Decorating with Wall Decals: A Fun and Easy DIY Project
If you’re looking for a paint-free (and easy!) way to update a wall space, wall decals are a great option! They’re affordable, easy to apply, and best of all - removable!
I first discovered wall decals several years ago when decorating my youngest daughter’s room. She was 4 years old at the time and had a purple and green garden daisy themed bedroom. Her bedspread was from Pottery Barn Kids - which has always been my go-to for all of my kids’ bedding and furniture. I had personalized wooden letters made to match her bedspread, coordinating gingham curtain panels, and a few other decor items around the room. It still felt like her room was missing something though. That’s when I found the sweetest daisy decals on Etsy that were just what the room needed!
As soon as they arrived, I used painter’s tape to help decide where I wanted to stick them. Once I settled on their positioning, I peeled the backing off and slowly applied them to the walls. I used a smoothing tool (a credit card works too!) to smooth out any air bubbles. The application went quickly and it really added a touch of whimsy and charm to the room's overall aesthetics! A year after that, my daughter decided she wanted her room to be pink (like her big sister’s room) so we simply removed the decals and repainted the room. It was very easy!
Daisy garden decals (pre-application). This is (shockingly) the only photo I have of the daisy decals.
Fast-forward to our current home, in my son’s bedroom, where the theme is majority sports/baseball, I wanted to tie in his favorite Disney movie: Toy Story! We had already painted his walls blue when we moved in and it was the perfect backdrop to recreate the sky from “Andy’s Room”.
I went on the hunt for some cloud decals and thanks to Etsy (again!), I found exactly what I needed. I also found these cool green army men decals to place around the baseboards to up the fun-factor. When they arrived, I grabbed my painter’s tape, a step ladder, a ruler and a level. Measuring out where I wanted each cloud decal, so they would be equally spaced, I then removed the backing and smoothed out any air bubbles. They went up pretty quick once I had the placement markings done. This project did take a little bit longer than the daisies since I measured to keep the spacing consistent. I also used a level to make sure the cloud rows were straight. The army men went up much faster since I did not have to measure or use a level for those.
The result was one cool dual themed room and a very happy little boy!
Here are a few tips for using wall decals:
Choose decals that are the right size and color for your space.
Make sure the surface is clean and dry before applying the decals.
Use painter's tape to mark where you want to place the decals before removing the backing.
Peel the backing off slowly and carefully.
Use a smoothing tool to smooth out any air bubbles.
If you're not happy with the placement of a decal, you can remove it and reposition it!
Shop these wall decals and a few more of my favorites below!
