Using Contact Paper in Your Rental Kitchen & How it’s Worn 12 Months Later

The best decision we made for this room…

It’s been about a month since we made over our rental kitchen, one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. If you look at the before’s this room has had such a transformation. One of the things that have made the biggest difference is contact paper. I mean, you can see the before and those ugly counters. They needed a makeover and this contact paper saved this room!

If anyone asks me what’s the best way to do up a rental kitchen, I will always say contact paper as my first answer. It’s super affordable, easy to place on your counters and can be removed at the end of your tenancy. There are so many styles to choose from, you’ll be spoilt for choice. We went for this contact paper for our kitchen makeover. If you are interested in how we installed this, this post from the archives is for you. It’s one of the most popular posts on my blog.

On my Instagram, I get asked about how it’s wearing. So to summarise how it’s doing 12 months after instalment, I thought I’d jot everything down in this post…

12 MONTHS LATER, HOW’S THE CONTACT PAPER DOING?

Firstly, yes, the contact paper does have a few marks on it. However, I’m not mad. It’s paper and not a counter. The marks themselves are not an eyesore every time I go into the kitchen. Unless you’re up close and personal, you can not spot them. The paper is also porous, so pesky spices like turmeric do leave stains if they get onto the counter. It’s a bummer, but again, you really can’t see it unless you are eyelashes to it.

In terms of wear, it’s done so well. Areas that I was most concerned about was around the sink (water lifting the paper up) and around the stove (heat lifting it up). These areas are doing so well. We didn’t even add sealant and it’s holding out so well. There is a little bit of peeling around the end edge of the island, but again, I’m not mad about it. I’ve added a little extra glue to hopefully hold it out for a little bit longer.

Overall, I’m very happy with the wear of the contact paper. I know it’s only temporary, but hopefully, it will last as long as we are in the property. Truthfully, I’m hoping I can leave it on for the next tenants and I don’t have to remove it. A girl can dream!

If you are thinking about doing your rental up, I would highly recommend looking into contact paper. Good luck with your makeover project!