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$10 DIY Temporary Wallpaper or Window Film!

PROJECT: A cheap, easy, chemical-free (if you care about that sorta thing) and REMOVABLE (!!!) alternative to wallpaper and/or privacy window film! This can be applied in less than 30 minutes to walls, windows, cabinets, shelves, doors, or anywhere else, and can be easily removed (even if it’s months or years later) with absolutely no residue or damage left behind. Sold yet?

MATERIALS:

Fabric of your choice - preferably thin, light fabrics like linen, cotton, etc. You’ll want enough to cover your desired area. The project you see above used roughly 3 yards of fabric at $2.50/yard!

Corn Starch - $2/container

Paintbrush - Any size! $1

Cold Water & Boiling Water

A bowl to mix it all in (I’ll assume you have this)

Spoon (for stirrin’ stuff!)

Optional: a friend (I don’t count)

COST: Pending the size of the area covered, it can be as little as $5! The project you see above was $10.50!

LET’S GET STARTED!

STEP 1: PICK A FABRIC AND PREP YOUR AREA

Figure out how much fabric you’ll need by measuring the area you want covered. In my case, it was my big glass doors that were totally lacking in privacy. Once you have the measurements, choose a cute fabric! Before starting the next steps, wash up your area with some water, standard cleaner, or alcohol. The cleaner the canvas, the smoother the stick!

Note: if the area you are covering is very large (larger than the width of the bolt your fabric was cut from), you may need to use more than one piece of fabric. That’s totally fine! Just try to put them edge-to-edge or slightly overlapping, and the results will be barely noticeable if at all. :)

STEP 2: MIX YOUR ADHESIVE

“What adhesive?” perhaps you are asking. Here’s the skinny: Corn Starch has been used as an alternative to glue for YEARS. Like a totally awesome secret hack to sticking stuff to other stuff on the cheap. The best part is that it’s safe for pets and people, doesn’t damage any surfaces, dries completely transparent, and can be wiped away with nothing but water! Neat. right? Anyways, here’s how to prep your adhesive:

Mix 4 tbs corn starch with 6 tbs cold water and stir until blended. Mix in 2 cups of boiling water and it should instantly gel up into this lovely soupy goo!

STEP 3: LEARN KARATE PAINT IT ON!

Use a paint brush to apply a thick coat (but not too runny, or you’ll make a mess) of the starch goop to the surface you want the fabric to stick to. No need to rush - it doesn't dry instantly or anything, so give your mix a sec to cool down before applying.

STEP 4: DO THE THING

(This is the part where a friend is helpful.) Push your fabric onto the goop and line it up with your surface. Once it's stuck, use a credit card or your hands to push out all the air bubbles. (Admittedly, I messed this part up so I'll have some bubbles, but I didn’t know this was gonna be on a blog someday so...)

If you’re applying more than 1 piece of fabric, just line ‘em up! Now is the time to adjust the positioning so everything is where you want it.

THAT’S IT! YOU’RE DONE! LET DRY AND ENJOY!

… Or, try these optional steps to make it even better:

Optional: Trim excess fabric and touch up corners

If you, like me, used an overly large piece of fabric to make the application super fool-proof, now is a good time to go around the edges with a box cutter or some scissors to clean up. If you (also like me) didn’t quite apply enough starch goo to the edges, go ahead and paint on some extra! Don’t worry about over-saturating the fabric or surface under it - the adhesive is totally safe and dries 100% clear!

Optional: Add another adhesive layer for protection

If the area you’re covering sees a lot of action, paint another layer of starch goop over the applied fabric to make sure it’s an extra solid stick.

Optional: Add a design layer

If you’re using this method on a wall or area that might be suited for some creative flair, you can apply more fabric scraps or cut-out designs onto this base using the same method to make cute customized art, spell out words, or anything else your imagination cooks up!

TO REMOVE:

Totally regret that loud patterned fabric? Not letting enough light in, or letting TOO MUCH light in? Moving out of your rental? No problem! To remove the fabric, just use a spray bottle or sponge to get it nice and damp. Peel it off like a big satisfying Band-Aid, and go over the area with some warm water (or a multipurpose cleaner if that’s your jam) and the starch will wipe away effortlessly! You can then toss the fabric pieces in the wash and re-apply them or just... idk, have some cool fabric. You do you! Thanks for reading!