The Wallpaper Guide
From bare wall to beautiful
Everything worth knowing about peel and stick wallpaper before you order — what it is, whether it suits your wall, and the honest position on renting. Then four guides take you the rest of the way.
What peel and stick actually is
A self-adhesive wall covering that goes up without paste, water or a tradesperson.
You peel the backing off each panel and press it onto your wall. It repositions while you're hanging it, so there's no pressure to get it perfect first go. Panels arrive pre-cut and numbered to your wall measurements — you never work out roll counts or pattern repeats.
Ours is printed on premium woven polyester fabric rather than vinyl or PVC. The finish is soft and matte, closer to something hand-painted than to a plastic film, and the adhesive is water-based and gentle. Everything is printed to order in Melbourne.
Fabric or vinyl — why it matters
Most peel and stick sold in Australia is thin PVC. It behaves differently on the wall and coming off it.
| Tiny Walls fabric | Typical cheap vinyl | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Premium woven polyester | Thin PVC plastic film |
| Finish | Soft matte, textile texture | Shiny, reflective, plasticky |
| Adhesive | Gentle water-based | Aggressive acrylic |
| Repositionable | Yes, while you hang it | Often not |
| Coming off | Peels away with gentle heat | Can tear and leave residue |
| Printed | Melbourne, to order | Typically overseas, in bulk |
Is it right for your wall?
It's a versatile product, but it isn't right for every surface. The honest version.
Works well on
- Smooth, clean painted walls in good condition.
- Paint that has cured four weeks or more.
- Plasterboard and smooth plaster, sealed and painted.
- Flat doors and wardrobe fronts indoors.
- Feature walls, nurseries and kids' rooms.
- Rentals — with a sample tested first.
Not suitable for
- Textured, rough or rendered walls.
- Raw or unsealed plaster.
- Brick, stone or concrete.
- Bathrooms, laundries and wet areas.
- Walls painted in the last four weeks.
- Flaking, chalky or peeling paint.
Not sure? Run your hand across the wall — if it feels smooth like an eggshell, you're in good shape. Still unsure, send us a photo.
If you're renting, read this
The question we're asked more than any other, answered straight.
Our adhesive is water-based and designed to release cleanly from properly prepared, fully cured walls, and in the large majority of cases it does exactly that. What we can't speak for is the paint underneath it.
Rental walls are frequently repainted between tenancies as a quick cosmetic refresh — rolled over the existing coats without sanding back, without primer, without a proper two-coat system. After one or two of those, the paint layers stop bonding properly to each other or to the plaster. The wall looks completely fine. You cannot see it. But when anything adhesive comes off that wall, the top layer of paint can come with it.
We can't promise your paint will be unaffected, and nobody honestly can. The same thing would happen with tape, a hook or any other adhesive product on a wall in that condition — the wallpaper only reveals a problem that was already there. It's a pre-existing wall condition rather than a product fault, and the condition of your paintwork remains your responsibility.
Test before you commit. Order an $8 sample, put it on a hidden patch — behind a door, low behind furniture — leave it 48–72 hours, then remove it slowly with gentle heat. A clean lift is reassuring. It tests one small area only and paint bond varies across a wall, so it isn't a guarantee, but it's the most reliable check available. Photograph your walls before you install, and again after removal.
The four guides
Read them in this order and you'll have the whole picture.
How Much Do I Need?
Two measurements, the add-10cm rule, and cheat sheets you can read straight off a tape measure.
Installation Guide
Wall prep, paint types, hanging panel by panel, outlets and windows, and fixing what goes wrong.
Removal Guide
Heat, angle and pace — the technique that decides whether your paint survives. Plus a renter's checklist.
Care & Longevity
Cleaning, what shortens an install's life, repairing a lifted edge, and storing spares.
Working on something specific — a corner, a window, a half-wall? The tutorial hub has a walk-through for each.
Disclaimer. The guidance across these pages is general advice for do-it-yourself installation and removal. Tiny Walls cannot guarantee the outcome, as wall preparation, technique and environmental conditions are beyond our control. Results depend on the condition of your paintwork: paint that is uncured, unprimed, patched or not fully bonded to the wall can lift with any adhesive product — sometimes in one area of a wall and not others — and no sample or test can rule this out across a whole wall. Paint lifting caused by the paint system is not a fault of the product and remains the homeowner's responsibility.
Ready to look at designs?
Over 100 designs, printed to order in Melbourne. Start with an $8 sample to check the colour in your own light and test how it sits on your wall.
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