14 Ways To Transform Your Walls Without Painting
There may be a few reasons why you want to create a different wall colour.
Perhaps the present colour is just plain horrid!
It could be that you’re just needing a change & wanting to add your own touch.
You may live in a rental & want to make it feel more like home.
Painting the walls may not be an option open to you, or you’re just looking for a cheaper, quicker or temporary solution.
There are many wall coverings on the market, as well as DIY solutions for transforming & changing the colour of your walls without the need for paint. Some are more permanent, others are quick, easy & temporary. Many are very affordable too!
Whatever your budget or amount of time you have available, you should find a suitable solution from these 14 ideas.
1. Traditional Wallpaper
2. Removable Wallpaper
3. Wall Murals
4. Panels
5. Fabric
6. Curtains
7. Blinds & Window Dressings
8. Tapestries
9. Large Artworks
10. Tiles
11. Peel & Stick Tiles
12. Lighting
13. Wrapping Paper
14. Scrapbook Paper
1. A Huge Choice Of Colour With Traditional Wallpaper
Nowadays, wallpaper is available in so many different colours, patterns & textures that you’ll have no trouble finding the right style for your space.
Wallpaper even comes in plain colours if you don’t want a texture or pattern.
Providing the walls are in decent condition & you know how to do it yourself, wallpapering can be an easier & quicker option than painting.
Cost wise will depend on the type & quality of paper you choose.
Hiring a decorator is obviously going to be more expensive, but depending on how many walls are involved, it will be cheaper than using the services of a professional painter.
Perhaps you only want to change the colour of a single wall, as in creating a feature wall for example.
Traditional wallpaper is a more permanent choice though & it’s not as quick or easy a job to remove if later down the track you want to change colour again.
If traditional wallpaper seems like the best idea, you may find these articles of interest.
2. Many Shades Of Removable Wallpaper
These papers are fantastic if you’re needing a less permanent colour change.
Also known as "peel & stick", these types of wallpapers are removable & repositionable.
They do come in a huge variety of colours, textures & designs, so like traditional wallpaper, you can opt for a plain colour.
There's quite a few manufacturers of this product & they’re not all created equal.
But like most things, you get what you pay for.
The cheaper varieties may not last as long.
The more expensive brands do claim that their papers are as good as permanent wallpaper & have the same lifespan.
As well as being removable, they’re also reusable.
This means you can swap them out into a different room or even take them with you if you vacate the property.
Although some of these wallpapers require the use of a sticky adhesive, the peel & stick variety do as their name suggests without the need for any glues.
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3. Wall Murals Offer Lovely Scenery & Designs
Similar to removable wallpaper, murals don’t need to be permanent either.
Murals are similar to peel & stick wallpaper & come in a plethora of images, designs & patterns.
They’re a great choice for not only changing the colour of a wall, but creating a mood or vibe.
Beautiful nature scenes, including oceans & forests can give a room a sense of depth.
There’s an image or style to suit any décor from vintage, rustic, bohemian to modern.
But if you’re looking to just change your wall colour, you can get murals custom printed.
Wall murals can also replicate brick, wood, stone and other natural materials.
4. Create Texture & Colour With Wall Panels
Paneling a wall is a great way of introducing some texture & natural elements into a room.
Real wood panels are probably the easiest option if you're a DIY kind of person.
But you can buy panels in a choice of various timbers.
These can be made in any type of wood you can get your hands on.
Even simpler are the faux panels that replicate not only wood, but brick, stone & other natural materials.
They are surprisingly realistic too.
5. Bright & Bold Or Subtle Shades Of Fabric
This can be a really cheap & easy, but stylish way to cover a wall with a new colour.
You can use a liquid starch to adhere the material, but this is a bit messier.
Using double sided Velcro or tape works well, but can damage the wall when you need to remove the fabric.
But using tacks is a straightforward method.
Of course, you can use any material that takes your fancy, from plain colours to patterns, cheap to expensive & elegant.
