For many DIYers, wall decals and stickers are a great way to spruce up a room while staying well within budget. But how do you know where to place those decals? Maybe you’ve steered clear of wall decals in the past because you thought locating them in a room is a task best left to the experts. But did you know that arranging and placing wall stickers is easier than you might think?
The bottom line is that placing wall decals really only requires a bit of creativity and the right approach. If you’ve already picked out a wall decal, all you need to do is give this wall decal placing guide a read. After learning about the steps below, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert wall decal placer—no fancy experience required.
Deciding Where to Place a Wall Decal
Choosing the wall decal you want can be tricky in itself. But knowing where to locate that decal can be a hard decision as well. After all, you want to be sure of its location before you even start thinking about how to stick it up there.
Here’s a few tips to help you decide where to put your wall decal. We recommend measuring the decal itself first. Those dimensions will help you understand the type and amount of space you’ll need to properly locate the decal. Your decal could be more square or perhaps more of a rectangular shape, and those characteristics factor into placing the decal for full effect.
Next, you’ll want to measure the space where you want to put the decal. If you’re debating between a few walls, this can help narrow down your options. Having enough space to locate the decal, but also allowing whatever else is on the wall or near it to have space as well can be tricky.
That’s why we also recommend keeping about six inches away from doors, windows, or any other obstacles. You should also avoid corners or edges of the room. Those spaces typically get hidden or overlooked, and you certainly don’t want your decal to hide. If you are placing more than one decal on the same wall or in the same room make sure they are also separated by at least six inches from each other.
One of the best ways to choose the perfect spot for your wall decal is to think about how it will look when you enter the room. You can easily take painter’s tape and mock up where you want the decal; then, leave the room and enter it as if you were taking the whole space in. Do you notice the decal? If you’re not happy with the location, keep trying!
How to Choose Wall Decals for Common Rooms in Your Home
Knowing that you want wall decals and picking out the right decals for each room are two different things. You may know that you want to spruce up a room, but just aren’t sure how. So how can you choose the right wall decals for your home?
Below are guidelines for picking out the perfect decal for practically every room in the house. They’re not set-in-stone rules you should follow, but feel free to take inspiration from them to guide you as you search for decals to bring your walls to life. After all, you always have the final say.
Choosing Wall Decals for the Bedroom
The bedroom can be one of the hardest places when it comes to picking out the perfect decal. Most people consider the bedroom to be a very personal space, where you might spend time alone in a relaxing way. This could be a great way to incorporate your favorite meditations as quotes. Placing them on a wall that you look at each morning when you wake up might be just the right amount of motivation you need to tackle the day.
Alternatively, you might consider the design features already found in your bedroom. What does your bedding material look like? Are there patterns in the curtains or bed pillows that you want to mirror or mimic? Complementing the styling you’ve established in your bedroom with a wall decal certainly adds an extra bit of flair.
How to Choose Kitchen Wall Decals
Decals for the kitchen vary greatly. You can much more easily play with the elements that already exist in your kitchen, at least compared to the bedroom. At the same time, you do want to remember that most kitchens see a lot more moisture, steam, and heat than any other rooms (besides the bathroom). Keep this in mind as you search for a kitchen decal, especially when considering where to place the decal as well.
Kitchen decals can cover a variety of elements. For example, you could pick out your favorite food or foods. Bakers may want to feature certain utensils or components, such as rolling pins, cupcakes, tiered cake silhouettes, etc. If you’re more of a chef than a pastry connoisseur, perhaps you enjoy herbs and spices. These could line the backsplash of your kitchen.
Food often reminds us of family and memories. This is also another approach you could take in the kitchen when it comes to wall decals. Perhaps your grandmother had a favorite saying she would whisper to you as she taught you an old family recipe. You might even consider replicating characteristics of her own kitchen with wall decals. Checkered tiles from times past could be represented in a similar pattern that brings new life to the kitchen table.
Finally, many kitchens prioritize a sense of freshness. This could be your chance to set your own standard and come up with a design that your grandkids remember when they’re old enough to have homes of their own. Express the styling you want, however you please.
The Right Wall Decals for Your Living Room
Family often comprises a part of the living room as well, similar to the kitchen. Your family might gather in the living room to watch television together, play games, or simply talk about what’s happening in your lives. Most living rooms see a lot more living than other rooms in the same house.
Choosing wall decals for the living room can be a great way to invite family in. Sayings can be placed here, as well as different elements that mirror the values your family holds true. Perhaps you want to include your family heritage in the wall decals you place. These could be stylized elements that you find in particular decals that remind you of your ancestry.
If you’re a budding interior decorator or simply want to try your hand, you can also take advantage of the living room as a way to make a statement. This is, after all, the place where you’d be hosting guests and entertaining. Maybe you’d like to bring elements from the kitchen into the living room if they are closely connected. Alternatively, you can also take cues from the furniture in the living room to accent the style already present.
Setting the Mood with Bathroom Wall Decals
Bathrooms hold enormous potential when it comes to wall decals. At the same time, you want to remember that, as we talked about with the kitchen, these wall decals may see more steam and moisture than in other rooms. Keep that in mind as you choose which decals to place—and how long you let the decal set before exposing it to the elements.
