Cheery Verdant Choice Saves Home Office

This accent wall in a home office in Cypress ( Houston ) has a long story of mishaps, frustration, and $$.
Originally, the interior designer had suggested Feather Bloom grasscloth / sisal by Schumacher . I prepped the wall and prepared to hang the paper. But we discovered printing defects (very, very common with Schumacher), and other issues. Search here to see my previous posts.
We had to abort the install that day. This turned out to be a good thing, because, truth be told, the homeowners really didn’t like the Feather Bloom, but felt a little pressured to go with it.
So back to the vendor the ugly duckling went.
Then the homeowners took their time without the designer’s input, to look at wallpaper selections and purchase $1 samples they could see, feel, and tack up to the wall.
Their new choice (below) fits their style, color scheme, and pocket book much better (this option cost thousands less than the Schumacher).
The actual purchase was made through Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams store in the Rice Village (713) 529-6515.
Everything was done over the phone, and, to save the homeowners driving all the way into the city, I picked up the paper for them and delivered it to their home on install day.

Starting in the middle of the wall so I can place the very symmetrical pattern dead in the center of the wall.

The colors in the paper work beautifully with the green cabinets you see to the left.
And I love the way the airy feel and foliage and flowers compliment the open-air view outside the window.

This pattern is reminiscent of designs by William Morris, a designer of the Arts & Crafts period around the turn of the 20th Century. I’m seeing a lot of interest in these patterns of late.

Apelviken , Midbec , 33006 , A Street Prints , Spring, non-woven material made in Sweden , was very nice to work with and will hold up well for many, many years.
I installed using the paste-the-wall method , although you could also paste the paper.

“Etched” Foresty Look in a Baby’s Nursery

This “Bellwood” mural by Rebel Walls is very similar to the “Etched Arcadia” mural by Anthropologie (do a Search here to see my previous installations). Either way, this is a wonderful idea for a nursery, and a cool alternative to the usual pink flowers or dinosaurs that many parents choose.

This mom-to-be was originally uncertain about papering the 3-walled alcove (which will house the changing table) (see third and fourth photos), because someone planted the idea that it would get soiled quickly. I’m glad I convinced her to take the plunge – the room really does look better with both the accent (crib) wall papered, and the changing table nook.

This product is a mural, and came in panels that had to be hung sequentially (as opposed to regular wallpaper with a repeating pattern). No photos of the plotting involved, but you have to roll the panels out on the floor to ensure the correct sequence. I made sure to center the low part of the pattern around the changing table, so the high part of the trees cradled it on either side of the niche. I really like the way this turned out.

Additional plotting was required to plan the area over the door and then the 1 1/2″ wide space to the left of it (not shown). All this measuring and plotting has to be done before the homeowner orders a custom-sized mural like this. Another reason to have the paperhanger see the room BEFORE you order your paper.

This paper is a non-woven material, and has a high fiberglass content. That makes it easy to remove when it’s time to redecorate, but it also makes it easy to clean in the case of accidents.

So this mom should go on to change diapers with confidence, all the while enjoying the unique look of her baby’s nursery.

This home is in the Garden Oaks neighborhood of Houston.

The textured walls were smoothed by the painting company, CertaPro. Usually I insist on doing my own prep, but it worked for the homeowner to have the paint crew get the messy smoothing part out of the way. AND … I know the CertaPro guys, and I knew I could trust them to do a good job. And they did. All I had to do was apply a wallpaper primer, and then hang the paper.

Easy Stripping Job Today

I’ve got a four-day job repapering a large master bathroom in the West University neighborhood this week. Twenty two rolls is a lot of paper to remove, but I worked happily today – because THE PREVIOUS INSTALLER USED A PRIMER!

Most paperhangers who work in new construction skip the primer. Wallpaper hung directly on the Sheetrock can be murder, if not impossible, to get off, and frequently causes much damage to the Sheetrock. A layer of primer costs little and does so much to protect the drywall, make installation easier, ensure adhesion, and facilitate removal later.

“Easy” isn’t the same as “fast,” though. There are still several steps to go through, plus waiting for paper to soak. In the photo, you see the original paper on the left. In the middle, you see the white area, where the top printed layer has been pulled off, leaving the white backing. This backing requires soaking. I use plain hot water, no chemicals. Once it’s wet enough to reactivate the paste underneath, this backing layer can be peeled off or scraped off.

On the left of the photograph, you see the wall, with it’s coat of white primer and a little of the tan clay paste used by the first installer.

Once all the paper is off and the surface has dried, I will prime the walls. Once that’s dry, all that’s left is to hang the paper!

Lines Showing Under Wallpaper

OK, HARD to see, but an important thing to be aware of. Some stripes had been painted on the wall, which you can see around the corner, at the right of the photo, and you can see them covered by my primer on the left side of the photo.

The stripes had been painted using blue painter’s tape to keep the lines straight. When the tape was removed, there were very faint ridges at the joints where the two colors met. You can just barely see them at the right side of the white primed area.

So? Well, depending on the pattern, composition, and thickness of a wallpaper that would be put over this, those ridges just might show under the paper! Some people would never notice, but, in the right (or wrong!) light, I think this sort of thing is pretty visible.

The solution would be to sand or scrape the ridges down, or, if that doesn’t work, to float over them and sand smooth. Then prime and hang the paper.