Upgrade Kitchen Cabinets Without Paint Or A Complicated Mess

Are you a renter with an undeniably ugly kitchen that you're not allowed to paint, or a parent who knows that bringing paint gallons into the house at all is inevitably going to cause disaster? If so, we're here to recommend that next time you want to switch up the vibe in your cooking space, rather than reaching for a paintbrush, try picking up some self-adhesive peel-and-stick wallpaper. A renter-friendly kitchen hack and fairly mess free, the material comes in all sorts of colors, patterns, and even textures. Plus, there is plenty of room for your creativity to shine through as well, as it is easy to get more imaginative with the design than you could with paint, and it's typically designed to be removable, making it less permanent too.

Of course, there are a few well-known cons of using peel-and-stick wallpaper, and we'd be remiss not to acknowledge them. For one thing, depending on the brand of wallpaper you use, there's a chance that it will leave residue on your cabinets when you try to remove it, or even pull off some of the paint — so if you're a renter looking to try this out, make sure you have a gallon of the original cabinet paint color on hand in case of repairs. Beyond that, it's also very time consuming, so make sure you have a decent amount of time set aside before you embark on this DIY, especially if having your kitchen half-painted, half-wallpapered is going to bother you.

Realistically, this hack is going to work better for some cabinets than others. There isn't technically anything different about putting wallpaper on cabinets versus walls, but it can be tough to get it to lay nicely if there are a lot of corners and crevices on your cabinets. But if you do have a flat cabinet design — or if there's a flat cut-out in the center that you can decorate and leave the edges plain — this idea might be perfect for you. If you do decide to use the wallpaper on a more complex cabinet shape anyway, arm yourself with a sharp utility knife and a smoothing tool for pushing the wallpaper into corners with ease. Additionally, let the wallpaper go over the edges of the cabinet when you're initially sticking it on — this makes it easier to cut the excess off later, rather than trying to cut it to the perfect size from the very beginning.

When it comes to picking out the perfect wallpaper for your kitchen, you'll first want to match it with the other colors in the room, whether that's countertops, backsplashes, your curtain shades, or certain cabinets that you plan to leave uncovered. Patterns can also be a fun way to add a dash of whimsy to your kitchen — especially if you occasionally switch out the wallpaper to have seasonal designs — but make sure the pattern isn't so chaotic that it'll be overwhelming. And keep in mind that patterns make wallpapering even more of a challenge, given that you have to line it up at every seam. If you are a fan of the end result, try using the leftover wallpaper to give your fridge a new look.