Thrifty Bathroom Makeover- Faux Wallpaper

Hey you!  It has been a minute since I have sat down and delivered a blog post, but I am happy to be back at it!  If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably know we have relocated back to Michigan, and I have been on a mission to make our 1930's Colonial "our" home.  And like many of you, going on month two of quarantine has my head spinning.  I am constantly throwing ideas around in my head of what we can or should do in each room of our house but am often left feeling defeated because well, money.  ​

(Oh, and if you aren't following me on the 'ol IG then you should be! Click Here)  

As many of you are aware, wallpaper has made a huge comeback since the 90's and is such an awesome way to make a bold statement in a space, but it can be e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e!  Not only is it pricey, but I for one am not ready to attempt installing said wallpaper unless it is on a straight, blank, windowless wall and then maybe, just maybeee I will think about it. 

Although I may not be up for installing the paper myself, I am constantly looking at different patterns and ideas because I just love the impact it makes.  Luckily being on lockdown got my creative juices flowing and I thought to myself, "I could just paint that".  So that's what I did.  I hand painted faux wallpaper onto our tiny bathroom walls. The entire process took me about 2.5 hours to do and get this- I did it for under THREE dollars. Take that, wallpaper.

(all source and paint colors listed at the end of this post.)

BEFORE

AFTER

What I used:

1. Foam paintbrushes (3 inch, 2 inch & 1 inch) I bought these at our local hardware store because they were offering curbside pickup due to the Coronavirus but I often see packs of these at the dollar store!  I mainly used the 3 inch once.
2. Paint of your choice (I used a leftover can that my sister had laying around)
3. A paper plate (this is what I put the paint on and dipped my brush into)
4. A pack of baby wipes (or wet rag)
5. A few q-tips (for small mistakes between the lines)
6. A step stool (depending on your space)
7. Some loud jams and a bit of patience!

If you are thinking to yourself, "This sounds super intimidating." then well, you are right.  It SOUNDS super intimidating but I promise you it is easier than it looks.  First things first, you need to practice the design you are going to do.  I drew out a couple of ideas with a sharpie on a piece of paper, and then used a big piece of cardboard to practice on with the foam paint brush.  That's it.  5 minutes later I took the brush to the wall and winged it.  I wasn't scared because I knew if I hated it that it was JUST PAINT after all, and if worse came to worst I could always paint back over it.  I will admit, I did about 2 rows of the design and didn't like how the lines turned out so I hurriedly grabbed a baby wipe and wiped the paint away.  I ended up using many baby wipes throughout the process when I didn't like how the technique turned out, and I found it very reassuring knowing that was an option.  

By the way, I am totally kicking myself for not videotaping or documenting the actual process of this!  My impulsivity was on overdrive and I was thinking way too far ahead but I PROMISE that there will be photo or video proof next time!  

The design I chose here is pretty self explanatory but I will tell you what tips I have and what worked for me...

I took this photo 20 minutes in!

1. You need to have a good amount of paint on the sponge.  Not so much that it is dripping off and going to make a sloppy mess on your wall, but enough that it is saturated and will leave a solid line instead of a spongey look.  However, if you make this mistake don't worry!  Add more paint to the sponge and dab back over it to thicken the line.
2. Press the sponge into the wall rather than brushing or swiping it.  This is the mistake I made at first which led me to wiping it all off and starting over.  When pressing it into the wall, make sure you are pressing with the same pressure evenly throughout the brush to get an even line.
3. Similar to the comment above, make sure the amount of paint on the sponge is pretty evenly distributed and not heavier on one side because this will lead to a line that will be thicker on one end and spongey and skinny on the other.  I have plenty of lines that are uneven and I think it looks cool and unique, but you will want the majority of them uniform.  Remember, it is hand painted and will never look perfect!
4. I found it helped to start at the bottom and do an entire horizontal row first, and then go above and do another horizontal row and so on. Otherwise it would be easier to start making vertically crooked or angled lines.
5. There will occasionally be narrow areas when you come to the end of a row that will not completely fit another full line etc. so this is where I used the 2 inch or 1 inch brush to make smaller lines.

An old shelf that we had in storage that I painted with the same color!

That's it!  Use your imagination and remember it's just paint.  I cannot tell you how many people thought this was actual wallpaper in our bathroom and when I tell them that I hand painted it they were left speechless.  The first thing I always say?  "It was easier than it looks!".  Oh, and "It was less than $3 to create!".  Have fun and if this inspires you to create your own faux wallpaper, please be sure to share with me.  I am already thinking of my next wall to tackle.  Happy painting, friends!

Original paint color: Benjamin Moore "Classic Grey" 
Unfortunately I do not know the exact name of the accent paint I used on the walls & shelf but it is VERY similar to Benjamin Moore's "Dark Teal" or "Deep Sea Green".

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