Install Furnishings and Decor Without Damaging Your Apartment

Any flooring types other than carpet may need protection from furniture feet. Often made of rubber, felt, or even a carpet material, protectors may have a peel-and-stick adhesive backing to affix them to furniture legs. Others may have a slip-on function. Make sure all furniture, from sofas and bed frames to tables and shelves, all the way down to ottomans, have protected feet.

If your apartment is small, you'll likely have your furnishings near the walls, too. You don't want your desk to gouge the wall if you bump into it too hard, so consider adding a protective bumper on the edge nearest the wall.

What if your rental agreement says you can't use tape on the walls? What if small nails and even command strips are against the rules? And if you just don't want to fill in nail holes and scrape off adhesive when you move out, you still have options for hanging lightweight decor on walls. Some alternatives to consider include:

• Sticky putty, which can hold up paper decor
• Specialized micro-suction cup hangers
• Magnets and magnetic paint (if you're allowed to repaint the walls)
• Spring steel hooks such as monkey hooks (these do make a tiny hole)

Different areas of your apartment may require different solutions. For example, a suction cup hanger will only work on a smooth, flat surface. So if your walls are textured, you'll only be able to use this type of hooks on other surfaces such as doors or windows.

Some types of decor, such as hanging plants, can look equally elegant when placed on a stand or hung from a freestanding rack rather than on the wall. And if you want to hang things from the ceiling, a tension rod may be your best bet. Some tension rods can go the entire width of the room, braced against the walls, while others stand vertically from floor to ceiling.

Some stick-on decorations are made of vinyl, hold themselves up, yet use no glue or other adhesive. However, many other decals do use adhesive of some sort. So be sure you obtain your decals from a reputable source. Choose products that have great ratings and reviews, don't use adhesive, and remove from surfaces easily, even after a significant period of time.

One caveat to using vinyl decals is that you should never apply them until the paint on the walls has had plenty of extra drying time. Although the paint may seem dry to the touch, it may take up to 6–8 weeks in some cases before dry enough to stick a vinyl decal on with no chance of damage.

However, you can use vinyl decals on your windows as well, without worrying about whether the surface needs to dry.

These are just a few furnishing and decorating ideas that can allow you to avoid damaging the pristine walls, floors, and ceilings in a new rental apartment. If you haven't found the right apartment yet, get in touch with Meadowdale Apartments today, and we can help you find a new apartment to decorate with these noninvasive decor hacks.