How to Cover Ugly Walls in a Rental

This solution is both fun and practical. Connect large sheets of foam board with glue or tape so you have one large board that's just a tad bigger than the size of your wall (so it fits snugly). Cover the board with fabric or wallpaper, then wedge it up against the wall so the whole wall is covered. No nails or adhesives required!^[3]

• Use tacks to display notes, prints, drawings, and photos on the board.

Decorating with washi tape gives you total control over the finished look. This popular Japanese masking tape doesn't leave behind a sticky residue. It comes in a variety of widths, colors, and designs. Peel off the tape and create vertical, horizontal, or diagonal stripes on your wall to make a pattern that’s easy to remove.^[4]

• Look for Washi at your local home improvement store. You can also order it online.
• Use a ruler or tape measure to make sure your stripes are evenly spaced apart.

Wall decals come in all kinds of designs and are easy to remove. You can find decals of movie, TV, and video game characters, fine art pieces, inspirational quotes, simple patterns, and more. Just remove the paper backing to expose the adhesive and apply the decal carefully and slowly to your wall. Use your hands to smooth out any air bubbles. Whenever you want to remove the decal, simply peel it off!^[5]

• You may be able to find wall decals at your local home decor store, but you can also order them online.
• Check the decal’s dimensions and measure your wall with a ruler or tape measure to make sure it’ll fit before you buy it.

Use this renter-friendly fix to cover a blank wall. Choose your favorite print fabric. It could be a tapestry, patterned rug, window treatment, or even a shower curtain. Use tacks or adhesive tape to hang it up and cover a wall.^[6]

• Look for print fabrics at your local home improvement or home decor store. You can also order them online.
• You may be able to find some cool fabrics at your local thrift store.

Spruce up ugly walls with some of your favorites. Look for posters at your local department store or music supply store. Choose ones that suit your personality or work with a theme. For instance, if you’re looking to create a vintage look, you could put up posters of pin-ups and Army recruiting posters. Use thumbtacks or double-sided tape to put up the posters on your walls so they don’t leave any lasting damage.^[7]

Mirrors bring light into a room and open up the space. Get yourself a nice, big mirror. You can find one with decorative borders or in a fun shape. Use a hammer to drive a nail into your wall. Then, hang your mirror from the nail and you’re all set.^[8]

• Look for mirrors at your local home improvement store. You can also order them online.
• Thrift shops may have some cheap and interesting mirrors you can put up.
• For heavy mirrors, you’ll need to locate a wall stud and use an anchor so the mirror is secure.

Making a gallery wall is an easy, eye-catching way to cover an ugly surface. You can use photographs, prints of your favorite artwork, posters, or even clippings from magazines. Arrange everything in an interesting layout on the wall and secure each piece with double-sided tape or adhesive hooks.^[9]

You can cover your walls with large artwork without needing to use nails. Use large framed artwork or photos so they take up more space. Place them on top of furniture such as dressers and bookshelves to help cover the walls without adding any nail holes or other surface damage.^[10]

• Lean the frames back against the wall so they won’t tip over.