Glitter wall alternatives for an adult?

November 12, 2012 5:32 PM

Dear AskMeFi: is has to be some way to get the effect I'm looking for on my walls but with a shimmer? I like this tree branch graphic for my walls, but I would like to have it shine like glass beaded wallpaper. As I understand it, glitter never sticks to anything you want it to but sticks to everything else. I'm just not sure how to get the effect on my walls that I envision. Ideally it would be removable because we live in an apartment. Thank you for your help!
posted by Issithe to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

You can buy glass beads to adhere with acrylic medium - Daniel Smith sells them. I would adhere them before putting it on the wall to avoid getting acrylic on the wall.
posted by leslies at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2012

If it were me, I'd buy the wallpaper and cut out the design with an exacto knife. You could trace it out on the back with a pencil or chalk first. Is there some reason that won't work?
posted by small_ruminant at 7:04 PM on November 12, 2012

I would paint the tree in a flat colour using a stencil, then go over with glitter mixed into glue. I've seen this done on pinterest a lot and it looks fantastic though you may have a problem getting it off when you want a change in the future.
posted by Wantok at 7:45 PM on November 12, 2012

Response by poster: Thank you! These are all great answers. As far as why the wall paper wouldn't work, I am thinking it wouldn't work because it's wall to wall glass beads and I think it might cut really jaggedly. But I'm going to order a sample and see what it's like for cutting.
posted by Issithe at 8:34 PM on November 12, 2012

I saw a really cool effect done once on a home improvement show just using gloss paint for the design. The apartment had a lot of indirect light, so the design just shone (a lot more than you would think). You could try getting a small test can of gloss paint in your color and try it on a patch of wall - it might give you the effect while still being easy to cover again when you move out.
posted by RogueTech at 9:39 PM on November 12, 2012

I've been using Martha Stewart glitter paint on a project and it's very easy and shimmery and it's not migrating all over the place, either. Wantok's idea of glue + glitter is intriguing; I'm not a huge glitter person but the Martha Stewart glitter is really pretty and comes in different sizes, all the way to a super fine version. Her glitter would be worth trying with the glue method.

(NoScript isn't loading the Martha Stewart Glitter Products page for me or I would have linked it above.)
posted by Room 641-A at 10:43 PM on November 12, 2012