Do It Yourself Tuesdays: Vinyl Wall Art
September 1, 2009 Posted in Cool Stuff
A few weeks ago, I packed up everything I own into a compact yellow truck and drove halfway across the country to unload it all and dump it in a new place. I started fantasizing about decorating ideas for my new pad long before I got here (like on the million-hour drive), and one of the things I was most into was vinyl wall art. It’s unique, it’s removable and it’s just pretty damn sweet, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want a a pretty peacock, an intimidating toilet seat (on Etsy, of course), or some gorgeous bamboo trees adorning their walls.
But at $30-$150+ a pop, all I could afford were sad little 6″ tall animals, and I wasn’t about to shell out a bundle for something I was pretty sure I could do myself.
Turns out I could! And it’s even easier and cheaper than I thought. These wall-art companies must be fleecing people! Stop them by doing it all yourself.
Here’s what you need:
- Scissors
- Clear tape (optional)
- A marker
- Self-adhesive vinyl ConTact paper (Note: This is cheap and available by the yard in a variety of colors at almost all hardware stores.)
And here’s what you do:
1. Plan your design or designs before you start cutting. When you know what you want, draw a rough outline on the back of the ConTact paper. My flower is symmetrical, but if you have something asymmetrical, make sure to draw it REVERSED to how you want it to show up on the wall. Example: If you want your leaf sticking out to the left, draw it sticking out to the right on your ConTact paper.
2. Cut out your design.
3. Find a nice spot on the wall and GRADUALLY peel away the paper as you stick on the design. It will become complicated and stick to itself if you peel off all the paper before putting on the design.
4. Step back and admire your artistry.
For a few more details, larger-scale art, and mind-blowing pictures, check out this Instructable on the same topic.
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Lauren H- The New Sc says:
Tue, 1st Sep 200912:22 pm
This is absolute sweetness! I have been loving some of the cool new vinyl wall art out there but it's way too expensive (and often has to be custom made!) This is much cooler and more personal! I'm going to buy some contact paper!
emily says:
Tue, 1st Sep 20091:04 pm
this is great! are these fairly hard to remove if you decide you dont like it?
Carly says:
Tue, 1st Sep 20091:21 pm
Emily, they are crazy easy to remove. They're less sticky than tape (but stay on the wall very well). The clear tape thing you need in the list above is in case your design starts peeling off–you can secure it with tape. But you can take these off and restick them anywhere you like, whenever you like. They won't leave any marks in 99.9% of walls, but you should check on a little-seen wall first just in case.
S says:
Tue, 1st Sep 20095:44 pm
You can also use the old school sticky neon textbook covers we all once used in elementary school. They come in a million colors at staples or office max and they can be removed and placed over and over again.
Jen says:
Wed, 2nd Sep 20093:19 am
Hi Carly, I thought your readers would like this.
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To see the video and to grow your own go to http://www.ticklemeplant.com
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Savannah says:
Thu, 3rd Sep 20092:09 pm
I have the eiffel tower on my wall love those!