2014 Hi there. I love this idea. Did you paint the wallpaper first and then stick it on after it dries? Also, with the wall paper only being 20 inches wide, how did you cover the entire riser so seamlessly? Reply Sub-$30 Stair Sprucer | Amassing Cents February 18, 2014 [...] sites with great tips and pics: Lovely Crafty Home, DIY Network, & [...] Reply Leave a Reply to Betty819 Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Name* Email* Website Comment
Angela November 28, 2011 Love this idea- and so simple too! Looks great especially with the dark paper flooring Reply
Barb Marshall November 30, 2011 I have this exact same wallpaper on my ceiling! It looks great. Reply
The Beatrice Dresser January 18, 2012 [...] textured wallpaper from an estate sale (odd?) for $2. It wasn’t pre-pasted like the kind I used on my stairs, so I just applied it with Mod Podge which worked fine. I added the wallpaper to the drawer fronts [...] Reply
Meg @ Nutmeg Place June 2, 2012 I am SO stealing this idea! It’s gorgeous! How have the stairs held up so far?? Reply
Tanya June 26, 2012 I love this idea! It is paintable too. I have used the anaglypta paper on altered book covers but never thought about it on my ratty ole stairs! It would even work on the sides of my stairs, which look just as bad…. Thanks fo the idea! Tanya Reply
Renee June 28, 2012 I love this simple idea for risers, but am also wondering how they hold up? Do they scuff easily and are they easy to clean? Reply
rachaelevans July 4, 2012 Renee- It probably depends on what paper you use, what color you paint them, and if you wear shoes in the house. Ours are holding up pretty well, could use some touch up paint here and there, but I’d imagine any painted riser (papered or not) would need to be touched up now and then as well. Reply
10 DIY Ways to Makeover Your Home « La Vie En Rose July 11, 2012 [...] pinterest – painting them like books, rainbow stairs etc. This idea is one of my favorites! Lovely Craft Home took some textured wallpaper and painted over it and how gorgeous is the [...] Reply
Brenda Graddy July 29, 2012 I think my kitchen ceiling is about get made over and painted copper. Thanks for sharing!! Reply
renee July 30, 2012 i acutally used this wallpaper to cover my backsplash in the kitchen! painted over it to give the pattern more definition. i cant wait to use the left overs for the stairs! Reply
C. Hancock August 3, 2012 I love this! I really want to do this in my home, but I am having difficulty finding a place that still sells wallpaper. any suggestions? Thx! Reply
Buffie August 16, 2012 Do you know how this holds up as far as cleaning it goes? We usually get those nasty little black shoe marks on them. Thanks! Reply
rachaelevans August 16, 2012 Buffie- It will scuff (I would imagine any white painted riser would though), but basically I just touch it up with paint Reply
Michelle Johnson September 7, 2012 I love this! What did you do on your stair TREADS? Is that wallpaper too? Do you even think wallpaper would hold up on stair treads? I am eager to hear your response because I have some very yucky looking stairs that really need a good makeover…like YESTERDAY! Thanks! Reply
rachaelevans September 7, 2012 Michelle- that’s my brown paper floor treatment: http://lovelycraftyhome.com/2011/11/09/the-ultimate-brown-paper-flooring-guide/ Reply
Michelle Johnson September 8, 2012 Thanks for the quick response! I CANNOT believe that your treads are made of paper bags. They look so, so, so beautiful. Well done! I think that my stairs are particle board. Do you think this paper bag treatment would work on this kind of surface?
rachaelevans September 11, 2012 Michelle- my stair treads are MDF (vs the floor, which is plywood), I would imagine it would work on most types of wood/wood product…just be sure to try it on a scrap piece to check adhesion!
