This Worries Me – Mildew??

These little specs of brownish red, and also circular patterns of a powdery grey/black substance, were dispersed throughout the backing of the Serena & Lily grasscloth I hung today.

What worries me is that they look like mildew that I have encountered in homes that have moisture problems. And mold and mildew can work their way through wallpaper, causing discoloration, and even interfering with adhesion.

Possibly the factory is not climate-controlled, and mildew was able to get a foothold on some of their product??

Let’s hope that my worries are unfounded. Only time will tell.

Store Leftover Wallpaper in the House (Not Garage or Attic)

These homeowners had damage from Hurricane Harvey and needed to replace two strips of grasscloth. They brought the box of leftover paper in from the garage – and discovered that paper was ruined. Water had gotten onto the garage floor, soaked the box (which was sitting on the floor) and wicked up into the ends of the paper. Some of it was even mildewed.

Moral: Always store left over paper in the house, under climate-controlled conditions. Never the garage or attic.