Last year, I joined the One Room Challenge to make over my laundry room. I wanted a little something to add some pizazz to this wall above my shelf, but I didn’t want the cost or labor of wallpaper. My friend created this beautiful accent wall, and it got my wheels turning! It was exactly what I was looking for!!! You can see the before of the laundry room and the process here!
This beautiful picture from my friend Chauntel @chauntelloiusedesigns was my inspiration. You’ll never guess what she used! A 98 cent roll of electrical tape!!! Did you guess right??? You can bet I high-tailed it to my local Ace Hardware and bought a roll! The material was just what I was wanting-cheap and easy to apply, and easy to remove! The possibilities of pattern are endless! And if you throw in other kinds of tape that you can use, like Washi tape, the colors are endless too! Just follow these simple steps, or come up with your own, and you can create a DIY wall treatment for under $1!
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Materials Needed:
~3 or 4 foot level. If you can find one with a ruler on it, that would be even better!
~Yardstick (if not using a level with inches)
~Tape measure (not necessary, but helpful!)
~Electrical tape ( I bought mine at Ace Hardware for 98 cents)
1) Come up with a design or pattern
This pattern that my friend Chauntel @chauntelloiusedesigns used was my original plan.
Once I started it, I realized that I wanted to space out the lines more. My original spacing was 3 inches apart, but I changed to 6 inches. The great thing about this tape is that it’s removeable and reuseable! I just scooted the tape over and pressed it down again.
Once I had all of my vertical strips up, it looked a little plain, so I added the cross-hatches for more impact. Just a few more minutes of work, and it added such a bolder look!
Look at this amazing pattern created by @uproardecor using gold washi tape!
@creativityonadime did this abstract wall in her bathroom, and check out her youtube video of her amazing super budget bathroom makeover.
The possibilities of design options are endless!
2) Cut strips of tape
Cut a whole bunch of strips at once to make the process go quickly. Mine are all 3 inches long.
3) Apply to wall
You can use pencil to mark out your design in advance, or just go ahead and apply tape to the wall. I did not mark in advance, and it went fine. If I needed to change anything, I just removed the tape and reapplied it to where I wanted it to go.
For my design, I just eyeballed a starting point on the wall, I did not do any math or measurements to find center, etc. But you can! My strips are 12 inches from the outside edge of one to the inside edge of the next strip.
Use a level to be sure that the yardstick is level, then tape the yardstick to the wall to serve as a guide so that your strips are straight. When you complete the area that the yardstick covers, slide the yardstick over, used the level again, and tape the yardstick to the wall again. It was a quick process, but if you have an extra set of hands, that would really help on this step! Repeat this process as you go row by row.
If you are doing the cross-hatch, just used equal lengths of tape strips (I used 3 inches) and centered the first one on, just eye-balling it. Align the yardstick under the strip and use the level process above to tape the yard stick on the wall.
Align the level vertically to line up the edge of the upper row of strips to the row you are now working on. This is also where an extra set of hands would be helpful!
It truly is so quick and easy! You can use one of these patterns, or come up with your own! Electrical tape now comes in white, and if you use Washi tape, the color and width possibilities are endless!
I would love to see what you come up with for your DIY wall treatment for under $1! Please comment below, or tag or DM me on Instagram! Want to see the full reveal of my budget laundry room makeover? Here’s another cheap and easy wall treatment idea!
Your laundry room looks turned out beautiful, and especially like your floor!! Great job!!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! It was a fun project, and the floor was so easy!
Oh my gosh! I totally just updated a bathroom vanity with electrical tape. Now I guess I’m doing accent walls with it too… LOVE this idea Danielle!
Yes, I hope you do! It’s so quick, cheap, and easy! I love that you did a bathroom vanity with tape!
I really do like the idea of creating endless patterns. This is such a smart way to decorate on a dime!
Yes! It’s so easy to create anything you want, and it peels right off without damaging walls!