Adding Removable Wallpaper To Stair Risers: Under $35

I am so excited to share this removable wallpaper tutorial with you. I have been gathering wallpaper inspiration and ideas for a while now, and I am SO happy that I finally took the plunge! Adding this blue and white tile peel-n-stick wallpaper to our stair risers was a great way to try out a smaller project first (to get our feet wet), and it was very budget-friendly as well. Plus, it was so easy that I completed the entire project in one afternoon!! If you are on the fence about adding removable wallpaper to your home decor, this is a great post for you. Here is Adding Removable Wallpaper To Stair Risers: Under $35.

Bonus: Adding wallpaper keeps your pretty painted stair risers clean from all of those dirty black scuff marks – even better. Yes, please!

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Adding Removable Wallpaper To Stair Risers: Under $35

So, the first thing you will need to do is a little math (measurements and calculations) – ugh – I know!!

How Many Wallpaper Rolls Do You Need?

#1: Here is how I figured out how much to order for our stairs.

How many risers do you have: 16
Are you adding wallpaper to all risers or every other one/half: (half) – 8 risers
What are your stair riser measurements: 7 risers (5 1/2″W x 45″L), (1 riser 84″L)

#2: Now, look at the removable wallpaper you want to use, and get the measurements.

My blue and white tile wallpaper dimensions are: (78.7″L x 17.7″W)

So, I know that I can get at least 2 risers/roll:

My risers are 5 1/2 ” W (x2) = 11″ W (wallpaper is 17.7″W)
My risers are 45″L (x2) = because I can get 2 widths (from above).

This also lets me know that I can get at least 1 extra riser/per roll:

78.7″L (wallpaper dimensions)

– 45″L (riser dimensions)

= 35.7 remianing (so I can SEAM those 2 leftover pieces together).

Total of 3 risers/roll.

So I will need (2 rolls for 6 risers) + 1 other roll for the 7th riser (45″L) + the 8th bottom riser (84″L) – that I will seam together = 3 ROLLS TOTAL.

Hope all of this makes sense. Just remember that you will need a little extra (they recommend 10% for mess-ups, and extra coverage).

***TIP #1: You will also need to check your peel-n-stick wallpaper “pattern repeat” if you have one. I probably could have gotten 3 widths from one roll (5 1/2″W x3 = 16.5″W), but I was working with a pattern.

I’ll go over this more in the next section, so you can see what I’m talking about. I know it gets a little confusing – LOL!!

I am right there with ya 😉

Adding Removable Wallpaper To Stair Risers: Under $35

Here are the supplies we used for our 8 risers (every other riser).

SUPPLIES:

3 Rolls Removable Wallpaper – here
Wallpaper kit – here
1 Poster Board
1 Sheet of Copy Paper
Tape

More Removable Wallpaper Options: Here (or here), Here, or Here

I wanted to add some pictures so you that you can see what the peel-n-stick wallpaper looks like, and then the wallpaper kit components (separated out).

FYI- the kit came in very handy, and I highly recommend it for the stairs.

***TIP #2: I also highly recommend rolling out all 3 removable wallpaper rolls completely at this stage for several reasons:

This helps to make sure that none of your wallpaper rolls are messed up.
The dimensions are the same for all of the rolls.
The pattern print is at the same spot on all 3 rolls.

One of my rolls was dented in delivery, but I could still use it because it didn’t interfere with my application.

And one of my rolls was printed with a different pattern print placement. (More info in STEP #3).

Now let’s get to the easy 4-step tutorial: adding removable wallpaper to stair risers.

Adding Removable Wallpaper To Stair Risers

STEP #1: Clean Risers

STEP #2: Measure ALL Risers and Make a Template

STEP #3: Measure Removable Wallpaper Patterns

STEP #4: Apply Removable Wallpaper Pieces To Risers

4-Step Tutorial

STEP #1: Clean Risers

Clean all of your risers thoroughly with a little detergent and damp rag or with some pledge wipes. Make sure that they are completely dry before you begin applying wallpaper.

