Burned $75 on a fancy wallpaper install kit that ruined my guest bathroom project

I thought I needed all those special tools like the smoothing brush and seam roller to hang wallpaper in my guest bathroom. Turns out a simple sponge and a sharp utility knife from the hardware store would have done the same job. The cheap brush left scratches on the paper and I had to rip it all down after three panels. Anyone else find that those starter kits are just a waste of cash?

3 comments

3 Comments

milam4815h ago

I bought the same $75 kit last year for my bedroom and I swear the seam roller had a mind of its own, it left a weird track mark down the middle of every panel like a tiny tire went across my walls. lol. I ended up chucking the whole thing in the trash after I peeled the backing off a roll and the paper tore because the brush was too rough on the edges. My guest bathroom now has a lovely patchwork of leftover paint samples slapped over the disaster, I call it modern abstract art. Honestly, I learned my lesson the hard way too, a sponge and a steady hand are basically all you need for half the price. The only thing fancy about those kits is the price tag, nothing else.

piperbailey12h ago

I saw a YouTube video where a guy tested three kits and that seam roller ruined every single panel.

wendy1319h ago

Told my buddy Kevin about this and he laughed then showed me his bathroom he did with a cheap kit from the hardware store. He used the plastic smoothing tool it came with and it scratched the paper so bad it looked like a cat went after it. Then the brush shed bristles all over the wet glue and they dried right into the seams. He tried to pull one off and took a chunk of drywall with it too. Now he just calls it his 'rustic farmhouse texture' and refuses to fix it.