Kitchen Cabinet Wallpaper (Design Ideas)

Your kitchen cabinets can have a huge impact on what your kitchen looks like. Not to mention, you probably want every part of your kitchen to reflect your personal style. Before you go in for an extensive or expensive remodel, though, you might want to consider another option: kitchen cabinet wallpaper.

If you haven’t heard of kitchen cabinet wallpaper before, though, don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know.

 

What Is Kitchen Cabinet Wallpaper? 

Wallpaper has been in use in home design for a long time. You’ve probably mostly seen it used, well, on the walls. However, despite the name, wallpaper is a handy tool on a variety of surfaces. Many people use it on their shelves, appliances, and, most importantly for this guide, cabinets. 

Just like the type you might use on your walls, kitchen cabinet wallpaper comes in a variety of choices. This includes a variety of patterns and colors, ensuring that everyone can find something that suits their tastes and fits their kitchen design scheme. See more kitchen cabinet styles and ideas here.

Even better, there are a variety of different types to choose from as well. This includes options such as products that you can simply peel and stick into place and even removable options that you can put up for a temporary change of pace. 

Wallpaper For Wood Cabinets

You can use a variety of materials for cabinets. However, the most commonly used option is wood cabinets. As such, when you’re choosing a wallpaper for your kitchen cabinets, you’ll want to make sure that you’re using something suitable for the material that you’re going to adhere to.

Luckily, because of the common nature of wooden kitchen cabinets, many are suited for use on wood. Similarly, you can find wallpapers that mimic the look of different types of wood, complementing other wood products in your kitchen.

Removable Wallpaper For Cabinets

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In some cases, you can’t make permanent changes like renting or even painting your cabinets. So, if you find yourself in this situation, are you just stuck with cabinets as they are? 

Actually, you don’t have to resign yourself to plain cabinets! While not all wallpaper is easy to remove, you can spruce up a rental with some removable contact paper.

This type is made to allow you to stick it up, creating the same visual effect as any other style. The catch is that when you’re done with it, you can peel it back off without leaving a sticky residue or tearing and sticking to the cabinet. 

Still, it’s worth noting that there are some drawbacks. For one, it doesn’t always have a smooth surface, making it hard to apply in an even layer without air bubbles. On top of that, since it’s made to remove later on, it’s not always quite as durable as its more permanent counterparts. Read more about wallpaper vs paint here.

Peel And Stick Wallpaper

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As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of choices revolving around the style you choose. Aside from choices like pattern, though, you’ll want to consider what type of material you want. There are a few different options here and some of them have certain benefits over others. 

When it comes to materials for your cabinets or peel and stick wallpaper in general, the goal is to simplify the installation process. Just like anything else peel and stick, all you have to do is peel off the back covering to reveal an adhesive that is ready to stick where you need it to go. 

Material like vinyl is easy to clean, durable, and works well in higher moisture areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Fabric on the other hand is more textured and looks more expensive, but can be challenging to keep clean in a kitchen’s splash zone.

Of course, you still need to apply the product correctly to get the best results. We’ll take a closer look at exactly how you apply it later on.

Wallpaper Application On Cabinetry Ideas

Now that we’ve established what types to use, you might be wondering how you can make the most of it. There are actually a variety of ways that you can employ it to your advantage in kitchens. 

Wallpaper behind shelving

If you want to add a pop of color, you can step away from the cabinets and place the wallpaper behind your shelving. This can help neutral-toned cabinets stand out from a contrasting background, as well as liven up the spaces between your fridge, oven, microwave, and dishwasher.

Wallpaper kitchen drawers

Alternatively, you can add this covering to your cabinets as a choice to enhance your kitchen décor. If you put it inside the drawers at the bottom, it’s an easy way to spruce up the interior of your cabinets and make them more visually appealing.

The price and information on various wallpapers can be found at your local home décor store.

Wallpaper sides of kitchen island cabinets

A kitchen island is a great way to add a little extra countertop space to your kitchen but it can serve as an excellent focal point too. You can add some to the sides of the island to make it stand out further. See the types of kitchen islands here.

Wallpaper cabinet doors

One tried-and-true way to use it to cover your cabinet doors. If you do this externally, it’ll add to the overall appeal of your design but some like to use a lighter color palette to brighten up the inside. 

Apply wallpaper to appliances

Another aspect of utilizing this material in your kitchen is to add it to your appliances! This can add a fresh look and you can even coordinate them to go with your cabinets. 

Create a wallpaper feature wall – A feature wall is another reliable way to showcase a kitchen. To create a feature wall, you’ll want to use colorful contact paper to create a focal point on one wall in your kitchen – perhaps behind your cabinets! Get more accent wall ideas on this page.

How To Wallpaper The Cabinet Doors

There are a few different types you can use on your cabinets. In this section, we’ll take a look at applying water-activated wallpaper.

This process is much easier if you start by removing your cabinets from their hinges as well as taking off any hardware. Before you start adding the material to your cabinets, make sure that you clean them. If you see any major damage, it’s best to repair this now as well. 

Of course, the first thing you should do is measure your cabinets. If you have cabinets with an indent or an odd shape, you may need to section off pieces to fit to cover the entire door smoothly. Once you have these measurements, you can start cutting the pieces you need out of the roll or sheet.

When you’re ready to start applying the pieces of wallpaper, use a sponge or a paint roller to dampen the back of the paper.

Then, you’ll want to set aside the material to allow the adhesive to start to work for about five minutes. It’s worth noting that the exact instructions for this step can vary and it’s best to check any instructions that come from the manufacturer. 

Now, carefully lay the paper on your cabinets. You should make sure that you work out any air bubbles from under the surface with a sponge so you have a clean finish. From there, let the product dry for a few hours before trimming any excess material and reinstalling the cabinet doors and hardware. 

Using Peel And Stick Wallpaper On Cabinets

If you want something that offers you reliable results without quite as much work, you can turn to peel and stick wallpaper. This is made to give you the same results as any other type but the good news is that it offers that without as much prep work on your behalf. 

Generally, you’re going to follow all of the steps from above. However, you’ll want to skip the steps on activating the adhesive on the back. 

This means that you won’t need to wet the back and set the material to the side to sit for a moment. Since this is peel and stick wallpaper, the adhesive is already there. All you have to do, quite literally, is to peel the cover off the back and stick it where you want it to go like a giant sticker. 

You’ll want to be careful, though, and do any cutting before you peel off the backing. Otherwise, you risk getting the material stuck to itself or other things. This is particularly relevant when dealing with essential kitchen appliances such as a sink, stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher, and fridge, which might need careful planning.

How To Choose Wallpaper For Cabinets

When it comes down to it, one of the more challenging parts of choosing a wallpaper is choosing exactly which color, pattern, or style you like the most. At the end of the day, how do you choose?

First, start by taking a look around your kitchen. If you’re just adding it to your cabinets, you’ll want to consider what will go with your current decor scheme. It won’t help anything if you choose a wallpaper that’s beautiful independently but completely clashes with the rest of the decor in your kitchen. 

This leads to another point: think about your own personal tastes. While you should keep tips like these in mind, it’s also important to consider what you like. These are your cabinets after all and your interior design should be a reflection of your tastes and preferences. 

Then, consider the pattern. If the rest of your kitchen is rather neutral, a bright or patterned design could act as a great focal point. On the other hand, you can opt for something more neutral if you want other aspects of your kitchen to shine. 

Other practical considerations include its level of water resistance, especially around the kitchen faucet and sink. In addition, the material you select should be easy to clean if its positioned near to a stove top which could splatter grease.

Visit our guide on peel and stick laminate for cabinets for more related content.