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If you’re looking to dramatically change a room but don’t want to spend a lot of money, time, or even be especially committed to the results, consider removable wallpaper — specifically the “peel-and-stick” variety. Unlike traditional wallpaper, peel-and-stick wallpaper comes coated with an adhesive backing, so it can be stuck onto the wall and then peeled off like it was never there. “A few years ago, using wallpaper in a rental apartment wasn’t even a choice,” says Karen Richani, an interior designer at Havenly. “Luckily, those days are gone, and now there are a number of options that can instantly transform any space.”
Removable wallpaper is vastly quicker and simpler to install than traditional wallpaper, which requires the extra step of applying adhesive paste. But you still need to prep your walls: As Devin Shaffer, lead sales designer at interior-design service Decorilla, says, it will “will ensure a smooth application and better end result.” Remove nails and outlets, and about 24 hours before you start, go over the surface with a damp sponge or cloth and a mild, nonabrasive cleaner. Wait until the wall has dried completely before applying your peel-and-stick wallpaper.
When I tested out some of these options at home, there were also a couple of small, inexpensive tools I found indispensable: a flexible smoothing tool or squeegee to flatten any air bubbles as you go and an X-Acto or craft knife to trim excess paper. (You may be tempted to just use scissors, but if you can, use a craft knife: It will give you a cleaner cut and a more professional-looking result.) Getting a smooth, air-bubble-free finish takes some skill, so consider doing a test area first to practice your technique. And if you change your mind and decide to remove it, a few passes with a hair dryer will loosen the adhesive before you peel it off.
It’s also important to measure your walls to make sure you order the right amount for full coverage without too much leftover. Measuring can be daunting, particularly when you consider that wallpaper comes in a variety of sizes and configurations like rolls, sheets, and larger panels, but most online sellers offer easy-to-use online calculators. Take windows and doors into account when measuring and err on the side of too much versus too little — there’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a project, then having to wait a week for the supplies you need to finish it.
Below, I’ve included the 8 best removable wallpaper options, including ones that I have tested at home myself as well as a few styles preferred by experts.
Update on August 21, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
What we’re looking for
Price
We’re including each product’s price per square foot, and many brands have an online calculator to help estimate the cost for your room.
Material
Most peel-and-stick is made from vinyl, paper, or fabric. “The heavier the paper, the higher the quality,” says Anna Tatsioni, interior-design director at Decorilla. A thicker paper will be less prone to wrinkling or tearing as you apply it, which creates a smoother finish.
Technically, all wallpaper is removable if you’re determined enough, but some “removable wallpaper” requires water to activate the adhesive; all the products in this article are peel-and-stick, which is ready to use without prepping walls immediately before applying.
Best removable wallpaper overall
Price: From $6 per square foot | Material: Paper
For a wide selection of designs and substantial, smooth paper, check out Walls Need Love. I first heard about it via New York interior designer Fiona Byrne, who says the brand’s wallpaper is her favorite. “I’ve used it in a bunch of places,” she says, “including my own bathroom.” It has a canvaslike texture that’s as thick and substantial as regular wallpaper, and, Byrne says, “it’s impressively tearproof.”
I tested out a roll of the brand’s Springtime Classic paper on a small wall in my home, using a wallpaper-flattening tool to smooth out bubbles. I was immediately impressed by how thick the paper was, which made it easier to maneuver and less likely to show small imperfections. The paper stuck to the wall without the edges peeling, and when I had to unstick it to adjust, it came off the wall fairly easily — the six-foot-tall panel was around the upper limit of what I could maneuver on my own, but it took less than half an hour to apply it with the help of a ladder.
Best less-expensive removable wallpaper
Price: From $2 per square foot | Material: Vinyl
Both Griffin and Wood are fans of the removable-wallpaper options from Tempaper, a company Griffin calls a pioneer in the industry that still sets the standard for design pros. Wood loves this tropical-palm-leaf pattern, and Griffin likes its faux-grasscloth paper (“grasscloth” is an umbrella term for all handwoven natural-grass fibers, which tend to be a bit more expensive and delicate) decorated with a geometric pattern, which she says “looks flat-out hand-stenciled.”
