Decoupage A Wall With Vintage Book Pages

Create your own one-off wallpaper

Posted by Gabriela Szulman

About

This is an extremely cost-effective way of creating a feature wall. The main skill you'll need here is patience, as it can take quite a while to complete a whole wall!

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You Will Need (10 things)

  • Vintage Book or books: I recommend pre-1960s dictionaries or encyclopaedias but you can use anything you like the look of
  • Ready-mixed Wallpaper Paste
  • Wallpaper brush
  • Sponge
  • Paper Towels
  • Scalpel
  • Cutting Mat
  • Measuring Tape or metal ruler
  • Spirit Level
  • Pencil

Steps (5 steps, 720 minutes)

  1. 1

    If possible choose a book which is no longer "usable" - my dictionary was already missing lots of pages so it didn't serve its intended purpose any more. I am a fan of the vintage look but another reason why older book pages are appropriate for this sort of project is that they tend to be more porous and therefore easier to glue.

  2. 2

    Measure the wall and work out how many pages you will need to cover it. Trim all the pages to the same size using a scalpel.

  3. 3

    Mark horizontal and vertical lines to guide you using the measuring tape or ruler and spirit level. Start on the bottom corner of your wall: apply wallpaper paste, then place a page and flatten it taking care of eliminating any wrinkles or air bubbles with a damp sponge. Clean up any paste spills with a paper towel as you go along.

  4. 4

    You can follow a grid pattern or stagger the pages - the latter option is slightly easier and therefore recommended for beginners. I speak from experience as I chose to follow a grid on the first wall I decoupaged!

  5. 5

    If the book pages you've chosen are not uniform, either because they come from different books or feature both text and illustration as mine did, make sure they are evenly distributed across the wall. Once you've finished, allow the paper to dry thoroughly before replacing any furniture or hanging pictures.