Murals Go Up in Panels

Most classic photo wall murals come in eight panels, rather than rolls or strips. They go on the wall four across the top, with another row of four below them.

Although they are numbered on the back, I like to lay them out on the floor, to be sure I have the right sequence.

Here you can see the first three panels in place on the wall. I started with Panel 3, at the top center of the wall, butted against a plumb line. Panel 4 went directly below it, also butted against the plumb line. These murals are meant to be overlapped a little at the seams, rather than butted, as most wallpapers are.  And don’t worry about the blotchy background – it will disappear as the mural dries.

Panels 5 and 6 were hung next, to the right of the first two panels. Then Panels 7 and 8 were hung next to them, and finally I moved to the left and installed Panels 1 and 2. See why it’s a good idea to lay them out on the floor first?!

The second photo shows the finished mural.

Kitchen Transformation

Before. This is a typical kitchen in a typical ’70’s ranch style home, with a typical, plain, uninspired narrow stripe wallpaper, with a dark border around the top. Gee, when was the last time I hung a border? About 1975?? The room has a bland feeling and a sense of a vast openness, like a void.

After. This is not what I’d call a typical kitchen paper. The fleur-de-lis pattern really added class to this space. The room is now warm and inviting, and there’s a sense of structure to the space.

Note also that the darker color shows off the white furniture and woodwork better, too.

York Wallcoverings #PS3872

Knuckle-Buster Ceiling

Recently, I posted a photo of my finger after a run-in with a razor blade. Here’s another danger you won’t even think about … until you’re running your hand or a tool along the ceiling line, and bang your knuckles on the thick, hard, shark’s tooth-sharp texture on the ceiling!

Wallpaper Hanger Houston

Using Wallpaper Patterns – BH&G Magazine York Wallcoverings Tips

Re my post yesterday about the house full of wallpaper, that belongs to the owners of the York Wallcoverings company, here are some tips quoted from the article:

“Grasscloth, a big trend in wallcoverings and Cary’s choice for walls throughout the mail level, adds warmth and texture without pattern. ‘It’s an example of using wallpaper as “supporting actress” in a space.’

“Balance a bold pattern with solid-color somethings … a sofa, beddings, curtains. If you plan to hang art, a wider neutral mat or backdrop is a must.

“A powder room is a perfect place to try a large-scale pattern. ‘You’re not staring at it 24/7, an you don’t have to worry about many accessories. It’s more like it’s a great surprise when someone walks in.’

“Lots of white tames the [wild] floral wallpaper. ‘When you have a giant, crazy pattern on the walls, you have to back off on the fabric.’ ”

In this bedroom, there is solid white bedding and a huge solid white upholstered headboard, to stand out against the crazy floral.

Wallpaper in Better Homes & Gardens Magazine

The July 2013 issue of Better Homes & Gardens has an article showcasing the Delaware home of the people who own York Wallcoverings, Brenda & Carl Vizzi. It’s on a beach. And yes, there is paper everywhere.

The downstairs is all beachy looking in soft tan grasscloth, and upstairs there’s a green trellis in the hall (I’ve done that one before, in black), ABC’s in the kids’ room, a wild floral in the bedroom, and goldfish paper framed as a piece of art.

York is one of my favorite papers to work with.

More on this topic tomorrow.

Dings in the Edges of Heavy Vinyl

If you look closely, you can see small “dings” in the edges of this heavy vinyl faux grasscloth with a woven fabric backing. Look at the points of the scissors and pencil. These dings were caused during shipping. They look slight, but, with this particular material, it’s unlikely they will pull flat against the wall as the paste dries. So a little bitty “blip” will show along the seams.

So I am trimming a little off the edge of the paper, to create a new edge that is free of “dings.” This paper has not pattern match, so the lost inch along the edge will not be noticeable.

This is Thibaut Designs wallpaper pattern #839-&-6815

Ouch!

If you’re gonna hang wallpaper, and work with scissors and razor blades, sometimes these things just happen.

The main issue here is keeping blood off the wallpaper, because it will stain.

Another Faux Grasscloth Today

All this week, I’ve hung soft neutral-toned textured wallpapers. Here is another fake grasscloth, this time by Thibaut (pattern #839-T-6815). This client was excited about putting grasscloth in her powder room, because she loves the look and the texture. But, seeing a sink right against the wallpaper, and messy young children in the house, I advised against real grasscloth. She took my advice, went to see Dorota at Southwestern Paint / Benjamin Moore on Bissonnet at Wakeforest, and found this winner.

It’s another thick, heavy, textured paper. But, unlike yesterday’s paper-backed vinyl, this one has a woven fabric backing, much like canvas. (See second photo, bottom right corner.) This woven fabric backing helped prevent the slight curl at the seam edges that I blogged about yesterday.

The first photo shows the primed wall, before wallpaper installation. The others show how the room looked once it was finished. On the close-up, note how realistic the pattern and color are, and the texture that you can feel.

The seams were positively invisible. To help disguise any paneling, I reverse-hung the strips. (Hung one right side up, the next one upside down, and the next one right side up, and so on. If there is a slight variation in color from the right to left side of the roll of paper, this prevents an abrupt change in color.)

The room turned out great, and has a tailored yet serene feel. And best of all, this paper will hold up to water splashes, kids’ dirty hand prints, little boys’ poor aim, and is quite scrubbable, too.

Finally – A Realistic Fake Grasscloth

People love the look of grasscloth these days. But it’s not a good choice in wet areas, like bathrooms or kitchens, because if it gets splashed with water, it will stain. York Wallcovering’s Modern Rustic line has solved that problem, with a heavy, textured, scrubbable, water-resistant vinyl material that looks so much like grasscloth that it would fool just about anybody.

Note in the second photo the texture of the material. And, because it’s printed instead of natural grass, it can be matched from sheet to sheet, eliminating the “paneling” or “shading” effect. (Do a Search for my previous posts on this topic.)

I do wish the seams had looked a little better, though.  (Third photo – click to enlarge.)  This is a thick material, and so the joins show more than with a thin paper. I also noticed a bit of curling at the edges, from the paper backing expanding and stretching. Hopefully this will disappear once the paste is fully dry, and the paper will pull tightly against the wall.

In fact, in the sample book, you can see this curling effect, on the sides of the paper sample (not the top and bottom).  If it curls in the book when it’s dry, you can bet there will still be some curl when it’s pasted and up on the wall.  Still, this looks MUCH better than seams on real grasscloth, which are quite noticeable.

This went in the bathroom of a young family. The original paper was an off-white linen – not at all suited for a tub full of splashing little kids! Besides standing up to bath time, this paper added a whole lot more character and warmth to the bathroom.

“Do You Do Wallpaper Repairs?” – YES!

And my, all of a sudden, I’m getting lots and lots of calls for repairs. Here is what I’ve dealt with just this week:

-air conditioning leak
-pipe leak
-other water leak
-painters got paint on the wallpaper
-changed towel / grab bar
-seams coming loose