Guest Room, In Progress, Rental Remedies

Guest Room, Part 3: Temporary Wallpaper for an Accent Wall

FYI: I was not compensated for using, or writing about, Tempaper.  I bought it with my own money because I wanted to see if it was a good option for renters.

Do you ever gather the supplies needed for a DIY or decor project, then procrastinate on tackling it out of fear that it won’t go well?  That’s exactly what I did with the Tempaper that I ordered for my guest room makeover . . . way back in October.  Then late one night during the holidays, Ryan and I cleared out the room and I determined that it was time to dive in. After all, that paper wasn’t going to hang itself!

Have you heard of Tempaper, a temporary removable wallpaper?  I thought it would be good to test out a roll of it in the house, since it appears to be an excellent temporary wallpaper option for renters.

Tempaper Rental Friendly Wallpaper Frosted Teal

I pulled Ryan away from the new Star Wars game just long enough to help me clear out the room, then I got to work.

For the guest room I ordered one roll of Tempaper’s Edie pattern in Frosted Teal.  I hoped the single roll would cover the small back wall (left wall in photo above) of the guest room, creating an accent wall behind the bed frames.

I laid down my large sewing cutting mat, and used my rotary cutter and clear ruler to cut the Tempaper.  The combo of the cutting mat and long clear ruler helped me to measure and make super-straight cuts.

Cut tempaper to hang on apartment walls

A note of caution:  Either I received a defective roll, or the Tempaper material scratches easily, because shortly after rolling the first part out flat to cut, I noticed this long white scratch on it.

Tempaper Wallpaper Durability Question

I started hanging the Tempaper on the right side of the wall, working my way left across it.

Hanging Tempaper removable wallpaper

After the first length was successfully hung, I got worried that the single roll may not cover the entire accent wall.  (Yes, I should have figured this out before starting – it’s just that the wall is so small that I was sure one roll would be enough!)   Knowing how long the first piece was, I did some quick measuring, and found that I would come up about 3/4 of one strip short of covering the whole wall.

Crap.  I was determined to get the Tempaper hung and done, and more importantly, I wasn’t going to shell out another $85 for another roll, most of which I wouldn’t need.

The solution?  I decided I could stretch the single roll of wallpaper and make it work.

Two large headboards of the two beds I’m modifying would be sitting against this accent wall, and there is no other possible furniture layout for them in this small space.  Therefore, I wouldn’t have to totally cover the parts of the wall that would be blocked by the headboards.

I measured the headboards, and the areas that they’d cover, then marked it on the wall with painters tape.

Hanging Tempaper

I hung the second sheet of wallpaper and stopped at the tape line – which saved me a good 20 inches of paper.

In the photo below you can see the part of the wall that is not covered by the second Tempaper strip. However, when the mattress is on the bed frame, the blank area won’t be visible.

Tempaper Coverage

 I continued the hanging process until I covered the entire wall – or the entire exposed area, at least.

Tempaper Rental Removable Wallpaper

I know the exposed areas are going to be covered by the headboards, but I have to admit – the incomplete wall coverage is driving me crazy every time I see it, and every time I look at these photos!  I wish the roll had been just a bit longer.  Is it too much to ask that one roll cover a simple 10 ft x 8 ft wall?

I’m going to post my official “review” of the pros & cons of Tempaper, but I want to do that separately from this guest room progress update.

Have you ever used Tempaper?

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23 Comments

  • Reply Stephanie Folbert at 8:48 am

    It is very pretty.  The blank areas would drive me nuts too.  In fact, just knowing they are there, behind the headboard  would probably drive me nuts even when the room was done 😛  

    • Reply Jane @ The Borrowed Abode at 9:03 am

      I know, it’s a tough call for me, the extra $85 vs. the being driven nuts!! I’m going to try and just ignore, it, and repeat “it doesn’t have to be perfect to be cozy!”

  • Reply Ashley at 9:13 am

    I can’t wait for your review of Tempaper! I want to add some wallpaper to our house but the sweetheart is refusing… since the wallpaper that was in the house already (we’re talking several layers and coats of paint on each wall) has been such pain. But I may be able to convince him of this… well maybe.

  • Reply Sarah Bagley at 10:25 am

    Whoa!  I love it.  I think it makes the space look rich.  It would drive me nuts, too, to have those small patches un-papered.  But, I think once you get everything in there, it will feel complete.  I think it’s lovely!

  • Reply Anonymous at 1:10 pm

    The pattern is pretty, and although it looks weird now, I’m sure you’ll fix it so it looks great with the beds against the wall. 

