This Renter Wallpapered Her Entryway Floor

Medina and her husband Vince inherited a bunch of not-so-lovely features when they moved into their current rental, yet creatively find ways to make them work. One prime example: the flooring in their tiny entryway was a dreary brown laminate, and years of use left it seriously scratched up. Medina turned to a surprising material to help transform the space.

She wallpapered the floor!

From Medina: I actually used a wallpaper with an adhesive backing in this tutorial. It’s known as contact paper in the U.S. but here in the UK we often refer to it as Fablon or sticky back vinyl. If you are using standard wallpaper without a sticky back, you’ll need PVA (modpodge glue) or wallpaper glue to stick it down.

The key, she says, is to make sure you have a nice, flat surface. She also doesn’t recommend doing a large room —stick to smaller spaces like a laundry room or entryway. After it’s laid, you’ll coat the wallpaper with varnish thoroughly, then leave it to dry for the recommended amount of time.

You can see the full tutorial, with all the steps and photos, over on her website Grillo Designs.

Worried about it coming up? She says that you shouldn’t be. This is not the first time Medina’s tried this technique —the last time was in a laundry room in a former rental. And she was able to pull it right up when she wasn’t happy with all the air bubbles on her first attempt. When she moves out this time, she’ll use a little bit of heat to loosen the adhesive and pull up the paper.

Medina did this most recent entryway project late last year, so I checked in with her to see how it was holding up. She says it’s doing just fine and is just like any other floor in terms of cleaning. One caveat: since it’s a white surface, she mops it daily so it looks clean and shiny all the time.

Interested in what else Medina’s up to lately? Check her out on Instagram, where she shares all her latest happenings.