Stair Makeovers: Boring to Stunning | Interior Complex September 7, 2012 [...] credit: Design in Dublin, In My Own Style, Lovely Crafty Home, Sugar City, Take the Side Street, Jilly and Mia, Art Moms, and 619 Miles « Big Comfy [...] Reply
Alicia September 7, 2012 Okay, I have read all of your directions and comments posted. So, if I understand correctly, I can do this on my stairs? I have cheap carpet and not a big budget. I can paper what is underneath carpet if I clean it up and sand as you did? Reply
Monica November 29, 2012 I love it! It’s a great idea, if I ever have my own home I will “borrow” as well this idea. Thanks for sharing! Reply
Mignon Young January 26, 2013 I love this and we are in the same boat with the condition of the carpet on our stairs. My question regards the treads. Did you put new ones on – or clean up the existing treads that you had? I am afraid if I pull the carpet, I may find the condition of the treads pretty rough. Reply
Rachael Evans January 26, 2013 We didn’t put new treads on (our house is only 5 years old), but generally I would think you’d be able to work with what’s there. If I was going to spend money to replace the treads, I’d forget about the paper entirely and put hardwood down to stain…if that makes sense. Reply
Step It Up | Highland Contractors February 14, 2013 [...] found this posted by Rachel on Lovely Crafty Home. I believe she was reposting from JoyFolie. Either way, these stairs are just amazing. Rachel [...] Reply
Deirdre February 18, 2013 Hey Rachel! I sent you an email too! I want to feature you and this project on our site. Can you please shoot me an email? Deirdre@houselogic.com Reply
Andrea February 20, 2013 I would never use this product on any stairs in my house. I’d spend all my days re-painting it. Reply
Rachael Evans February 21, 2013 Andrea- painted stair risers in general can be hard to maintain. It works for us though, we don’t have kids or anything and I touch them up every now and then. Not as often as you might think though! Reply
Friday Favorites: Stair Flair | architecture | St. Louis Homes & Lifestyles May 3, 2013 [...] a delicate white textured wallpaper creates interest without going too over the top. I like this simple pattern. It would give just [...] Reply
Pia May 21, 2013 Did you paint the wall paper or did you just paste it on as is? Also did you find it to be very tacky? I want to do this and found the exact paper at Lowe’s but need to know if I have to buy paint too. Reply
Rachael Evans May 23, 2013 I did paint it, I prefer the durability of a semi-gloss paint on top. Reply
Courtney G. June 30, 2013 In my old house, we painted one staircase with oil-based paints, and it held up well even through a major construction project! I think I’m going to try using oil-based paint on the paintable wallpaper!
cher May 23, 2013 I can see this as an idea for a few things that need some help in my home. My door to my garage is scratched to high heaven and I was thinking of using wall decals on it but I like this better. Closet doors and door to the pantry or weathered kitchen island. Eveyone seems so creative. I have a psuedo star type design on my ceilings and when I moved in I didn’t know what it was when I I found a dusty rolll in the garage. So sorry it ended up in the trash. Reply
Brigid Keely August 14, 2013 The front entry of our two flat has embossed/textured wallpaper on the lower half of the walls, framed in beautiful dark stained wood. It’s super durable in that high traffic area. It’s damaged now because someone bashed the wall in a few places (a stroller or grocery basket got out of control I think), but we plan on replacing it with new textured paper because it looks so fab. Reply
Laura Macken August 18, 2013 I love this, I’ve be en thinking about ripping up my stair carpet for a while, but didn’t know what to do other than paint the stairs. All I can say is I’m going to be busy at the weekend, thank you for this wonderful idea Reply
Betty819 September 25, 2013 I have a clothes hammer that we rec’d as a wedding gift, 49 years ago. It needs a makeover and I had planned to spray paint it with a primer and then a coat of white spray paint but last night when I was “tossing & turning” trying to go to sleep, I thought about this type of wallpaper and wondered why it wouldn’t work. There is already a design from the vinyl covering that covers the front and sides from the manufacturer. It would serve the same purpose I think. Worth trying it and if I ever wanted to change the color, that type of wallpaper can be painted. You can purchased that textured wallpaper at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Do you think it would work? The back of the hamper is like wicker so I know spray paint would work on that part.. Probably the spray paint would be less costly? Reply
Dina Westcott January 27, 2014 Hi there. I love this idea. Did you paint the wallpaper first and then stick it on after it dries? Also, with the wall paper only being 20 inches wide, how did you cover the entire riser so seamlessly? Reply
Sub-$30 Stair Sprucer | Amassing Cents February 18, 2014 [...] sites with great tips and pics: Lovely Crafty Home, DIY Network, & [...] Reply