6. Curtains Bring Colour, Texture & Warmth
Similar to fabric, curtains can cover an entire wall.
You’d think curtains on a wall would make a space look closed in, but they actually create a sense of more depth.
Being heavier you’ll need to install a curtain rod though.
This idea works really well behind a bed.
It gives a sense of opulence as well as being quite cosy.
But lighter curtain material will look good on any wall, & of course you can always have the option of drawing the curtains open.
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7. Blinds & Window Dressings Don't Have To Be Costly
Other window dressings you can utilise on the wall are bamboo blinds.
I actually used bamboo blinds on a bedroom wall & I attached some of my favourite photos & postcards.
But you can also paint them or hang fabrics from them.
There’s many sheer curtains & other window dressings that can be utilized to cover either an entire wall or sections of a wall.
8. Add Interest With Tapestries
If you think of tapestries, you may imagine old fashioned or religious imagery.
But modern tapestries have an abundance of different colour, designs & patterns you can use to add colour to your wall.
Available in different sizes, you will be able to cover an entire wall.
You can also get one custom made or find vintage & antique tapestries.
You should be able to find a wall tapestry to suit any style or colour you need.
9. Large Artworks - A Simple Solution For Colour & Vibrancy
Using a huge canvas print or other wall art is a fantastic way to cover a wall.
Unlike using a wall mural, it’s easy to take down.
You could even buy a blank canvas & create your own masterpiece, or print out one of your favourite photos.
Bear in mind, the photo quality & resolution will need to be high when printing to such a size.
If the wall you want to cover isn’t too large, you can always create a gallery wall.
Canvas Cultures have extra large size prints by original artists .. worth checking out.
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10. Tiles Combine Colour & Pattern
Tiling can be a good option for changing wall colour in certain rooms like the bathroom or kitchen.
There's a really amazing array of styles & colours too.
Obviously it’s a more permanent solution & will be more time consuming as well as costly.
If you feel confident doing it yourself it needn’t be too expensive, but calling in a tiler may stretch the budget.
But tiling can be a good choice for something that is easy to keep clean & will last for years.
But they can also be applied to the walls to create an interesting focal point.
11. Peel & Stick Tiles For Convenience
If ceramic tiles seem like too much hard work, then why not give stick on tiles a go?
They’re surprisingly realistic & available in many styles.
Simple to apply & easy to remove.
Being waterproof means they can be applied in the shower recess as well as on bathroom, kitchen or any wall you desire.
12. Brighten A Dull Wall With Lighting
Lighting probably isn’t something you may have thought of as a way to change wall colour.
Certain coloured light thrown against a wall will alter it’s appearance & the use of coloured lighting will change the hue & shade of a wall.
You can use sconces, LED & strip lights & even strategically placed lamps.
13. Wrapping Paper - More Versatile Than You Think
Although not ideal for high traffic or humidity areas, wrapping paper is easy & simple to work with, perfect for rental properties.
Depending on the type of wall, you can attach with either staples, removable tape such as Washi tape, double sided tape or Velcro.
Best applied behind furniture or other items like the washing machine or the fridge where it won’t be within easy reach.
There’s cheap wrapping paper, but you can also buy luxurious papers that when applied well are going to do a wonderful job at transforming an ugly old wall.
14. Scrapbook Paper - A Budget Friendly Option
Similar to using wrapping paper, scrap-booking papers & card-stock are available in heavier weights.
Some people have used wallpaper glue & other adhesives, but this of course is going to make it harder to remove later down the track.
A clever idea is to decorate a sheet, or sheets of Styrofoam with the paper.
You then have super lightweight panels that can be easily removed & even take with you to your next house.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed putting these ideas together.
I now have some fab ideas on how to update my old bathroom on the cheap.
But many of these ideas can look really stylish & some are very practical for rental properties.
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You may also want to check out other paint free ideas:
I hope you found value in this article & as always, please feel free to share.