After Testing 35 Removable Wallpapers, Here Are The Best We Recommend

Removable wallpapers are one of those illusive DIY projects that everyone—both homeowners and retailers—seems to be trying and claims are beginner-friendly. While the immediate gratification factor is there, our team was highly skeptical of the possible frustrations and errors that could occur from the seemingly harmless “peel and stick” designs. 

We’ve tested over 30 removable wallpapers over the past two years, and while this category is certainly far improved compared to traditional wallpaper, it isn’t a perfect “renter-friendly” solution to boring walls. 

Our biggest learning from working with removable wallpaper in The Lab is that—just like traditional wallpaper—time is the ultimate tell for durability and performance. Cheap removable wallpaper will begin to bubble or peel after months of being adhered to a wall, just like poorly glued traditional wallpaper. However, we’ve found that the merits of these peel-and-stick rolls outweigh the possible setbacks, especially if you’re willing to invest in high-quality wallpaper. 

Overall, we loved how easy it was to apply these wallpapers without fussing over glue and water, and we found they were relatively easy to adjust for pattern matching. Ahead, you’ll learn more about the wallpaper brands and patterns we enjoyed working with. Plus, we have tips from our team on how to master the application process.

Best Overall

Livettes Modern Delicate Herringbone Removable Wallpaper

View on Livetteswallpaper.com

One of the best features of a quality removable wallpaper is it can quickly be removed and adjusted when the pattern doesn’t align. This was especially true for the Livettes Modern Delicate Herringbone Removable Wallpaper, which was our favorite during testing. 

This wallpaper’s thick, fabric-like surface made it easy to readjust without stretching or creating bubbles. The thicker material was slightly difficult to cut around an outlet, but we consider that a testament to its durability rather than a fault. We loved how easily the backing came off the paper too; we never accidentally tore the backing, which can be a major headache on cheaper wallpapers.

Our one major complaint about this particular design is it’s quite difficult to line up perfectly. The minimal herringbone might seem forgiving, but it was very noticeable if the pattern shifted vertically between panels. We wish the backing paper had gridlines or that a different tool was provided to aid in this part of the application. 

That said, this wallpaper’s robust construction made it easy to peel the paper off and re-adhere it when we noticed our application had gone wonky. We let this wallpaper sit for 15 minutes on our drywall panel before attempting to remove it, and it easily peeled off the wall without causing any damage or leaving behind any residue. 

Given this wallpaper’s initial performance, we think it’s a great option for beginners and pros. The price is justified by the quality of the paper, and you can always opt for a different pattern from Livettes so you don’t experience the same pattern alignment issues.    

_{Material: Textile | Roll Size: 144 x 19 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 19 square feet | Colors: Black and white or custom}

Best Budget

Bungalow Rose Ethan-Jay Peel and Stick Wallpaper

$34 at Wayfair

While not all affordable removable wallpaper will have a smooth application, the Bungalow Rose Ethan-Jay Peel and Stick Roll was easy to apply and remove. The wallpaper is made from vinyl, so it felt like a good option for a damp area like a bathroom. 

We really appreciated how the pattern made it easy to align this wallpaper during application. The wallpaper was also sturdy enough to peel and reposition as needed. The backing paper peeled away easily, and we also effortlessly cut through the material to position it around an outlet. 

We do think the semi-gloss texture makes the wallpaper suited for a kitchen backsplash or bathroom. It would be relatively easy to wipe away messes as needed. However, we recognize that not everyone may like the shiny finish.    

_{Material: Vinyl | Roll Size: 198 x 20.5 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 28.188 square feet | Colors: Blue and white tile print}

Easiest to Install

Chasing Paper Grateful Thread

View on Chasingpaper.com

The Chasing Paper Grateful Thread Removable Wallpaper had the easiest application of all the rolls of wallpaper we tested. The team member who applied this wallpaper said it eased her worries about DIY projects in her own home, and she felt confident about attempting to wallpaper on her own. 

This roll of wallpaper has a thicker texture, similar to the Livettes Modern Delicate Herringbone Removable Wallpaper, which made it slightly challenging to cut a hole for an outlet cover. However, once the paper was applied to the wall, we loved how high-end it looked. 

The backing easily peeled off the paper as we applied it, and we were even able to re-apply the backing to the paper when we realized we had started applying a panel upside down. The busy pattern also made the application process forgiving since it wasn’t as noticeable if the panels weren’t perfectly aligned. 

