Love where you live. Sign up for our newsletter

Renter Friendly Wall Art: Make Your Own DIY Removable Vinyl Decals

by on May 9, 2018

Photo by Holly Wade

If you’re a renter who isn’t allowed to paint, I’m with you. If you’re too lazy to paint, I’m also with you. It’s hard to make your home feel like “you” when you can’t change your walls, but at least one renter-friendly way to change them is with vinyl decals! You’ve probably seen some versions of them in stores, but you can easily make your own custom wall decals at home with any type of adhesive vinyl without causing damage to your walls. Simply cut out shapes or use stencils or cutting machines to create more complex designs. I was inspired by 1980s Memphis designs to create a small accent wall in my bedroom with custom vinyl decals.

If you haven’t seen the 1980s Memphis designs, it will probably remind you of Saved by the Bell or Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I love the abstract patterns and bright colors, so I used the combination of squiggles, zig zags and triangles as inspiration to create my own little accent wall that’s completely removable!

Orange handled scissors sit on different colored sheets of material.

Materials:

Note, a cutting machine is recommended for complex designs, but you can also use a stencil and a craft knife to cut out your designs. 

A female hand cutting pink paper with a pair of scissors.

Step 

Cut large shapes out of the vinyl sheets with scissors, or create the patterns using a cutting machine. For simple shapes like these abstract patterns, you can use either. 

Paper with zig zags and wavy lines with scissors on top.

Do it yourself removable vinyl decal construction kit sitting on top of a white table.

Step

Peel away the vinyl from the backing.

Fresh and colorful diy vinyl decals

Step

Press onto your desired spot on a wall and repeat, spacing out the pieces.

A purse and hat hanging on a white wall with some colorful decorative designs.

Note, although the vinyl will stick much better to untextured walls, the vinyl is able to stick to my heavily textured walls. However, they may loosen over time. 

Add all of your shapes and enjoy your new renter-friendly accent wall with custom vinyl decals!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 Comments

  1. @Deborah Jenkins It’s really easy! It will depend on the texture of your walls, but because mine are heavily textured, the vinyl peels away easily.