Upcycling, sticking, glueing - they're all things we love about craft and no craft pulls these three together more than decoupaging. Here at Gathered, we are huge fans of this craft and love bringing a new lease of life to old objects through decoupage. Not to mention it's also super relaxing! Our how to decoupage guide for beginners gives you all the information you need to get started, what equipment you need and what you need to do to prepare a surface. It also gives a run-through of the best decoupage glue as well as helpful hints on how to prevent or treat woodworm!
In this article, we cover what decoupage paper is, why it's different from normal paper and where you can buy it. Keep reading to discover some beautiful decoupage papers and make sure you head to our decoupage tray DIY once you're finished to test out those new papers!
What is decoupage paper?
Decoupage is the art of decorating something (a chair, box, frame, etc) by glueing decoupage paper over the surface. Decoupage paper can be arranged in layers to create a collage effect with multiple different papers, motifs, and illustrations. It's also quite common for people to only use one layer of decoupage paper, thus showing the pattern to its full potential. It's down to personal preference, but just be sure to prep your surface beforehand by painting white. Read our guide on how to decoupage to find out what products to use and how to do this.
Decoupage paper has been specifically designed for the art of decoupage, but you can also use most thin materials - there are very few restrictions when it comes to craft - just be sure to do a test first to ensure that the ink on the material doesn't run when you apply wet glue over the surface.
What's the difference between decoupage paper and normal paper?
By 'normal paper', we are referring to white, A4 copy paper that you put in your printer. The main difference is that decoupage paper is much thinner than copy paper and resembles tissue paper. The thin paper makes it easy to work around corners and into crevices, so it's much easier to work with, especially on upcycling projects. Decoupage papers will often only feature a print on one side, with the reverse being white. This is so that the colours will pop, looking bright and eye-catching.
If you hold a piece of decoupage paper up to the light, you will notice that a lot of the light comes through the paper. So it's always a good idea to prep your surface first by painting it white (see our how to decoupage for more information) - this is why the colours of the decoupage paper can be dulled by a darker background (unless of course, that's the look you're going for - and you can achieve some beautifully subtle decoration this way).
Paper napkins are also often used to decoupage. Napkins are a great, affordable material to decoupage with (you can pick up packs of them in most pound shops) - and a great place to start if you are a beginner as it gives you lots of material to experiment with.
So you're ready to start decoupaging and are looking for where to buy decoupage paper? We've rounded up some of the places you can buy decoupage paper online and in-store so you can get upcycling!
Where to buy decoupage paper
The majority of craft shops will stock decoupage paper so it's always worth checking your local craft shop. If you would prefer to order your paper online, then here are some online retailers that stock a range of decoupage papers and accessories.
- Amazon
- Hobbycraft (online and in some stores)
- eBay
- Etsy
- The Range (online and in some stores)
- The Works
- Decopatch Direct
- Crafters Companion
- Wish
- Joann
- Zazzle
Now to get you feeling inspired, here are some of our favourite decoupage papers from these retailers. Have a browse and let the shopping spree commence!
Best paper for decoupage
FLONZ Persian decoupage paper pack
We all know that Amazon stocks everything a crafter could want - and decoupage papers are no exception. There's even a decoupage section! They stock a huge range of papers but we especially love FLONTZ - a decoupage paper brand that creates amazing ornate papers. These Persian decoupage papers are the thing of dreams.
You get 24 sheets of thin, glossy paper with each sheet sizing up to 16cm x 16cm. There are eight beautiful patterns in total, printed by museum quality dry inks, and you get three sheets of each!
Black decoupage papers
Etsy is another great place for where to buy decoupage papers. You'll often find a lot of discontinued products here, too. So if you've seen something in a shop that is no longer available - Etsy (or eBay) is a fab place to look for those hard-to-find items.
Wonderlust Décopatch papers
Head over to Amazon to browse the Décopatch products, there are all sorts of papers in their collection. This vintage atlas effect paper is one of the many beautiful papers that we love.
The collection has over 25 exciting styles available, including simple, textured colours like blue or pink, to more unique designs like orange peacock, light wood and animal giraffe.
Each sheet is 30cm x 40cm in size, and Décopatch promise that their paper will not tear or lose colour when used with glue or varnish.
Decopatch Direct's value starter pack
Decoupage Direct is the home of all things decoupage. They sell everything from glue to paintbrushes, individual decoupage paper sheets, and packs. This decoupage pack is perfect for starters as it comes with 10 gorgeous papers, a brush, and a pot of glue. There are a few different decoupage packs on their site, so if these aren't your papers head over and have a browse.
Wish vintage decoupage paper
Wish sells a wide range of craft goods including scrapbook and decoupage papers. These delicate vintage papers are perfect for decoupage. Lots of the papers under Wish's decoupage section are napkins - so just something to be aware of if you are after the more traditional decoupage papers.
Zazzle decoupage papers
Zazzle has some beautiful decoupage papers on their site. They have lots of famous paintings and patterns that you can buy on tissue paper and use for decoupaging. There's everything from The Girl with the Pearl Earring to the Lady of Shallot (featured above).
We hope you've enjoyed our mini guide to decoupage papers. Once you've caught the decoupaging bug you might find yourself on the hunt for more craft projects. Luckily for you, we have lots of upcycling projects here on Gathered, including our recycled craft ideas round-up and our tutorial on how to make t-shirt yarn.
