On the wall: Vinyl decor lets you spice up dorm, apartment, home

Yes. It really is as simple as the instructions say.

Peel. Place. Press.

And then, ta-da! Instant artwork.

To top it off, you don't have to worry about punching holes in your walls or making a sticky mess when removing it. Plus, this kind of decorating is relatively inexpensive.

That's the beauty of vinyl and other peel-and-stick wall-art decor, according to manufacturers and interior designers.

"You just peel off the back, put it on the wall and smooth it over," said Paula Berberian with Massachusetts-based Brewster Home Fashions, which sells vinyl art known as WallPops. "It's easy. It's not permanent. And it does not ruin the walls."

In the past few years, vinyl has risen in popularity with people ranging from high-end designers to college students. If it's not in your home already, you've probably seen it used on various do-it-yourself home-decorating shows.

Jordy Kirkman, a student at Utah Valley University and owner of Curly Cue Wall Graphics, said he believes vinyl is most popular among young mothers and the college-age crowd. He has been making vinyl art for more than a year, and some of his most popular designs include a giant peace sign and brightly colored vinyl circles used by a lot of college students to decorate their dorm rooms.

This month, some of Kirkman's products will be sold at the Utah State University Bookstore, in addition to his online store at: www.mycurlycue.com. While he doesn't offer college-specific artwork, companies such as www.fathead.com offer various logos and life-size vinyl images of sports heroes.

"People like the designs, and it's so easy," Kirkman said of his products.

During a recent visit to the Deseret News, he demonstrated how vinyl can be applied to walls. First, a person must remove the vinyl graphic from a backing paper. After that, the graphic is placed on a wall and smoothed to eliminate any wrinkles.

Kirkman did his demonstration on a relatively smooth wall in the Deseret News photo studio. While vinyl works best on untextured walls and glass, it can still be used in areas with moderate textures.

The art applied in the Deseret News photo studio looked almost as if it were hand-painted onto the wall. Kirkman said his vinyl will last for several years, although many of his products (like countless others on the market) can only be used once.

Still, Marilyn Lewis, the owner of Salt Lake City-based Marilyn Lewis Interior Design, said one of the benefits of vinyl is its low cost. A person easily could buy a new vinyl decal and then change the entire look of a room, she said.