Paper It Fun!

Whether you want your switchplates and outlet covers to blend into the wall or stand out, covering them with Paper Illusions is easy!

We used to offer these as convenience products at Wallpaper Illusions, but they didn’t sell well for some reason…I’m guessing because it was really easy to do-it-yourself or people just chose to leave their plates plain. Either way, here are some instructions on how I used to make them if you want a few guidelines to do them yourself.

Simply measure & cut a piece of Paperillusion wallpaper about 1/2 inch larger than the wall plate you are covering. I recommend just covering it with one piece rather than trying to “tear, dip & apply” a bunch of smaller pieces.

To prep the surface & apply the product you have two options:

1. Prime the plate with a wallpaper primer (if you’re already paperillusion-ing the whole wall) and dip the paper in water and apply it to the dried surface, or
2. Spray an adhesive spray over the surface and stick the plate to the center of the dry paperillusion piece.

NOTE: I did the second option, when I made them myself.

Then, snip the corners on a diagonal, making it easier to tuck and fold. Don’t snip too much, just enough to remove some of the bulk when you wrap the corners over.

Fold the corners over first, then each side forming a crease around the whole plate.

Using a glue gun, line each edge (on the underside that will be butted up against the wall) with glue. Be careful, it gets very hot! Do one edge at a time…the glue dries pretty fast. Fold the corner and side over, pressing down into the glue, causing a good strong bond.

After all the edges have been glued and dried, it’s time to cut out the center (where the actual switch goes). Again, you have two options:

1. Using a blade utility knife or box cutter, pierce the center of the hole and slice to the edge of the opening. Slide the knife along the inside of the opening at a slight angle until the whole opening has been cutout, or
2. Using a blade utility knife or box cutter, cut an “X” in the center of the hole going from corner to corner of the opening. Fold each triangular piece back and adhere it to the back of the plate with your glue gun.

NOTE: I used the first option here. Truthfully this was not my favorite part, I often handed this part off to my husband to do…he’s a lot handier with knives.
TIP: Using a sharper blade creates a cleaner cut.

Last, you’ll want to cut out where the mounting screws go to secure the plate to the wall. I suggest creating an asterisk (*) with your blade knife in the hole rather than trying to cut the circle out.

TIP: When you put the screw in to mount it on the wall, just be careful not to tear the paper (the paper is pretty heavy so you should be fine if you’re careful).

That’s it! If you’ve done this yourself, be sure to add any tips you have below…

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