Before & After: A Renter-Friendly Wallpaper Trick Makes This Bathroom Door the Star

I have a confession to make: When I first toured my apartment, I did not look behind the bathroom door. Rookie move — I know. I was enamored by the large bedroom and ample closet space that I didn’t have in my previous apartment. And, to be frank, the offer was too good to refuse. So I signed the lease and moved in shortly thereafter.

It was then that I realized my mistake. The bathroom door was slightly more closed than it had been on my tour, and, through the reflection in the mirror, I noticed it. The paint on the back of the door was so cracked, peeled, and bubbled, it looked like my skin after a week at the beach (I’m a pale New Yorker who burns easily!). Upon further inspection, I noticed the position of the door meant it was close to the steam heating pole tucked in the corner. My best guess is that the builder-grade paint that was applied some time ago is not very heat-friendly, and therefore, became susceptible to peeling, chipping, and bubbling easily. Nuts!

I was discouraged, but in reality, the paint didn’t bother me too much. However, I found myself increasingly embarrassed by the state of the door when friends and family would comment on it.

Eventually, as my moving punch list wore down, I knew I needed to tackle the problem. But how? 

Replace the door? I’m a renter — not going to spend that kind of money. Power-sand and and repaint? I’m a renter — you think I own power tools?

I decided the best answer was to cover it with wallpaper (peel-and-stick wallpaper because — you guessed it! — I’m a renter). I fell in love with a wallpaper pattern by Chasing Paper that my friends used in one of their bathrooms in their Puerto Vallarta rental property (shout out to Casa Carajillo!). I knew it would provide the right amount of whimsy and distraction that I was looking for. Once I had all of the materials in hand, it was time to get to work.

The biggest challenge was the removal of the paint and getting the door to a place where it felt smooth and even. I’m pretty sure this is the original door to the 100-year-old building, so it’s a veritable Everlasting Gobstopper of paint layers.

It took a lot of elbow grease and questioning why I started this project in the first place. I knew the sanding (by hand) didn’t need to be perfect since it was just going to be covered with a durable wallpaper, and eventually, I got it to a place that I felt good about.

The wallpaper itself was very easy to install. I only needed one roll given the size of the project, so I didn’t need to worry about lining up multiple mermen. And the width of the roll — and its generous overlap of the inner door frame — made it easy to cut around.

Once the wallpaper was up, I decided to give the door and its frame a fresh coat of paint. I used primer and paint that was leftover from when I moved in. This helped keep the project affordable and ultimately renter-friendly. I absolutely love how it turned, and now everyone comments on how fun the door is when they visit.