Wallpaper Repair – Always Save Your Leftovers

Here is damage to a wall behind a mirror in the powder room of a home in the Champions Forest neighborhood of northwest Houston.

Explaining this repair in detail would be pretty difficult, mostly due to how the original installer fiddled with the pattern to make it fit an odd space, and to what I had to do to work around that.

But the most important thing is that the homeowner saved all the wallpaper left over from the original installation back in the ’90’s, so I had what I needed to do this repair.

If you look closely, you might see some pattern mis-matches. But these are minimal because of some tricks I played, and because the pattern was forgiving. The mirror will cover everything, so any irregularities will be hidden.

But the bottom 3″ or so running along the backsplash and visible under the mirror are intact, so will look good when the mirror is replaced. This wall will also look good if a different mirror is used in the future.

Save Those Leftovers!

When I finish a job, there is always a some wallpaper left over. People often ask if they should keep this extra paper, or just toss it in the trash.

I strongly urge them to keep the paper! You never know when you may have to make a repair.

Lately, I have been doing a lot of repairs. Cats clawing grasscloth. Stains from water leaks. Break in pipes inside the walls so the plumber has to cut into the wall. Foundation shifts causing cracks.

Often repairs can be successful and even unnoticeable. But in virtually every case, new paper will be needed, because it’s usually impossible to use the damaged paper on the wall.

So, find a cool, dry place, and stash that leftover paper in storage – just in case.