Just like every other wallpaper, the wallpaper in your home also has a finite life, and it is best for you to recognize that element and make pertinent plans to recycle or reuse it when the time comes. The wallpaper on your wall can be used for a lot more than just simple design or aesthetics. While most wallpapers come with a finite life, you can extend that life by re-using part or all of the wallpaper!
We’ve researched various methods of re-using old wallpaper and have some ideas for you! These include –
- Decorating picture frames
- Covering a bed’s headboard
- Using wallpaper as framed wall art
- Giving old doors a fresh look
- Decoring shelves
- Protecting books – with style!
- Adding Wallpaper Accents to Stair Rises
- Wrapping Presents
- Temporary decorating a “photography room”
Keep reading as we explain more about why you should re-use wallpaper, what types are easiest to recycle and re-use and elaborate on the 9 ways in which you can re-use old wallpaper.
Why Re-use Wallpaper?
Wallpapers come in many colors, patterns, and themes. They allow you to easily transform huge surfaces – your walls – into a work of art that perfectly matches your overall theme and color scheme.
When it’s time for renovating a room and getting a fresh look, it’s often time for the wallpaper to be taken off the walls and replaced with another design.
But what to do with all of that old wallpaper you just removed?
That would depend on the type of wallpaper you used. With old-fashioned glued wallpaper, you will probably have to tear it apart during the removal process. That means there won’t be a whole lot to do with the removed paper, other than get rid of it appropriately.
Can you recycle the wallpaper?
Yes. And you should.
Try to separate the wallpaper itself from other debris you might get while renovating. Assuming this is not the peel-and-stick removable variety, you should have a pile of what is basically old paper on your hands. That can be recycled just like any other type of paper.
Removable wallpaper? Let’s re-use!
Re-using products is much better in terms of helping the environment. As you send anything to be recycled, it’s going to take further resources to achieve that – including water and electricity. It’s better than turning it into a pile of trash but it’s still not an ideal solution.
Re-using is the real eco-friendly solution. And fortunately, you can do that with wallpaper. If at all possible, choose a removable wallpaper, to begin with. That would be the best type of wallpaper for you to work with on future projects.
And this is where we come in!
9 Cool ways to re-use wallpaper
By following the methods below you’re not only saving the money you spent on buying these wallpapers but are also ensuring that the aesthetics of your home remain intact at all times and that you get the full value of the wallpaper.
1. Covering Picture Frames
Material from old wallpapers can be used as a good option for picture frames. Since the design on most wallpapers is quite captivating and attractive, the picture frames you make out of them would obviously be the same as well. Picture frames can really add to the aesthetics of any room, and you can further augment their beauty by positioning beautiful pictures of yourself and your family for added appeal.
The key to good aesthetics inside your home is to mix and match well. By using wallpapers that were previously in place, you’re using a tried and tested formula for making your interior space look better. The picture frames would complement the living area of your home, and make it even better than what it is currently.
All you need is a pair of scissors and an idea of the shape you would want to achieve for your frame. With these two in hand and in mind, you can proceed to get the perfect design made.
2. Decorating the Bed Headboard
Bed headboards usually look boring and weird because of the tinge of woodiness to them. The brown color of wood only looks good in certain situations, other than which it doesn’t really appeal much.
If you feel that the headboard of your bed needs a revamp, then you can go with using already used wallpapers on your bed’s headboard.
The end result would look extremely appealing and would bring the best out of your bed. Not only will your bed look better, but you will now have the chance to sleep like true royalty.
3. Wallpaper as framed wall art
We have already talked about how beautiful reused wallpapers would look as material for picture frames. But, you can also experiment further to display wallpaper art through reused and old picture frames.
Wallpaper art is extremely underappreciated and works well to complement the aesthetics of your home. You can add to the beauty inside your living room, by presenting amazing wallpaper art in the form of a picture frame.
Not only would you be reusing a picture frame here, but you would also be getting the most out of the used wallpaper. This idea is a perfect example of killing two birds with one stone.
