Must-Have Guide to Wallpaper Is Super Helpful For Beginners

Are you scared of wallpaper? Have you heard terrifying tales about how tricky it is to put up? Yeah, most of us have been there at one point or another and it might have been enough to scare you off even trying. Luckily TikTok creator Melissa Ashley Meares has swooped in to save the day with her must-have guide to wallpaper that might just make you rethink the problems with papering your walls.

Here's the lowdown on wallpaper. Melissa shares that it comes in three basic types—peel and stick, pre-pasted, and paste the wall. Each has its quirks, but don’t worry, we’re here to break them down for you so you can pick the one that’s right for you.

Is Peel and Stick Wallpaper Good For Beginners?

To start, Melissa says that peel and stick is essentially how it reads on the tin. You're pretty much working with a giant sticker, and there can be some downsides to that, especially if you are just getting started. It can be hard to apply, and you can't move it around as much once it’s on the wall, so if you don't have your edges lined up perfectly, you'll have to remove it and re-stick it to get it right. Not to scare you off because Melissa says it isn't hard to use, it can just get frustrating - especially if you aren't used to the process!

Related: Clever Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper Hack Saves DIYers So Much Time

Pre-pasted is the next type of wallpaper , and this has glue already on the backside that just needs to be activated. But Melissa says don’t just dunk it in your bathtub… instead, grab a wet paint roller and run that along the back. Slap it up on your wall, and you can slide it around until you get it just right. This type is a bit more forgiving, and you get some wiggle room to align your wallpaper perfectly.

Finally, paste the wall is Melissa’s favorite, though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. You simply have to mix up the paste yourself, then slap it up on the wall before applying your wallpaper. You can easily slide the wallpaper around and don’t have to deal with wet, messy drips everywhere. Melissa says this is her choice for beginners. You get more control, and its less sticky business compared to peel and stick. Plus, who doesn’t love playing with paste?

One extra thing Melissa shares as a tip for beginners is to make sure you are changing out your razor blade constantly—as in, with every single sheet! If your razor is even the slightest bit dull, you are going to tear rather than cut your paper, and that just isn’t the look we are going for here. Fresh blade, fresh cut, fresh look. Simple as that!

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