Wallpaper Craft Ideas and Home Decor Projects (15 Ways To Use Up Unused Wallpaper)

These wallpaper craft ideas and home decor projects vary from only requiring a scrap of leftover wallpaper to using up a whole single roll (or more). So you’re sure to find some ways to get that unused wallpaper out of storage and turned into something beautiful for your home.

15+ unique ways to use up unused wallpaper

If you’ve wallpapered any of the walls in your house, chances are you have some wallpaper left over.

Since it’s often pretty expensive (and usually not recyclable), I hate to throw it out.

So what do you do with that unused wallpaper?

Since I use wallpaper quite a bit in my house, I’ve come up with a lot of ways to upcycle the leftovers.

Some of them are wallpaper craft ideas, some are home decor projects, and some are ways to add wallpaper to a room when you don’t have enough to do the whole thing.

In any case, they’re all easy ways to use up small pieces or single rolls of wallpaper and create something pretty for your home.

1 | Dress Up Your Shelves

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Bookshelves with the back covered in wallpaper
Wallpaper shelving background via bhg.com

Wallpaper is an easy way to add interest to bookshelves by covering the backs of them.  

It comes in so many colors and patterns that you are sure to find something to match your decor.

In this picture, they have even selected books with covers that match the color scheme.

2 | Make Book Covers

Book covers made of toile wallpaper

Speaking of matching book covers to your color scheme, this wallpaper craft idea will help if that’s the look you’re going for.

You can easily make books go with your of your decor by creating a cover for them out of wallpaper.  

It doesn’t take very much paper and it helps protect the books as well.

3 | Line Drawers and Shelves

Computer drawer lined in wallpaper
Wallpaper drawer liner

If you like to make your drawers and shelves look pretty, adding some wallpaper is a really easy way to do it.  

I used the left over wallpaper from my office to line the drawer where my keyboard and mouse go.

Which also provides the added (unexpected) bonus of acting like a mouse pad.

4 | Create Easy Artwork

Wallpaper artwork
Wallpaper artwork via bhg.com

To make easy and inexpensive art, cut co-ordinating pieces of wallpaper to fit into matching frames.  

Then install them in a grid pattern to make a statement on your wall.

Wallpaper mural on the wall above a bookshelf
Wallpaper art

I used wallpaper with a fish pattern as background “art” for my Hawaiian turtles collection (and as you can see, the top of the shelf has turned into an unplanned cat bed).

5 | Add An Inexpensive Backsplash

Wallpaper kitchen backspash
Wallpaper backsplash, via domino.com

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to update your kitchen backsplash, try wallpaper.  

I absolutely love this Birds and Butterflies pattern from Schumacher* (although it’s not the inexpensive way to go!)

To make cleanup easier, make sure to use the washable kind.

6 | Wallpaper The Stairs

Stair risers wallpapered with a tile pattern via aliceandlois.com
via aliceandlois.com

To add some interest to your stairs, try putting up wallpaper on the risers.

Sara at Alice and Lois used a blue and white pattern that makes the risers look like they are tiled.

But it’s actually peel and stick wallpaper.

You can find more information about this DIY project (and the wallpaper that she used) HERE.

7 | Make a Headboard

For a bedroom that needs something behind the bed, you can build an inexpensive headboard using wallpaper.

This one uses some molding and one roll of wallpaper to create a beautiful backdrop.

You can read the tutorial HERE.

8 | Cover a Lamp Shade

If you have some lampshades that need an update, wallpapering the outside of them is an easy way to get them to go with your decor.

Watch the video for the step-by-step instructions.

9 | Decoupage A Table

You can also use wallpaper to makeover a table, chest or any other piece of furniture that needs an update.

With some Mod Podge and a little paint, Angie from Postcards From The Ridge made this little table into something creative and unique.

Find out how she did it HERE.

10 | Update A Counter Top

Office countertop covered in wallpaper

I did something similar on a little bigger scale by wallpapering the counter top in my craft room.

It’s a really inexpensive way to make a few boards of MDF look so much better (and I got rid of all the unused wallpaper from my bedroom at the same time.)

If you’re going to do this in a heavily used area, you’ll need to add a few coats of urethane to protect the paper.  

Get more information on covering a counter top with wallpaper HERE.

11 | Make Pegboard Look Better

Wallpaper on pegboard
Wallpaper on pegboard

To make plain brown pegboard look better, wallpaper is a great way to add some color and pattern to it.  

Cut it to size, glue it on to the pegboard and punch out the holes…that’s all there is to it.

Find the step-by-step instructions for wallpapering pegboard HERE.

12 | Cover Storage Tins and Boxes

Wallpaper covered tin cans used as pen holders on a pegboard

Wallpaper also works well for turning inexpensive tins and jars into pretty storage containers.

I use hooks to hang them on the pegboard.

Wallpapered tin can

But they could just as easily be used as a pen holder on the desk.

Find out how to wallpaper storage tins HERE.

13 | Add Wallpaper Panels

Bedroom with a wallpaper panel behind the bed

Speaking of my bedroom…

This was a case where I didn’t have enough wallpaper to do the whole room.

So I created some panels with picture molding and wallpapered the inside.

That way you can make the panels whatever size you have enough wallpaper to cover. And you still get the look you wanted in the room.

Get the instructions for creating wallpaper panels HERE.

14 | Create A Focal Wall

Leaf pattern wallpaper on a focal point wall in a living room ©Photographee.eu - stock.adobe.com
©Photographee.eu – stock.adobe.com

Another option if you don’t have enough wallpaper for the whole room is to create a focal point with it.

Cover a screen, part of a wall or one full wall in a room.

You’ll still get the impact of wallpaper without needing to hang a lot of it.

15 | Cover Your Switch Plates

If you have a room that has wallpaper on the walls, you can use up the leftover bits by making covers for your switch plates.

That way they blend right into the wall.

Visit familyhandyman.com to get the instructions on how to do it.

16 | Create Ceiling Interest

Ceiling covered with white textured wallpaper

Okay, this option may not be the easiest way to use up your unused wallpaper, but it looks so good on the ceiling that I had to include it (you can find the instructions for an easier way of doing it HERE).

The wallpaper immediately adds interest and that “custom” feel to the space.

It also has the added benefit of covering up any imperfections in the surface (although it won’t work over really bumpy surfaces like popcorn).

That’s it for my ways to use up unused wallpaper. Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration to get rid of the scraps that you’ve been storing.

Do you have any other great ways to use up unused  wallpaper? Tell us in the section below.


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4 Comments

  1. Suzette Lemieux says:

    I covered my chest freezer as it sits in my kitchen and it looks so much better than a stark white

    1. Wanda Simone says:

      That’s a great idea, Suzette! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  2. Aunty Elaine says:

    I need to do my backsplash. Great idea.

    1. Thanks, Aunt Elaine! I like that idea, too. Way less work than tiling but you can still get a nice pattern.