Kids typically enjoy bath time, so when they’re a certain age, it can be a fun thing to pick out colorful and dynamic wall decals. These decals might include creatures from the sea, such as crabs, mermaids, or whales. You can also place decals of animals or characters that your children enjoy.
Alternatively, those of you without children might consider the bathroom to be a place of relaxation. It’s a place where you can unwind and let yourself go. Perhaps you choose wall decals that support this pastime, such as calm, soothing tones or images that remind you of relaxing times.
Finally, like with any other room in the house, you can follow a theme as well. If you’ve already chosen a theme for your bathroom, it’s simple. Just pick out wall decals that complement the theme well, in terms of both colors and shapes. Placing a few decals here and there can complete the look, giving the room that extra touch it needed.
Wall Decals for Your Home Office
We typically think of the office as a place to do work and be productive. But sometimes we find our eyes wandering, perhaps in search of inspiration. If you’re looking to make your home office a happier place with some wall decals, here are a few tips.
First off, you want to choose a decal that will be inspiring, but not distracting. Decals that are too bright or catch your eye often may not be the best. You could find yourself day dreaming while staring at the wall decal, rather than working. Choose decals that interest you, but that aren’t going to take your attention way from the task(s) ahead of you.
One way to build motivation into your wall decals in your home office is to highlight your accomplishments. Perhaps you’ve got a diploma or certificate hanging up that describes something you’ve achieved. Place a decorative wall decal around this important piece of paper to remind yourself that you can accomplish your goals.
How to Apply Wall Decals
To help ensure your wall decal sticks and stays there, you’ll first want to start by cleaning the surface. It may seem self-explanatory, but a clean wall will give the decal plenty of area to grab onto when you apply it. Be mindful of the cleaners you use, as some can leave a residue behind. You may need to let the wall dry for a short period of time before applying the decal.
As we mentioned earlier, you can easily take painter’s tape and mock up where you want your wall decal. This is great for fine-tuning the placement. Adjust the decal as desired and mark in pencil where you want it to be. You’ll reference these points when you do apply the decal.
Remove the decal from any backing paper and apply it to the wall. Try to keep your fingers from touching too much of the sticky surface if you can. Use the reference points you made just moments ago to ensure your wall decal is placed where you want it. If your wall decal has several pieces to it, continue to apply the pieces until the decal is complete.
As you apply the decal, try to smooth out any bubbles that may form. Depending on the texturing of the wall you’re using, the decal may or may not sit completely flush. You can use the side of your hand to smooth down the decal, or any other flexible, flat tool such as a squeegee. Go over each part of the decal a few times to ensure it has completely adhered to the wall surface. Your decal is now installed!
More Tips on Applying Wall Decals
Most wall decals are meant to peel and stick onto a surface to live there until they don’t. But if you’re looking for that extra challenge, you can easily use wall decals to paint custom shapes and images onto the walls surrounding your life.
One way to customize a room using wall decals is to use them like a sticker. If you want the decal shapes to be a certain color, but don’t want to leave the decals themselves on the wall, you can accomplish that.
First, paint the area where you want the decal the color you want the decal to be. For example, if you want the decal to be the sun, paint a section yellow. Let it dry completely and then apply the decal. Then, after the decal has set, paint over it and the rest of the room with the final color you want it to be. You can remove the decal after that to reveal the first color beneath. The decal allows you to have clean lines and a definable shape.
You may also want to apply a decal to surfaces such as bathroom or glass tiles, wood paneling, or in outdoor applications. These special surfaces may require a different approach, depending on what you’re sticking the decal to. Just remember that when you do apply the decal, it will need as much of a textured surface as possible to stick. We recommend you practice applying the decal to a similar surface as your final project before using the real decal itself.
How to Remove Wall Decals
Wall decals are meant to stick on well, so it might seem like they’d be hard to remove. In fact, you might be worried that you could damage your paint if you remove your wall decals the wrong way.
The truth of the matter is that wall decals aren’t much harder to remove than your average sticker. While it does take a bit of patience and skill, it’s easier than you think to remove wall decals from your home. The only way you might remove paint from your walls is if you remove the decal too fast or if the paint beneath the decal wasn’t dried completely before the decal was applied.
The first step in removing your decal is to find a corner or edge that you can peel up with a fingernail. We don’t recommend you use razor blades or plastic squeegees, as they can do more damage to your walls than the decal will. Use your fingernails to gently pull the decal from the wall, tugging away from the wall at about a 45-degree angle. You don’t want to pull the decal back on itself, as this can cause it to stretch and break.
You should also keep tension close to the peeling edge of the decal. Too much tension too far away from that peeling edge will cause the decal material to break as well. If you do have any remaining residue from the decal, use glass cleaner (such as Windex) to gently scrub the area.
If you are removing a wall decal from a window, it’s much easier to use a razor blade to peel up any edges or leftover decal. Razor blades can remove residue as well, but even just some glass cleaner and a bit of elbow grease will remove residue, too.
Conclusion
Wall decals are meant to bring personality to any space. At the same time, they can be intimidating if you’re not sure what to do when placing them. We hope this guide has helped you to realize that you don’t need much to place a wall decal. Plus, the beauty of the decal itself is that you can easily remove it and re-stick it as you please. You can also take it off completely and put another, new decal on instead. The possibilities are only as endless as you let them be.
What experience do you have placing wall decals? Share your thoughts and tricks below!