Black wallpaper’s gonna go on this wall . Because wallpaper sometimes shrinks a tad as it dries , and because manufacturers can’t always guarantee a perfectly straight cut edge , it’s possible that some of the wall will peek out from behind the seams .One way to prevent this is to stripe dark paint on the wall under where the seams will fall. This wallpaper is made of non-woven and won’t expand as it gets wet with paste . Each strip is 27″ wide . This makes it easy to measure and plot where each seam will fall. The center of the pattern is not placed in the middle of the wallpaper strip, but 10″ in from the left edge . I used that information to calculate where the seams would fall . The paint I use is just craft paint from Michael’s or Texas Art Supply . I thin it with water (in the orange Gatorade cap) and swipe it on the wall with that scrap of sponge . It’s important not to make the paint too thick , because you want the wallpaper to be adhering to the wallpaper primer , and too heavy a coat of craft paint will prevent that primer from doing its job. After laying out where each seam will fall, I use this laser level to shoot a vertical red line onto the wall, as a guide for where to swipe on the black paint .Because this wallpaper is printed on a white substrate, it’s possible that that backing will show at the seams. So I use black chalk – again from the art supply store – to run down the edges of the wallpaper . There’s been an uptick in interest in dark colors in wallpaper these days. This wallpaper is by Rifle Paper .
Dark papers are popular right now. But since wallpaper shrinks a tad when it dries, and since it’s usually printed on a white substrate, it’s possible that hairs’-breadth gaps of white wall may show at the seams. One way to prevent that is to stripe the wall under where the seams will fall with a color similar to the background of the wallpaper. Be careful to not get it too dark, as too much pigment may interfere with the wallpaper primer’s ability to perform optimally. I measured the width of the strips, and then used a laser level to guide my stripes. I use craft paint from the hobby store, and daub it on with a scrap of sponge (right) and dip into a bit of water, which I keep in a Gatorade bottlecap (left). To get rid of the white edges of the substrate, I use a bit of chalk (some folks use paint – but make sure it’s water-based …. NEVER use oil-based paint, markers, or chalks, as they will bleed onto the surface of the wallpaper). I run the chalk along the edge of the wallpaper strip, making sure to work from the back side, to prevent the chalk from working its way onto the surface of the wallpaper. Use a light touch, but cover all of the white edge. Finished wall. Don’t see no stinkin’ white gaps! 🙂 The mural pictured is by RebelWalls.com
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