Temporary Wallpaper in a Rented House

charlotte1994

Hi all,

So basically my house looks awful, I'm not really allowed to decorate and I wouldn't like to us I have a bad back and I have no experience in painting. Every wall is woodchip, and the "feature" walls are a poo brown colour (literally:eek:). I was thinking about getting some of the removable wallpaper (like a duck egg blue colour) to cover it up. The rest of the walls are a cream colour, the carpets are a chocolate brown.

My question is - what are your experiences with it? Is it easy to do? Does it leave any sort of residue when we would take it down?

I'm tempted just to ask if we can paint it but as I've said I don't have any experience/it's already so badly painted I don't think it would look great,.

Morbier

Every house I've rented has had a similar problem and every landlord has said 'yes' to my request to decorate. I did it at my own expense and promised not to use colours other than fairly neutral ones. Painting a wall will put just as much strain on your bad back as hanging wallpaper will.

Painting is very easy really, much easier than trying to fix temporary wallpaper. Just make sure you put loads of old sheets on the surrounding floor - drips of paint on carpets or floors can be a devil to clean, especially if they've dried:eek:. I always used to use Dulux paint but have recently started using Wilko's and it's just as good (and cheaper).

Don't buy cheap brushes, mid-range price is best. Clean them thoroughly when you've finished each painting session.

By the way, what IS temporary wallpaper? I've never heard of it!

Fire_Fox

Never heard of temporary wallpaper either.

You cannot just paper over woodchip, you would have to strip and prepare the wall first. Otherwise the bumps will show through/ the new paper won't stick properly. Often woodchip is hiding plaster in poor condition, so stripping is risky. You could end up having to replaster. :eek:

Painting with emulsion is much easier and much lower risk than papering, write and ask for your landlord's consent.

charlotte1994

Many thanks :j I might just paint it then! I don't see why a cool duck egg blue colour would be a problem, it's not like it's going to be hot pink or anything! Plus it'll improve the house.

Temporary wallpaper looks brilliant for renters (with flat walls!) it's basically just massive roll of sticky back plastic. I've seen people use it on their cupboards and it makes all the difference! You just peel it off once you want a change. I didn't want do a full wall and it leave any sort of stickyness.

charlotte1994

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Never heard of temporary wallpaper either.

You cannot just paper over woodchip, you would have to strip and prepare the wall first. Otherwise the bumps will show through/ the new paper won't stick properly. Often woodchip is hiding plaster in poor condition, so stripping is risky. You could end up having to replaster. :eek:

Painting with emulsion is much easier and much lower risk than papering, write and ask for your landlord's consent.

Oh dear! I don't want to do that! I might see if I can get some family to help me paint! I hate this woodchip, it looks awful! I want to smack whoever thought poo brown woodchip would look good!! :rotfl:

peachyprice

Morbier wrote: »

By the way, what IS temporary wallpaper? I've never heard of it!

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Never heard of temporary wallpaper either.

It's this

https://www.diy.com/departments/painting-and-decorating/wallpaper-and-wall-coverings/wallpaper/self-adhesive/_/N-nxxZ1z13sx6

charlotte1994 wrote: »

Hi all,

So basically my house looks awful, I'm not really allowed to decorate and I wouldn't like to us I have a bad back and I have no experience in painting. Every wall is woodchip, and the "feature" walls are a poo brown colour (literally:eek:). I was thinking about getting some of the removable wallpaper (like a duck egg blue colour) to cover it up. The rest of the walls are a cream colour, the carpets are a chocolate brown.

My question is - what are your experiences with it? Is it easy to do? Does it leave any sort of residue when we would take it down?

OP, I read reviews of it online, it seems that over time it can shrink so that you get gaps between the drops and can eventually fall off. I looked at it for my porch as it's such a small area but decided to paint instead. I might get one roll for my daughter when she goes to uni next year, but only if her room is a dreadful colour.

It's also very expensive.

dunroving

charlotte1994 wrote: »

Many thanks :j I might just paint it then! I don't see why a cool duck egg blue colour would be a problem, it's not like it's going to be hot pink or anything! Plus it'll improve the house.

Temporary wallpaper looks brilliant for renters (with flat walls!) it's basically just massive roll of sticky back plastic. I've seen people use it on their cupboards and it makes all the difference! You just peel it off once you want a change. I didn't want do a full wall and it leave any sort of stickyness.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think a lot of people (and therefore landlords) would see anything other than VERY neutral colours as being problematic.

I would definitely get your landlord to agree to whatever colour you use (in writing), otherwise he/she might retain part of your deposit to return the place to its previous state (colour) - even if that colour was dirty when you moved in!

Owain_Moneysaver

Would you be allowed a few small hooks at cornice level and hang voiles etc on rods?

trailingspouse

I've always offered to paint the walls of rental properties, and never been turned down. The first time I did it, the property was perfect except the paint on the walls was in a dreadful state. I negotiated a price reduction of about £35 a month in return for us painting the walls. Two tins of paint and the job was done - and we stayed in that house for 2 years. Negotiating is definitely in my skill set.