Today was an exciting day! I started wallpapering my bathroom. But then, almost as soon as I started, I ran out of paste. I’m limiting my store visits right now, which makes me think a little more creative. Could I make my own? I wondered. Then I googled it and of course I can! Here’s how to make wallpaper paste.
how to make wallpaper paste
RECIPE
- 9 cups Water
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 4 1/2 cups Flour
- 3 Tbsp Alum
Combine flour and sugar in a large pot on the stove top. Slowly add 1 cup of cold water and beat out any lumps. Mix well with a whisk. Repeat until the water is all whisked in. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add alum. The consistency should be that of gravy or sour cream. Cool to room temperature.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t do a great job of whisking out the lumps. I still had a bunch and so I just strained the paste. I don’t know if that was technically correct to do, but it worked.
Why use alum? It’s a preservative and it’ll help the mixture from developing mold or mold. If you wallpaper right away and use the paste, you should be fine to not use the alum. Just make sure to completely dry out the room.
Why use sugar? That’s what keeps the paste from getting too hard.
what to do once the wallpaper paste is made
After the homemade paste is cooled to room temperature, use the wallpaper paste as you normally would use store bought adhesive. I put it in the roller tray and roll it on the wall before wallpapering. I also use a paint brush to get the paste along the edges. After completing the wallpaper job, I make sure to throughly clean out my brushes and tray with water.
Once I didn’t clean out my tray and later, when I was painting, the old adhesive peeled up and ruined my paint job. So don’t skip that step!
Make sure to store any excess paste in an airtight container. It should keep for a few weeks. If the paste hardens, soften by mixing in small amounts of warm water as needed. I put mine in the old wallpaper paste bucket which worked nicely.
I read a bunch of recipes and referenced this one the most. In it, a few commenters said that this is the paste their grandmas used and it worked well. It’s also noted that this wheat paste (named because of the use of wheat flour) is what stores used to sell. 
I got some messages when I was making my paste that people were worried about how it’d do. Honestly, I’m not too worried about it. If the wallpaper falls down, I’ll buy wallpaper adhesive and redo it (don’t worry, I’ll keep everyone updated). The more research I did, the more I was feeling fine about it. If this is how I take risks and live my life on the edge, I’ll take it- lol!
The best thing is that this saves a ton of money. The adhesive I usually use is $20 compared to maybe $3-4 in supplies. 🙌🏻
Bathroom Wallpaper
wallpaper / light / faucet / soap / bathroom cabinet
Here’s how the bathroom looks with the wallpaper up. I’m using paper from Catherine Rowe Designs. I choose this paper because I LOVE it! Why? It feels like it was made for me! From the pink background to the cute dogs (that look just like my dogs!!!), it’s the perfect fit. The flowers, the seashell, the overall vibe. I love it all!
Catherine Rowe is a super talented artist based in the UK. Her style is funky and fresh and just feels unique. I found her wallpaper when I shared my favorite pink wallpapers. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming of having some of her wallpaper in my house. And I can’t believe that today is the day! The wallpaper is made from her original art so it’s like having art on my walls!
The paper itself is super thick- it’s fabric like. I really loved working with it. It was super easy to slide into place and match up. Since it’s so thick, I didn’t have any issues with tearing. The only downside with the paper is that it is so thick, it takes awhile to cut through. 
Anyway, I’m loving it! Now I can start layering in the finishing touches like art, accessories, finishing the medicine cabinet. We’re almost there! What do you think? Isn’t it cute?
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