  • Reply jenn@ahomeinthemaking at 1:13 pm

    I looks great! It will so nice when the beds are back in place … but I hear you. It would totally bother me too 😉

  • Reply Loren Cline at 2:52 pm

    When those blank spots are covered I’m sure it’ll look great! I love a dark accent wall in a room. I think the pattern you chose is elegant and relaxing too. I’ve seen some other bloggers use Tempaper and they all seemed to agree that it was kind of expensive, but basically awesome. Looking forward to seeing your opinions as well. I might be redecorating our spare room to be an office soon so I’m keeping my mind open for some renter ideas.

  • Reply jenn at 10:03 pm

    you could paint those blank areas a dark teal to match the wallpaper, then it won’t stand out as much!

    • Reply Jane @ The Borrowed Abode at 10:21 pm

      Dude, after I wrote today’s post I was thinking the exact same thing! Thanks, because this shows me it’s not a ridiculous idea 🙂

      • Reply Deerie24 at 8:05 am

        If it is actually removable then maybe you could cut some off the bottom and adjust so that the bottom 20 inches on the entire wall is just paint and there is wallpaper all over above that.. the bottom 20 in will be covered by the beds and night stands etc. anyway..

  • Reply Amanda B at 6:57 am

    I am sure this is only available in the States as we seem to miss out on so much good stuff here in Australia but this would be perfect for our rental.. as the walls are horrid! Love the colour and cant wait to see what covers etc you put on the beds.. 

    • Reply Exoticgoods at 5:47 am

      hi amanda, i too struggle with renting here in australia, sydney and the lack of great cheapish products to use, do you have any suggestions or anything you may have found, could you email me, exoticgoods@gmail.com, and thanks borrowed abode, for some brilliant inspiration, albeit, unattainable most times but still great to read

    • Reply Tempaper at 12:02 pm

      Amanda, we can ship directly to you! Please contact info@tempaperdesigns.com. We also have an Australian dealer that you can contact directly-

      Image Superstore690 Elizabeth StreetMelbourne VIC 3000AUSTRALIA+61 403905400

  • Reply Meghan at 2:46 pm

    I’m watching the Nate Berkus show right now and this exact wallpaper is being featured in the living room of a 400+ sq. foot apartment. I yelled at the TV, “That’s Jane’s wallpaper!”

    • Reply Jane @ The Borrowed Abode at 3:51 pm

      DUDE! That is so freakin’ awesome. A – that it was featured. B – that someone I’ve never met yelled at their TV “That’s Jane’s Wallpaper!” The fact that a blog reader is yelling about my design choices makes me feel legit! So thank you for making me smile today and for making me feel like an “official” blogger. 🙂

      Yeah, I’m aware I’m a total dork.

  • Reply A Thorough Review & Tips on Decorating With Tempaper | The Borrowed Abode at 2:22 pm

    […] Yesterday, I got an awesome comment from Meghan, letting me know that Nate Berkus featured “my” Tempaper on his show.  Not only did her comment crack me up, it reminded me that I owed you guys an official review of this temporary wallpaper that I applied to my guest room wall. […]

  • Reply The Waiting Game: Furniture in Progress | The Borrowed Abode at 2:40 pm

    […] Exhibit B, the twin bed frames for the guest room. […]

  • Reply Guest Room, Part 5: Chevron Upholstered Bed Frames | The Borrowed Abode at 9:56 am

    […] just there so I can see how the warm gold color  works with the dark teal of the chevron and the Tempaper accent wall.  I like it, and can’t wait to sew some custom pillows and accessories for the space to […]

  • Reply Britneydarnell at 8:39 pm

    Jane, how did you get the Tempaper to line up perfectly? Do you have to cut it into strips or do they come in strips for you? I am purchasing this paper after receiving a sample and loved how it looked on your wall!

    • Reply Jane @ The Borrowed Abode at 9:02 pm

      Hey Britney! The tempaper comes in rolls that are around 2 or 3 ft wide. It was tough to get it to line up perfectly but I basically stuck it to the top of the wall and stood back to see if it hung straight and if so then I pressed the rest of it onto the wall. I hope that makes sense…or did you mean getting the pattern to line up? If that’s what you mean…I didn’t try to line it up at all. I didn’t want to waste paper. Hope this helps! 🙂

  • Reply You asked, I answered: White on off-white in a rented apartment?The Borrowed Abode | The Borrowed Abode at 4:18 pm

    […] I installed the bold teal Tempaper accent wall and set up the white bed frames against it, I realized that my plan to paint the other three walls […]

  • Reply How to Create an Accent Wall in Your Apartment | Marquette Management at 9:06 am

    […] can really make your accent wall stand out with the addition of temporary wallpaper, which comes in a wide variety of colors, patterns, designs, and […]

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