Use Your Toilet Paper To DIY Beautiful Wall Decor. Here's How
If you're thinking about DIYing some unique decor for your home, toilet paper is probably the last thing you'd think of using to create your decorative piece — after all, how could it possibly look good? Well, as it turns out, one unique hack could completely change the narrative. Some have used this bathroom essential and transformed it into beautiful wall art. The process involves mixing the toilet paper with other ingredients to make it into a thick and sticky paste, then applying the mixture to a canvas or old wall art and personalizing the piece with paint or other decorative items.
While this project may take a bit of time and patience, the result is simply stunning and will add personality into your decorating scheme. On top of that, it should be relatively cheap to make, so you don't have to worry about spending a pretty penny, either. To create some toilet paper art of your own, you'll need some broken-up toilet paper, a mixing bowl, an electric whisk, white flour, white or clear Elmer's glue, drywall compound, and some form of printed canvas art or a blank canvas to transform. You could grab some Elmer's glue from Walmart for under $2 and some drywall compound from Home Depot for less than $5. For later steps, you'll also need acrylic primer, acrylic paint, a paintbrush, and thin tissues. Once you have everything you need, you can begin crafting.
Prepare your toilet paper mix and apply to canvas
First, you'll need to brew up some paper mache mix. To prepare it, you'll place 1¼ cups of broken-up, damp toilet paper in a mixing bowl. Ensure you press out any excess water from the toilet paper. Then, combine it with 1 cup of drywall compound and ¾ cup of glue using the electric whisk. Next, slowly add in ½ a cup to 1 cup of flour, continuing to combine the ingredients until you make a paste.
Once the paper mache mix is made, take your wall decor and trace around the design with the material, forming it to make the design 3D. On the other hand, if you want to use a blank canvas and make your own design, you have the option to do that, too. Once you've finished, allow it to dry. You can use a fan or place it in the sun to speed up the process. Then, mix some glue with water in a cup and apply it over the whole canvas. Now, you'll want to place down your thin tissues and add another thin layer of glue on top before allowing it to dry again. To prepare the piece for paint, brush on a coat of primer. When that's dry, all you need to do is decorate and paint your design how you'd like. Finally, once everything has set, you can hang your unusual piece of wall art in your home.
Experiment with different designs
While TikToker @homebeam uses an eye-catching floral design canvas as the base for this toilet paper art, you could also experiment with different patterns and pictures, such as ones that have geometric shapes or a nature scene. To save money, try to find these items second hand at thrift stores. In addition to canvas art, experiment with using this material on different types of decor, like 3D sculptures. You can use whatever you'd desire as your base, so get creative! Alongside painting your toilet roll mache piece, you could also add on other decorative items like some stick-on gems or dried flower petals. It all depends on how you want the end result to look.
One thing to keep in mind when trying this DIY for yourself is to avoid using DAP drywall products, as they would turn into rubber when mixed with the glue, which you don't want. In addition, you also need to ensure you give each layer enough time to set; otherwise, it will compromise your end results. Finally, don't wash out the dishes you use to make the mixture in the sink, as the drywall compound could clog your pipes. If you follow each step accordingly, you should be left with some beautiful (yes, beautiful!) DIY toilet roll wall art. The best part? Nobody will be able to tell it's toilet paper — unless you tell them your secret, of course.