From 20 Years of Red to Sweet Light Floral

Red is a classic dining room color, and painted walls served well since the late ’90’s. This homeowner has classic taste – note the elegant moldings below the chair rail and around the windows.

The update is lighter and brighter and opens up the room, making it feel larger.
Note the wallpaper around the corner on the right.

This is the paper in the adjoining hallway, which has been in place for decades. The new pattern coordinates beautifully in theme and color!

Close-up. Roses and script.

Norwall is a very economical brand (something like $25 per double roll on sale). Not my favorite quality, because the gritty paper backing can absorb humidity and separate from the thick vinyl surface, plus the seams tend to “pouch” a bit and don’t look great. But I’ve discovered that rolling a bit of wallpaper paste onto the wall under the seam areas will help to “suck down” the edges, creating better seams. I also do believe that the manufacturer has improved the substrate.

I was pleased with the way the seams looked on this install. You’re looking at a very close-up picture. Once the paper is dried and from two feet away, these seams will be invisible. In fact, the homeowner kept walking around the room remarking how she couldn’t even find a seam. Note the slightly textured surface.

The home is in the far west area of Houston.

Best Wallpaper Shopping at Rice Village Sherwin-Williams!

My favorite resource for finding your dream wallpaper is Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams store on University Blvd (contact info below). I stopped in to the store today to check out their huge selection. This is by far my favorite place to shop in Houston!

More than a hundred books, and a large table to spread them out on.

York One of my favorite brands! Lots of lines and options.

Thibaut Another of my all-time favorites. Just about everything they sell gets my stamp of approval!

A Street Prints Wonderful quality non-woven material, lots of fun patterns.

Brewster A great, dependable company that makes many lines under many names. Buy with confidence!

Seabrook has long roots in the U.S. Very good brand.

Rifle Paper A wonderful new line made by York, gaining popularity swiftly due to cute and innovative designs. Check out their Peacock.

No picture – Sherwin-Williams’s Easy Walls line is very good … It’s pre-pasted and a thin non-woven; easily hung and easily removed. I suspect it’s made by York, in their SureStrip line.

Essentials A compilation of other brands, most of which are good quality. A few “duds,” so consult with me or Dorota before buying. Overall, this line is the best of the lower-priced options.

Moving on to not-so-good (IMO)

Norwall Budget-priced, but long considered one of my least favored brands. Recently, though, I think they’ve improved their product. Plus, I think I have discovered a way to “tame the beast.” Still, better to avoid pre-pasted solid-vinyl products – see my page to the right.

Basix Pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid-vinyl – my least preferred of all the wallpapers out there. Cheap, yes. But … ya get what ya pay for. Please click and read my page to the right.

Mostly lower-end, pre-pasted paper-backed solid-vinyl materials … best to stick to brands at the top of the page.

NOTE: Avoid any and all peel & stick papers, including the S-W Easy Change line. Click and read my page to the right.

Where to Buy Wallpaper in Houston:

BEST OPTION FOR ASSISTANCE IN WALLPAPER SELECTION:  Dorota Hartwig is my No. 1 go-to for personal help finding your perfect paper.  At the Sherwin-Williams at 2525 University.  With 20+ years selling wallpaper, she knows what’s in all the books and can quickly help you narrow down the search.  Most major brands are available, with those wonderful S-W prices!  There are four parking spots in front of the store, but better is the free 2-hour parking on the shopping center roof across the street.  Her hours right now are Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – best to be there before 1:00 p.m.   – but that can change, so call first.  (713) 529-6515

In addition to the above in-store books, if you find something on-line, she may be able to get it for you. Here are some sure-bets:

Thibaut: Anna French; York: (Candice Olson, Ronald Redding, Stacy Garcia, Aviva Stanoff, Florence Broadhurst, Antonina Vella) Brewster (including Scandinavian Designs, Komar murals, Eijffinger, Warner, Crown and others); Wallquest, Seabrook, Astek, Galerie.

No reason to search anywhere else! Plus, as I mentioned, she knows what’s in ALL the books, so can track down exactly what you’re looking for, saving you time and hassle.

Traditional Swirled “Deconstructed” Damask for West Houston Powder Room

Powder room prepped, primed, and ready to hang.

Done.

Rear corner.

Rear corner done. This pattern isn’t a true damask, but it has the classic elements, so I’m calling it a deconstructed damask. It has swirls thrown into the mix.

The scratch design makes it feel antiqued and “old world.” In addition, the vinyl material has a textured surface, so it comes across something like an oil painting.

