Wallpaper is back, better than ever

May 23, 2024

Over the years, wallpaper has been all the rage. Step into a house renovated from the 1950s to early 1990s, there is probably a lot of wallpaper. Current generations remember the sticky, smelly glue that soaked into your sheetrock and ruined anything it touched. As we turned into the mid-to-late ’90s, wallpaper began to fall out of favor.

Homeowners began ripping it down, dealing with the price tag-like paper that left glue everywhere. They steamed, they scraped, they wet the walls with wallpaper stripper — anything that would help peel the stubborn paper and glue off.

Nowadays, wallpaper is back and better than ever.

The new wallpaper does not apply the same way as it used to. There are two methods in which wallpaper can be applied. Either paste the wall or peel and stick. It used to be that the installer had to soak the paper to activate the adhesive.

Peel and stick is the most commonly used; it is like using a sticker. Paste the walls is used for more heavy, high-quality wallpapers with a nonwoven backing. You apply the glue to the wall and then hang the dry paper. You can then adjust the paper and smooth it out as needed before it dries.

The best part? Peel and stick wallpaper can often be reused. Wallpaper that has a nonwoven backing can be peel off dry and leave behind some spots of glue that can be washed off with soapy water. The important thing about modern wallpaper is proper preparation of the walls prior to application. Make sure paint is dry and the walls are clean before you apply it.

Beside the changes in application, wallpaper is now accepted and encouraged in the interior design world.

“Wallpaper is a great way to add drama to a space,” Kellie Burke of Kellie Burke Interiors said. “It adds that artistic flare that a piece of art would bring to a space.”

Whether an accent wall or a whole room, wallpaper is a way to add individuality into a space. Individuality and bold colors are both trending for 2023.

“We are also loving the reinvented granny florals that were such a trend in the ’80s,” Burke said. “Layering of the same pattern on drapery, upholstery and walls is magic and warms up a space.”

When looking at your space and considering what to do, or while questioning a choice, Burke said to go for it.

“Dare to be bold,” she said.