We were easily able to patch a small gap in our application with a patch piece too. The process couldn’t have been simpler. We also appreciate that the Chasing Paper website has a footage calculator so it’s easy to know how much you’ll need to purchase for any room in your home.

In a previous round of testing, we used Chasing Paper’s Botany print and also enjoyed the intricacy of the floral design. It applied just as well as the Grateful Thread design. 

_{Material: Poly-woven fabric | Roll Size: 144 x 24 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 24 square feet | Colors: Blue and white pattern}

Best Design-Forward

Wallshoppe 'Pacifico Palm' Wallpaper by Nathan Turner

View on Wallshoppe.com

We really love the pattern on this wallpaper from Wallshoppe. The quality was evident when we applied it, which justified the high price point. The paper itself was a nice thickness, too, which made it easy to smooth out any bubbles. 

The brand provides an overprint on the width and length of each panel, which offers flexibility when installing a detailed pattern. The overprint means the edges of your paper can overlap slightly and makes aligning patterns easier.

Removing this wallpaper was also fairly easy. We didn’t notice any residue left behind on the wall. The trickiest part about applying this wallpaper was making sure we started a new strip at a place in the pattern that matched our previous strip. This left some random cutoffs, but that was the case with all the repeating patterns, although this paper had the largest repeat of those we tested.   

If you don’t love the palm leaf print, Wallshoppe sells plenty of other designs, including Arance Dolci by Carly Beck, which we previously tested and loved. 

_{Material: Not listed | Roll Size: 108 x 26 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 19.5 square feet | Colors: Palm leaf pattern (multiple colors available)}

Most Durable

Pottery Barn Intersections Removable Wallpaper

$100 at Pottery Barn

Wallpaper needs to be durable when pulling it off the wall and adjusting it, and we thought the Pottery Barn Intersections Removable Wallpaper was a great option for this particular quality. Although our favorite wallpaper, the Livettes Modern Delicate Herringbone Removable Wallpaper, was also very easy to adjust, we think this Pottery Barn roll is a great, less expensive alternative. 

This wallpaper also offers the most coverage per roll of the options we tested, so your overall cost will be lower. This paper had a satin finish, which we think adds to its durability. It didn’t show any warps from the squeegee we used to apply it. We think it also will be less likely to show scuffs from furniture. 

We noticed this wallpaper was slightly more prone to air bubbles during application than other rolls we tested. We were able to buff most of the bubbles away but there were still a few smaller ones throughout our application. 

All in all, we were impressed by the quality of this wallpaper, given its lower price, especially from a brand like Pottery Barn. We think beginners would appreciate the easy process and less fussy pattern alignment associated with this paper. 

_{Material: Not listed | Roll Size: 99 x 20.5 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 56.25 square feet | Colors: Bronze or black}

Best Easy-Align Pattern

NextWall Arthouse Ochre Bird Garden Vinyl Peel and Stick Wallpaper Roll

$50 at Home Depot

Aligning a patterned wallpaper is challenging, but this design from NextWall has one major feature to make that process easier: A half-drop repeat. This means the trees and birds (on this particular design) do not have to be lined up exactly across each panel. The horizontal pattern variation actually makes hanging the panel vertically much easier. 

Our one major complaint about this wallpaper is that it’s much thinner than the other wallpapers we tested. It bent and creased much easier, but this luckily did not impact its appearance once it was on our wall. We also struggled to initially peel the backing paper away from the adhesive. 

The plus side of this thinner paper is that we could easily cut away excess material and cut around a wall outlet. Despite peeling the paper off the wall and adjusting it to align the pattern, the adhesive stayed strong and we didn’t notice any bubbles forming. 

We wish this wallpaper was slightly thicker because it would make us more confident about its quality. However, the tackiness of the adhesive makes us confident this paper will perform well with little bubbling when we check on it in six months.  

_{Material: Vinyl | Roll Size: 216 x 20.5 inches | Coverage Per Roll: 30.37 square feet | Colors: Yellow, light blue, or black}

How We Tested the Removable Wallpaper

In our second iteration of testing removable wallpaper, we kept the methodology relatively simple (and similar to our first testing experience). We tested seven different wallpapers to allow our team more time to properly apply the wallpaper without rushing. We had 4- x 4-foot sections of drywall to mimic a vertical wall in a home, and we applied two panels of wallpaper to each.

