How to make a feature wall for less than $15

As you might know, we currently live in a rental house. The house was built in the 1970’s and although it has been updated over the years, some spots still breathe those seventies… Especially in the basement this posed a slight problem for us. There is a wall in the main area that is somewhat outdated –yes, I am being very kind to that wall-. The main area is also the playroom for our daughter and that wall, it just seemed to suck all the fun out of that room. Okay, so maybe that’s a little much, but still it is one ugly wall. Painting was out of the question because of us renting and also because the panelling wasn’t real good quality. It wasn’t mounted very nice and was very loose at a lot of points. I was afraid wallpaper would never come off and putting new paneling in front of the wall would be a very big and expensive project. I was starting to believe we would be stuck with that ugly wall. Not anymore though! Because even though we can’t really change things permanently, I found a way to transform this ugly wall into a feature wall!

How to transform an ugly wall into a feature wall

Halfway through

When looking in despair at that ugly, faux wood wall, I thought about a previous project of mine. I started thinking that shelf lining would be a great solution! I tested a spot and stuck a piece of scrap lining I had left to see if it would stick and left it overnight. It stuck! And, more importantly; I was able to remove it afterwards without ruining the paneling behind it. So I went to Wallmart where they sell shelf lining at the best price. I had measured how much I would need and for this wall, I just needed two rolls. That means I made this feature wall for about $15! You can’t beat that price, right?

The project was relatively easy. Just measure how long the lining has to be, cut it and stick it on the wall. The tricky part was getting it on straight but luckily you can pull it back off and stick it back on again plenty of times.

I really love how this wall turned out! The pattern even brings out the best of those brown doors! My girl now has a pretty feature wall in her play room. Do you have any great tips on how to transform an ugly wall? Love to hear them!

Ps. A full blog on the whole playroom will follow. After redoing it, it is now jam-packed with cute play areas! I just need some more time to finish it.