Do It Yourself: Painted Stripes, Wallpaper, and Canvas Wall Art
- September 15, 2008 by Fox | Comments: 12
Crafts are not really my thing. So when I moved into a 1970s raised rancher house with a big hole in the wall (was this ever stylish?) I needed a frugal DIY fix. I wasn’t about to patch or fill the big rectangular hole in my wall with drywall since I neither wanted a big blank wall nor needed the expense.
So after hitting the local artist supplies store, I found my fix in a simple ready-made canvas. The project was easy. I bought three large canvases to fit into my 1970s wall pit, painted stripes and dots on one side using various paints, and then stapled some cool wallpaper on the canvas backing. Presto! Instant wall decor a la Martha Stewart!
It’s not a super cheap project, but it’s easy to do and visually pretty. I left some space between the canvases since I like the look and I’m OK with the cheaper ready-made canvases not being perfect. Most artist supply stores will stretch and build a custom canvas though if a perfect fit is your preference.
Here’s what you need to do this project:
Materials:
- Canvas(es)
- Cool wallpaper
- Masking or painter’s tape
- Staple gun or glue
- Paint (various colors)
- Paint brushes, small roller
- Pattern (optional)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Large spoon
Instructions:
On Canvas Side
- Paint the canvas with a background color using a roller or brush. Let dry.
- Apply strips of masking tape to make stripes. Depending on your pattern, apply a mix of wide and thin stripes by applying the tape stripes next to each other. If the canvas is large, use a ruler and pencil to mark stripe placement. Use a large spoon to apply pressure on the tape, this prevents the paint from leaking or bleeding through.
- Paint in the gaps using the masking tape as a stencil and let dry.
- Gently peel off the masking tape to reveal your stripes. Use a small brush to touch up stripe edges, if necessary.
- Paint other patterns on canvas (like dots) as desired.
On Canvas Backing
- Measure the canvas backing and cut wallpaper to fit. Be sure to cut the wallpaper pattern to line up and match if the canvas is wider than the wallpaper.
- Use glue or a staple gun to append wallpaper to canvas backing.
- Hang canvas.
A DIY project like this could also be done to create wall murals, to display wall decals, or to hang inspiring quotations. If you ever get bored with a particular design, just paint or wallpaper over it! Gotta love a project which is recyclable!
Got any wall art? Found a frugal fix for an expensive home renovation project? Are you crafty?
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Comments:
Wow! Nice job!! Love it! I kinda wish my walls had a big hole now so I could do this
I have tiny versions of wrapped canvases in my house on my walls though.
Looks fantastic! If I had a “wall hole” to fill, this would be my solution.
That’s pretty hot - good work! i’d probably have started it, and then left it half way done
Oh what a cool idea!!!
This would be so fun to do with my daughter too. I can just see a canvas with her hand prints and a few stripes or flowers. That’s very cool.
Do you have a solution for the faux brick mortared onto the walls in my place?
@Emily Your posts on frugal renos are awesome, so I am thrilled you like my attempt.
@MoneyGrubbingLaw Be happy you don’t have a “wall hole.” It took me months to figure out how to solve this unsightly problem. My “better half” thought I was nutty at first, but now he’s pretty happy with the results (even though the wallpaper on the back is flowers, albeit masculine flowers).
@Connie I think children’s hand prints on canvas is a stunning idea. I love it. An awesome project.
@Beth There are two solutions: 1) Tear it down, 2) Cover it up. @Emily might have some ideas tooooo….
We just got a sewing machine (secondhand machine, bought as a birthday present) and I’ve got lots of projects lined up with it.
Very cool, Fox. Believe it or not, I have a very similar pattern in my son’s room. I used a different canvas combination, and different colours - but our ‘artwork’ is very similar. Thanks for sharing.
You could have probably saved your self some money and bought plywood and covered the plywood the same as the canvas. Don’t get me wrong what you did looks good, I just know canvas that size is not to cheap.