Our Adventure in Peel and Stick Wall Mural Land

DON'T DO IT!  I keed.  

Well, the part of me during panel two is not kidding but final result me is kidding.  A wall mural was not on my radar for this project but then I got on Pinterest and it just popped up and I saw some stuff Rachel Maksy pinned and it was over.  I began scouring for my aesthetic and I found it at this Etsy shop.  When I timidly showed the Mr, he was like "that's really pretty.  Let's do it!"  I think at that point he was just glad it wasn't something like building a wood project so anything sounded good compared to that.

We watched a ton of videos because the instructions were a little simple for those of us who have never hung this stuff before.  Our biggest fear was knowing the ceiling is not square and how were we not going to have a gap?  I did watch this one video and the lady did a great job but at the end, she saw where she started was straight but for the picture to be straight that meant there was a 1" gap with a white wall at the end.  So she put up trim to cover the gap but I really didn't want to do that if I didn't have to.  The Mr saw a video where they overlapped it on the ceiling a bit and that seemed like it would solve that problem so we dry fit the panel, and held up the baseboard at the bottom, to make sure it would cover and that by going onto the ceiling by an inch wasn't going to screw us.  

Thankfully we were covered.  Then it was time to get to it.  We got out the 6' level and measured out the width of the panel from the wood, made a mark and then made a level line for us to follow on the first panel. 

This was very important because if the picture isn't level, you're not going to know until it's too late and your head is cocked to the side and you run through your best curse words.  

Here's a fun pic of the Mr likely cursing the day I was born trying to peel off the contact paper-like backing on the vinyl. 

He was not a fan of that backing as it did like to rip in the middle but that was usually only the first few inches.

I will tell you that we learned to peel back and cut off the first 6" of the backing.  It was just irritating to work with otherwise if you had to move it around and reposition it.  They give you a little squeegee with felt on it to work out the bubbles.  We would pull the backing down about 3" and smooth it with the tool getting out air bubbles or pulling it off and restarting for wrinkles.

Before we knew it, we had the first panel smoothed into place.

We rejoiced because we were done and we sweat because we knew we had one of the hardest parts ahead of us.  See that house in the middle?  Well, the roofline needed to match up with the other panel and see how far down it is before you know you've made a mistake?  Mmm hmm.  That second panel was a bitch from hell.  We had to pull it off and fight with it like two cats under a wet blanket with the backing.  There were tears.  There were shouts of "call a handyman service.  We can't do this!"  (Especially when my $80/gal paint started peeling off with it after the third time!)  There were new curse words invented.  When we finally got it moved into the right place and saw that a tree lined up, it wasn't until we got to the house and the roofline lined up perfectly that we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

That right there was a direct result of Grandma because I prayed to her so many times during this thing.  She was the QUEEN of wallpaper/borders and it didn't seem to phase her ever.  So we were both invoking her spirit on this and she came through.

The Mr cut out around the outlet and we got the switch plate on and it was time to move on to the final panel.  It was the shortest but also went up against the door frame and of course I have a DIY header at the top which would prove irritating at best.

We only had to pull that one back once and trust me, once is enough.  Then it was time to trim the excess from the trim and ceiling once we found that the baseboard would still clear it all.  The Mr used the non-felt end of the squeegee tool and his utility knife along the crease at the ceiling for a crisp, straight cut.

(Lord knows he couldn't screw up the ceilings more than the drywall guys in July!)

Then he gingerly peeled back the excess.

Finally, it was time to take a step back and enjoy the fruits of our labor once he got the baseboard on.

For a project that wasn't even part of the original design, it is definitely one of my favorites.  (Well, the end result.)  I never in a million years would've thought I'd have something like this in our home but it really does take you away without needing Calgon.   I swoon over the whole landscape.  The Mr will confirm I spoke in dog voice to the little house because I thought it was so cute.  I think it's the perfect thing to wake up to...until the sirens go off or thumping bass from someone with horrible taste in music.  But until then, I'll wake up and look dreamy eyed at this gorgeous landscape before me wishing I could somehow jump into the picture with the mom and her kid walking toward the water.  (They're above the outlet.)  

Le sigh.

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