We love wallpaper and interior paints...but applying them can be lots of hard work, not to mention a pricey endevour with all of the supplies and labour. So we've put together 10 of our favourite alternative and affordable wall treatment solutions that will give you stylish results on a budget, all below the jump...
Masking tape "painted stripes": Hakarl and Jili decked their dining room in stylish stripes with common masking tape. The subtle yellow against the eggshell white resulted in a sophisticated dining room that nobody would suspect was created with $1.50 masking tape.
How about an aluminum foil treatment? Using glue and a hairdryer/heat gun, you can give your wall details a metallic finish.
Blik wall decals: This is pretty much as simple as it comes. Affordable, non-permanent and available in a wide selection of styles, shapes and colours.
Mod Podge Wall Treatment: an AT reader used tissue paper, mod-podge and cut out images to transform her bland work place bathroom walls into a textured wallscape with lots of personality. Scrapbookers take note!
Newspaper wallpaper: you can use pages from old books, magazines, postcards, greeting cards, sheet music...just about anything...and make your own wallpaper (we personally like old Chinese newspapers because of their use of red inks). Mix some Elmer's Glue and some water, and you can apply knowing you'll be able to remove this treatment later with some some warm water and a sponge.
DIY Bathroom Wall Painting: what to do when you want a high-end wall paper, but only have a low end budget? Get DIY like Eric of modern self, who used painter's masking tape to create his own custom luxury wall finish.
Fabric Wall Treatment: Got some excess fabric on hand? Why not apply it to a wall using a brayer, scissors and liquid starch and bring some warm texture and colour without permanence (good for renters).
Fabric Wall Panels: If the idea above sounds a little too involved, you could always just stretch and mount complimentary fabric panels onto foam core and hang them on the wall using double stick poster tape. It's like FLOR tiles for your wall.
The Rasterbator: We always feel a little bit dirty mentioning The Rasterbator, but it's an easy way to blow up images into huge tiled poster size panels. Some inspiring results here.
Interior chalkboard paint: Want a dramatic and interactive finish to your walls? Chalkboard paint could be great across one large wall (schedule your whole week across it). You can even mix your own concoction at home.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
Very cool! I like the chalkboard one the most!
view ekoshyun's profile
I've had the foam core boards saved for ages and have been shopping for fabrics I like. Especially when you get the weekly flyers and see what's on sale!
I actually plan to put fabric over those pre-stretched canvas pieces you can get at the art store as well. I haven't decided what to paint on them yet, and they're too nice and big to go to waste.
view That70sHeidi's profile
I love the newspaper idea. Ads great "texture" to the wall.
I have a giant Rasterbated image of a classic Airsteam trailer in my home office. Its always one of the first things people comment on in my house. Great way to add artwork to your house on a budget. I glued it to foam core to make it look more finished then just paper put on the wall.
view Monica G's profile
Wouldn't the newspaper ink rub off on you and your furniture?
view spaceagemouse's profile
I was just in Kate's Paperie today and some of the wrapping paper sheets they have are really beautiful... maybe apply a couple of those to the wall and put up some moulding around it. voila.
view eebnyc's profile
The aluminum foil treatment is disturbing.
view southender's profile
I love the fabric panels idea. Not a huge expense and when you get bored with them you can just change them out for different panels.
view roxybaby's profile
A past regular of AT used old embroidery hoops as frames for fabulous remnants of fabric. She mad a wonderful "picture" collage of them on a wall.
view Alana in Canada's profile
Great ideas! Another DIY tip is to use wooden design blocks and block print on the wall.
Bhavna
view AnIndianSummer's profile
I don't know. I'm kinda diggen the aluminum foil idea, but to use on an old dresser I have....
view black_sheep's profile
Great post on wall coverings. I had to smile when I saw the aluminum foil that Beale Lana did for the wainscoting of that stairway. I've been posting them this week and that silver stairway was the first thing I posted about. Very creative.
Karen :)
view Alkemie's profile
Anyone know how to do the foil.. would make a groovy lounge...
view parrishnut's profile
Ha! When I was sixteen I took it upon myself to aluminum foil the tray ceiling in my basement bedroom of my parent's house. I used welding adhesive and a hairdryer....and worked at night, so they never even knew what I was up to. (To my mom's horror) ten years later it's still up there...and still looking fabulous if I do say so myself. I love that AT is justifying this -- gonna have to forward it to mom! :)
view moni-ka in ky's profile
A great spin on the newspaper trick is to use foreign papers - especially those where the language does not use western characters. I used Chinese newspapers and then painted a transparent wash of the whole thing to "age" it and bring the contrast down.
This also works great as a finish to any of the plain wood IKEA furniture (like small drawer and cabinet units).
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Another great non-paint idea that I've done is to use the paint swatches from Home Depot. Granted you need HUNDREDS and they frown if you take the entire display, but I would grab as many as I could from a select colour category whenever I was there.
Then I just glued them on the wall like tiny strips of wall paper. The result had the effect of a low-resolution, pixellated photo.... of a wall! If you're creative you can probably work some sort of design in there too.
view M@'s profile
If the word Rasterbator make you blush, just use
http://www.blockposters.com/
It worked great for the mural in my bedroom:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j218/melissah2/Bedroom.jpg
view TheBestChickEver's profile
i plan on using the rastorbator in my kitchen/dining room big time. i'd really like to know what the best way for sticking them up would be.
view mariegael's profile
Fabric walls in a bathroom? Will steam from a bathroom cause fabric to peel off the walls?
view my_tigerlily's profile
The Rasterbator images would go down in a treat in a contemporary kitchen design and if you're trying to create a unique kitchen, then you know nobody else has the same wall as you. Not sure about Fabric in the bathroom though. Seems like a mess/problem waiting to happen.
view Kitchen Designs's profile