How to make faux DIY wallpaper using vinyl decals to create the look of ceiling wallpaper using a block print style to add drama to any room.
We know one thing for sure about our daughter’s “preteen” bedroom makeover at this point; it definitely isn’t boring.
The vintage Swedish wallpaper, the basketweave fandelier, the Smoky Blue paint, and now the latest DIY bird wallpaper ceiling all add up to quite a statement. It’s so whimsical! Plus, I managed to create the look of ceiling wallpaper using a faux method for just $67!
The Best Room to Try a Wallpapered Ceiling
Adding wallpaper to a ceiling is such a fun way to elevate a room while adding color and pattern to that “fifth wall”.
Since there really isn’t any other room in the house where you stare up at the ceiling quite as often as when you’re lying in bed, a bedroom is the perfect place in the house to add big personality from above.
Instead of counting sheep in this bedroom, I guess Olivia will count birds.
We’re really going all in with a maximalist decor look by implementing lots of fun patterns into this bedroom makeover because Olivia is always a more-is-more kind of girl.
This faux DIY wallpaper ceiling project using vinyl sticker decals in a block print pattern is definitely something that can add extra drama to an already dramatic room, or it can look subtle in a minimally decorated space.
You could adapt this tutorial to work with any kind of decal shapes in a block pattern too, not just birds.
Why Choose Peel and Stick Faux Wallpaper for a Ceiling?
Cost
I loved the look of this sparrow wallpaper from Lulu and Georgia but couldn’t justify the cost of $198 per roll. The entire ceiling using that wallpaper would have cost $792!
By using these bird vinyl decals to create faux wallpaper instead, it only cost me $67 for the entire 13’x13′ ceiling.
Labor
Installing pasted wallpaper or a peel and stick mural on walls is hard enough but installing it on a ceiling is even more challenging since you’re working against gravity.
If you don’t feel confident in your wallpaper hanging skills, you’ll likely spend more on a contractor to hang it too.
Temporariness
If you don’t want to commit to real pasted wallpaper, peel and stick faux wallpaper decals are easy to remove later. Removing pasted wallpaper though is quite a laborious process.
Works on Textured Ceilings
The ceiling in this bedroom has a slight popcorn texture. It’s not a super chunky popcorn, but it does have a slightly raised texture.
I was able to apply the vinyl decal birds right on top of the texture without any adhesion problems.
How to Add a Faux Wallpaper Ceiling Using Vinyl Sticker Decals
It’s not quite Lulu and Georgia, but this sweet faux bird wallpaper turned out so much better than I’d hoped. It would be great to use as an accent wall too!
Supplies
- Bird vinyl sticker decals – I used 3 packs (Stars, butterflies, or any other shapes would work well too.)
- Ladder
- Scissors
- 2 tape measures
- Laser level or laser measuring tool
- Marker
- Calculator (It helps to double check your measurements as you work since after a while numbers really start to swirl around in your head.)
Step 1 – Decide Your Measurements
Measure your entire room and decide how far apart you want to space your sticker decals on the ceiling so that you won’t end up with decals halfway cut off when you place the last row.
This bedroom is 13′ x 13′. I decided to space the birds 12″ apart, alternating their spacing in each row.
Step 2 – Mark the Ceiling Placement
1. Stretch the tape measure across the room parallel with a wall. I placed my first tape measure at 12″ from the wall.
2. Stretch the second tape measure perpendicular across the first tape measure at the spot where you want to place your first decal. (In my case, I wanted it 12″ from the wall.)
3. Place your laser tool flat on the floor where the two tape measures meet so that it points up to the ceiling.
4. Mark the laser dot on the ceiling with the marker.
Step 3 – Measure and Mark 1-2 Rows
1. Repeat Step 2 by moving the second tape measure (the perpendicular one) down the first tape measure (the parallel one) to the next 24″ mark.
2. Mark a dot every 24″ along the tape measure on the ceiling using the laser as your guide.
3. Once my first row was marked, I slid the tape measure over 12″ and repeated the process marking every 24″ but started marking 24″ from the edge of the wall to alternate the previous row.
The First Row marked measurements – 12″, 36″, 60″, 84″, 108″, 132″, 156″
The Second Row marked measurements – 24″, 48″, 72″, 96″, 120″, 144″
The sequences of those two rows repeat until the entire ceiling is marked.
Step 4 – Place Vinyl Sticker Decals on Ceiling Marks
Use scissors to cut out each vinyl decal individually from the full sheet and place each one on the ceiling where you previously marked the rows.
I tried to turn the birds all different directions and alternate their different shapes to mimic the look of the Lulu and Georgia sparrow wallpaper so no two identical birds were placed directly beside each other.
Repeat measuring, marking, and placing decals until you have a fully covered faux wallpapered ceiling!
The Finished Bird Wallpaper Ceiling
This DIY project really wasn’t hard to do at all! It was just tedious moving the tape measures, checking measurements, and climbing up and down a ladder a bajillion times. 🤪
I absolutely love how this whimsical ceiling turned out though! So in the end, even if maybe I need to schedule a chiropractor visit now, it was still totally worth it.
Birds have a very sentimental meaning to our family:
- Olivia’s grandfather is an artist who hand carves and paints birds.
- My and Robert’s wedding had a bird theme.
- Olivia’s nursery when we lived in my parents’ spare room back in 2012 was decorated with birds.
So adding the birds to the ceiling in her room a decade later felt very much like a “full circle moment”. 🥹