We applied the first panel following the instructions provided by that wallpaper’s manufacturer. For the second panel, we attempted an application method we found online: Spraying the wall and back of the wallpaper with water to help them stick. While most of our team agreed that using water did help the application process, it made attempts to remove the wallpaper much more difficult. 

We peeled off the wallpaper after 15 minutes, and the panels applied with water often ripped the top layer of drywall or paint, making it impossible to reapply them. Panels applied following manufacturer instructions came off our walls cleanly and left little to no residue behind.

We also cut around outlet covers on each drywall section to determine how easy this process would be. While applying the paper, we were also assessing how the thickness aided or hurt the process; whether bubbles formed when we applied the material; and whether the material stretched when we adjusted it. 

Pattern matching is always a challenge when applying wallpaper, so we also paid attention to how much paper we had to cut off to match each pattern. Less-detailed patterns proved to be slightly more challenging to pattern match. We plan to check on our wall panels after 3 months and 6 months to see how well the paper has adhered to the wall. We’ll also look for additional bubbling and corner peeling at that time.

How to Shop for Removable Wallpaper

Look for Thicker Paper

Not all retailers will list the thickness of their removable wallpaper when shopping online, so we recommend paying attention to the material of the paper. Most of our favorites on this list were made from a fabric-like material. 

A slightly thicker wallpaper is going to be easier to maneuver as you apply it to your walls, and it won’t crumple on itself. The one wallpaper on our list that wasn’t as thick as we’d prefer is the NextWall Arthouse Ochre Bird Garden Vinyl Peel and Stick Wallpaper Roll. This paper was frustrating to hang since it creased on itself, but once we adhered it to the wall, it showed no ripples or signs of wear.

Understand a Paper’s Pattern Repeat

The pattern repeat on a wallpaper is the length (or height) of the design before it vertically repeats. This number will determine how much paper cutoff you have when aligning panels on a wall. The wallpapers on our list have pattern repeats ranging from 20.5 to 37.36 inches. 

A smaller pattern repeat, like the ones on the Bungalow Rose Ethan-Jay Peel and Stick Roll and NextWall Arthouse Ochre Bird Garden Vinyl Peel and Stick Wallpaper Roll will be better for a smaller wall. A wallpaper with a large pattern repeated on a small space will likely result in large cutoffs. 

The palm leaf design on the Wallshoppe Pacifico Palm Wallpaper by Nathan Turner has the largest pattern on our list and would work best for a large accent wall. 

Not all wallpapers will have a pattern repeat listed in their specs, and some may not have a pattern repeat at all. Such is the case with the Livettes Modern Delicate Herringbone Removable Wallpaper and the Pottery Barn Intersections Removable Wallpaper, which may appear bold once on the wall but are basic in design. You may notice that this is also the case with other wallpaper options that don’t necessarily have to horizontally align at specific points.

Find Out How Much Wallpaper You Need

You’ll want to measure your walls to determine how much removable wallpaper to order. If you’ve got a lot of wall space to cover, you may want to look for options that come in wider rolls. Some brands even offer custom-sized options. Several wallpaper options on our list have up to three sizes, including the Wallshoppe Pacifico Palm Wallpaper by Nathan Turner.

Unfortunately, some brands offer only one size roll like the Pottery Barn Intersections Removable Wallpaper. However, this paper comes in a double roll, so you’re getting more paper for the listed price. Our list also ranges in roll width with our smallest roll measuring 19 inches wide and the largest being 26 inches.

If you're not quite sure how much wallpaper you'll need for a room, some sites will provide a helpful calculator and point you to the correct roll size and number. We love this feature on the Wallshøppe and Chasing Paper sites.

Why Trust The Spruce?

Emma Phelps, an associate editor at The Spruce, has been writing about home decor since 2022, including the best floor pillows and best desk mats. Phelps adores bold prints and colors and hopes to incorporate beautiful wallpapers into her home one day. She remembers her mother and grandmother meticulously wallpapering the formal dining room in her childhood home and knows that a good wallpaper (and scraper) makes all the difference during application.

For this roundup, she researched several removable wallpaper options and examined insights from our testing of top picks for ease of application and removal, durability, and performance.