4. Decorate Interior Doors
The doors inside your home do not have to look all bland and discolored at all times. A wallpaper that has been used on the walls, can be reused or recycled as material for your interior doors. We cannot write enough about how important it is to cover the doors in your home with the right wallpaper material. With the correct wallpaper material you can ensure that the door looks good and that anyone who comes to your home is impressed with the material on view on the doors.
Additionally, since the doors inside your home usually don’t have much art or woodwork or glasswork done on them, you can add these wallpapers on them to get the best aesthetic results through. This would make your home look beautiful and unique in a special manner.
5. Decorate Shelves
You can always cut material from the wallpapers you have used to make material for your storage shelves. The storage shelves inside your home should be taken care off at all times so that they look good and aesthetic.
You can add to the aesthetics of these storage shelves, by placing cuttings from old and used wallpapers on them. By adding such cuttings you would not only be adding to the beauty of the storage shelves, but would also be recycling the wallpapers that were part of your life for so long.
Storage shelves are usually neglected by most homeowners, but you can make sure that you take care of them by making them even better through the use of wallpaper designs.
Decorative shelves can use a boost too!
Just like we change the tone and the color radiance for the walls, one should also look after shelves and take good care of their aesthetics. A good shelve will not only capture people’s attention, but it will also help set your home apart from the rest.
It is the attention that you show towards these minor items that make your home look aesthetically beautiful. And, what better way to use the leftover wallpapers than to recycle them into perfect materials for the inside of your shelves.
6. Protect Books
We are surprised no one has ever thought of this before, but this is a really cool idea that you can implement at any given time once the wallpapers in your home reach their finite life. The wallpapers you have can be reused or recycled as fancy book covers for the books you have.
The books you have should be protected at all costs, and you should ensure that they look at their best form at all times. Oftentimes books tend to suffer from deterioration and are left with torn book covers and other damages. You can stop that from happening by getting fancy book covers that look good on the book.
Just measure the size of the book you want to wrap, and cut the required piece out of your wallpaper. Once cut, wrap the piece across the book and have a revamped reading experience with the aesthetics of a new book in your hand.
7. Add Wallpaper Accents to Stair Rises
The addition of color and design to stair rises always catches our attention. This is just something that we cannot possibly ignore.
You can spice up the look of your stair rises by adding wallpaper accents to them. Use whatever you have left from the used wallpaper, and stick them to the gap in your staircase.
These colorful stair rises would look perfect from ground level and would present even better aesthetics for someone climbing up the stairs. The end result would be worth cherishing and you would enjoy it.
What you can do here is, maintain a monotonous color tone across the stairs. If you are going for green wallpaper on one stair rise, make sure that you stick with the same across the whole staircase. The end result would look even better and aesthetical if a monotonous color tone has been used.
8. Wrap Presents
We are sure many homeowners are already trying this, but there is something certainly enchanting about wrapping presents within reused wallpaper cuttings. You can cut the wallpaper you have left with you and make sizable wrapping papers out of it. Once you have the wrapping paper with you, you can use it to get the best result out of your gifts.
Give a gift of pure love and brilliance to those that matter in your life. Reused wallpapers would not just add to the beauty of the gift, but will make it stands out in the crowd of other gifts.
Your wallpaper wrapping will be different from what normal wrapping papers are like, which is why you are bound to get the desired recognition and attention from whomever you are presenting the gift to.
Be clever and use all of your supplies and items within the home to good effect. Start by following these methods of reusing and recycling used wallpapers.
9. Use Wallpaper for Photography Room
This one is more for photography fans. If you have a room in the house which you use as your makeshift studio, you can create smaller sections of walls as backdrops for your photos – and decorate them with different types of wallpaper.
The reused wallpapers would not only look good in that space, but they will also create a wonderful backdrop for the pictures you are planning to take within the room.
In Summary
There are many ways in which you can use old wallpaper which you had removed from a room. Get creative! You can add color and beauty to your home while helping Mother Earth too!