I tried out the brand’s grasscloth paper in sand and found it both impressively sticky and easy to remove. It was the first roll I tried, so I made some errors, including getting the paper stuck to itself at one point — I was able to unstick it without the material tearing or wrinkling. The paper is thinner than the roll from Walls Need Love, which led to a few more wrinkles, evidence of mistakes I made smoothing it. Still, it was relatively quick to apply and came off easily, without any gummy residue, and the faux-grasscloth finish created an interesting texture on an otherwise unremarkable bit of wall.
Best designer removable wallpaper
Price: From $10 per square foot | Material: Vinyl
Like a lot of people, Strategist senior writer (and accomplished illustrator) Liza Corsillo was intrigued when peel-and-stick wallpaper first came around, but, she says, none of them “hit me in the gut” like the patterns from 70-year-old Finnish design company Marimekko. “They are iconic and fresh,” she says, “as if they could exist in multiple decades simultaneously, like I might have seen them in my grandmother’s bathroom before I even knew what Finland was.” Her favorite is Marimekko’s most famous print, a jumble of irregular puffy flowers named Unikko. It comes in five different color combinations, including the classic red with magenta and white with olive green.
Best removable wallpaper strips
Price: From $9 per square foot | Material: Vinyl
Home decorator Carrie Carrollo loves and uses wallpaper from Etsy seller Cuckoo Walls. “The paper is exactly right,” she says, “thick enough that it feels sturdy and won’t tear and insanely easy to reposition during installation.” One of her favorites is the brand’s Black Dots print, which she describes as a “slightly lower-key polka-dot” pattern. She likes that it comes in strips rather than rolls: “Getting a design to line up is crucial when it comes to making the paper look consistent and elevated,” she says. “The strips make it particularly easy.”
Best retro removable wallpaper
Price: From $8 per square foot | Material: Paper
Wallshoppe is a designer favorite with a large collection of delightful retro-inspired wallpaper, like this cute pattern of vintage Barbie illustrations. Co-creative director Nathan Turner thinks that wallpaper can be used to create a “moment” in a room: “Something that dazzles, sparkles, is charming, is old-fashioned, is high fashion. Something that isn’t just a boring old wall!” Its rolls start around $78, and if you’re not sure how much to order, check out the brand’s guidelines here.
Best vintage-y removable wallpaper
Price: From $4 per square foot | Material: Not listed
This print, originally created by luxury fabric and wallpaper house Scalamandré in 1945, is one of the most recognizable vintage wallpaper patterns. (You may recognize it from The Royal Tenenbaums; Carrollo recommends it as a first-anniversary gift.) You can buy it as a fabric or a traditional wallpaper, and the company recently began selling it as a peel-and-stick as well via a collaboration with the company Wallpops.
Best trendy removable wallpaper
Price: From $7 per square foot | Material: Paper
I’ve heard good things about Urban Outfitters’ peel-and-stick wallpaper, and it has especially nice floral prints right now, from a finely detailed French boudoir toile to a ditsy pattern of tiny flowers to a faux-airbrushed print that reminds me of 1970s Florida. The paper comes in 48-inch-by-24-inch rolls, so make sure to measure your walls before buying to make sure you have enough.
Best geometric removable wallpaper
Price: From $6 per square foot | Material: Fabric
Richani loves Chasing Paper removable wallpaper, especially when you’re in the market for something “geometric, modern, and minimal,” like this starburst pattern, which mimics a tiled wall. (It has a matte finish, which adds to its non-fussy, minimalist look.) Lining up a print is even more important with a geometric style; draw a vertical “plumb line” in the center of your wall to align your paper, and Richani advises that you “always use a level to guarantee it is going to be installed perpendicular to the floor.”
Some tools you’ll need to apply removable wallpaper
Our experts
• Karen Richani, an interior designer at Havenly
• Anna Tatsioni, interior-design director at Decorilla
• Devin Shaffer, the lead sales designer at interior-design service Decorilla
• Alessandra Wood, VP of style at Modsy
• Fiona Byrne, interior designer
• Liza Corsillo, Strategist senior writer
• Carrie Carrollo, home decorator
• Elaine Griffin, interior designer
Additional reporting by Stacey Woods
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