The removable wallpaper manufacturers recommend that your paint has cured for 30 days prior to application (just in case you’ve freshly painted them).

STEP #2: Measure ALL Risers and Make a Template

Make sure to measure all of your risers, just to make sure they are roughly the same width and length. This may seem ridiculous, but it is not.

You don’t wan’t to cut your wallpaper just to find out that one or two of your risers are a little wider or longer – trust me!!

Now, take a piece of copy paper and make a mark (or fold) to get the actual width of your widest riser. Then measure the area just to double check your original measurements.

It’s so much easier to cut excess wallpaper than to order another roll of wallpaper. 😉

Next take a piece of poster board and mark off your dimensions, taping the lengths together to make one large template.

My riser dimensions are 5 1/2″W x 45″L.

I had to cut two lengths (of poster board) to make my 45″L template, taping them together.

Now I cut my desired length at 45″L, so that I had one long piece to use as my template for marking off the wallpaper dimensions.

My template is 5 1/2″W x 45″L.

Now that your template is done, it’s time to use it!

STEP #3: Measure Removable Wallpaper Patterns

Remember TIP #2? This is where it comes into play.

I rolled out 2 of my wallpaper rolls onto our dining room table so that I could match up my patterns.

One roll was just a little bit “off.” I just wanted show you this so that you’re aware of it when measuring and cutting.

And it may not matter to you if the patterns match up exactly for the stair risers…..but it will affect your placement/seaming lines if doing a full wall. 😉

Now that your wallpaper is rolled out, it’s time to look at which pattern to use. There are 2 patterns in this wallpaper selection.

You can use your template and/or copy paper for this part.

Here is mine. The top yellow highlighted one is the scroll pattern, and the bottom black highlighted one is the star pattern. Can you see them?

I chose the star pattern for our risers.

STEP #3: Cut Removable Wallpaper Pieces

Now that I know I’m using the star pattern, I can use my template or copy paper again to see where I need to measure and cut my removable wallpaper pieces.

If you don’t care about lining up the patterns, it’s okay. I don’t think it would be as noticeable because the pattern is somewhat busy.

The picture below shows you where I will have to cut my pieces so that the star pattern lines up in the MIDDLE of each riser.

Fortunately this pattern was easy to cut because I could use those 2 squares or “blocks” as reference points.

Make sure that you cut A LITTLE OUTSIDE of the template just to give you some extra to work with. Like I said, it’s always easier to cut excess……than to re-order additional rolls.

STEP #4: Apply Removable Wallpaper Pieces To Risers

Now you are ready to peel the backing off and apply your wallpaper to the risers.

I started in the left corner, and worked top to bottom, left to right.

Since our stair treads have the bullnose (with a lip underneath), I left a little extra on the top,

Here is the bullnose picture so you can see how the “extra” top portion tucks right underneath it. This way I do not have to cut anything off on the top part.

Now you can see from the picture below, that you will also have a little “extra” on the bottom portion as well.

You will just gently press down on that bottom portion to form a light crease.

At this point, you can use your blue little tool to gently push out your air bubbles as you move left to right, top to bottom.

You will probably hear some “popping” sounds as you go along, which means you are pushing out those air bubbles.

Next, it’s time to use that little yellow tool and push down firmly onto that bottom “extra” portion to make a firm crease.

This will make cutting it so much easier.

***TIP #3: Make sure NOT to press down too hard or use it on the actual wallpaper wall – or it could cut or rip the wallpaper.

Cut the excess wallpaper portion off with the little knife – and be VERY CAREFUL!! It is extremely sharp!!

You will need to cut the bottom portion (left to right) and then the right side where it meets the wall (top to bottom).

Here is a picture so that you can see how the patterns match up from one riser to the next.

Wallpaper Seam

If you need to seam or join wallpaper pieces together, just line them up on the riser first (with adhesive backing still on).

Once you can see where they will line up, remove the backing on the left side and apply to riser.

Then line up the right side again, and cut off the excess part until you have a matching seam. Now, you can remove it’s backing and apply it to the right side.