Hello friends! It’s Aimee from The Crazy Craft Lady.
I love easy and inexpensive DIY home decor projects. You may remember last month when I shared my Knock Off Pottery Barn Halloween Entry with you all. Today I'm sharing with you a simple way to update inexpensive furniture – no sanding or power tools required! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
How to Update Inexpensive Furniture
Supplies needed:
I started with a major Target clearance furniture find. This shelf was marked down from $159.99 to $47.98. There were four in the store that afternoon. By the time I came back that evening to buy one, there was only one left. Clearly there were other people who were as excited about this deal as I was!
The exact bookcase that I bought is no longer in stock, but I really like this Carson Horizontal Bookcase if you're looking for a similar look.
Next, you are going to need a roll of removable wallpaper. I used Beachwood Peel and Stick Wallpaper from JoAnn Fabrics.
You'll also need:
- scissors
- measuring tape
- pencil
- ruler or other straight edge (for smoothing the wallpaper)
Steps:
I assembled my bookcase as instructed, but left off the back panel.
Start by measuring off the width of your wallpaper, and leaving marks along the back panel of your shelf.
Then cut panels of wallpaper that are the height of your bookshelf back panel. Lay down one panel of wallpaper at a time. I started at the left and worked my way to the right. Smooth out the wallpaper with a ruler or other straight edge as you go along… No air bubbles!
You will also want to make sure you align the seams of the wallpaper, giving the effect that this is one continuous panel of reclaimed wood. I found it easier to lay down the left seam of the wallpaper and smooth out air bubbles from left to right.
Then simply attach the back panel to your shelf, following your assembly instructions. That, my friends, is how you update inexpensive furniture quickly and easily! This is one of the easiest DIY furniture projects out there :)
The Final Result
I am so happy with my new shelf. Adding the wallpaper took less than an hour, and it was so worth it! Now I just have to find decorative baskets and decide how I want to organize my new storage space. I'm thinking this would be a great place to keep all of our coloring and craft supplies at eye level with easy access for the twins.
If you enjoyed this tutorial and are looking for more crazy craft and DIY home decor projects to inspire you, you may enjoy these projects:
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I recently updated my twins' bedroom, filled with DIY Coastal Cool inspiration.
Kelli says
March 7, 2016 at 8:05 pmI had no idea there was wallpaper that looked like reclaimed wood. Awesome! What a fun project with so many different ways you can express your style. I’m going to have to check out the different wallpaper patterns. Thanks for the inspiration.
Marci says
January 16, 2016 at 9:28 pmBeautiful! I would not have thought of that!
You could also fill the little holes around the shelves with wood glue and paint over them, to make it look extra nice. I recently did this to a cheap, pre-fab bookshelf before painting and it made it look more expensive.
Tasha says
January 29, 2016 at 2:49 amThank you Marci for sharing your tip. I will try that. :)