Manufacturer of this solid vinyl material is Norwall.

Soft Mattress Ticking Stripe in an All-White Bathroom

With just paint on the upper walls, this all-white bathroom was simply … too white. The addition of a soft stripe, in the shape of a classic mattress ticking pattern, was just enough to add some warmth and definition to the space.

While I like the pattern, I am not fond of the material, nor the brand. Norwall is one of the lowest-priced manufacturers out there, and … you get what you pay for. This is a solid vinyl wallpaper with a paper backing. The vinyl surface sounds attractive to homeowners, because it is a tad more stain resistant than other papers, and because it repels water.

The bad news is that humidity (such as when someone takes a shower, or splashes water on a seam) tends to find its way behind the seams and into the paper backing. That paper then swells and pushes away from the wall, causing the seams to curl.

Over time, the vinyl top layer can actually separate (delaminate) from the paper backing, leaving curled seams that cannot be reattached.

In addition, the seams are always a little “pouched” when the paper is installed, and never lie completely flat. It’s also common for this material to bubble or blister as it dries … I call it “burping” … or more properly termed off-gassing as the air released by the drying paste tries to find an escape but is trapped by the vinyl surface. So you have to keep going around the room chasing out bubbles. Really small ones usually disappear as paper dries.

Type in key words and use the Search feature here (upper right corner) to read my previous posts about these topics.

This was the first time I’ve encountered a Norwall solid vinyl paper-backed product that was not pre-pasted. Maybe the manufacturer has figured out what made it’s wallpaper so crap…py… er… disappointing. To be honest, the paper I worked with today (which had to have adhesive applied by hand/paint roller) went up with fewer problems than usual. There were still blisters, and still seams that were not as flat as they should have been. But overall, it was better than I expected. This is not the same as being “satisfactory.”

Only time will tell how this product stands up to humidity in a family bathroom.

This is a new-but-classic-looking home in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston. The interior designer is Stacie Cokinos of Cokinos Design.

UPDATE: This paper had only been up for a few months when the homeowner called me to say that some of the seams were curling. As expected, this was due to humidity / moisture…. either splashing water or the housekeeper’s damp rag running along the top of the chair rail. Or possibly humidity from showering.

Either way, some of the seams were starting to curl away from the wall, and were on their way to delaminating. I was able to tack down the curls. But if the paper starts to delaminate (vinyl layer separates from paper backing), there is no cure for that – at least, not anything that looks good.

Low End Wallpaper – Not So Bad This Time

I’ve said it before – these budget-friendly, pre-pasted, manila paper-baked solid vinyl wallpaper products are generally not good quality, and the Norwall brand is about at the bottom of the list. In fact, I often will decline to hang it. Do a Search here on those terms, or click the Page to the right “Stay Away From … ” for more info.

However, this homeowner, a Meyerland neighborhood (Houston) victim of the Hurricane Harvey flooding, and a client for whom I had worked back in the ’90’s, really loved the pattern, as well as the price-point. And she wanted her entry to look as it had before the flood ravaged her home.

I was pleasantly surprised. The paper went up OK, and the seams looked fine. It’s possible that the company has improved its product. But it’s more likely that my new installation method helped.

Instead of following the manufacturer’s instructions to run the paper through a water tray, which makes the material too wet and promotes bubbling, and instead of pasting the back of the paper, which turns it into a gummy mess, I tried something new. I used a spray bottle to lightly spritz fresh water onto the back; this activated the paste, but was not so much water that it would cause bubbling or seam curling or over-expansion of the material. I booked the paper and put it in a black trash bag to sit a few minutes.

Next I rolled paste onto the wall. I started out using a very faint coat, but found that a tad more worked better. I used a brush to cut the paste into the edges and around the floor and ceiling.

When I took the very slightly dampened paper to the wall and smoothed it against the lightly pasted surface, it adhered very nicely. It was pretty easy to smooth into position, although there was some twisting of some strips, which could have been a problem in a room that required more strips next to one another.

Usually these inexpensive vinyl papers grow bubbles, because, as they dry, there is nowhere for the moisture to go (because it can’t pass through the vinyl surface), so blisters form. But today was very little bubbling.

Best of all, the seams looked good. I didn’t get any of the raised edges that are so unattractive, and that allow moisture / humidity to penetrate and cause the backing to swell and pull away from the wall.

I am not saying that I was happy with this paper. But it was a lot better than I expected. And I hope that it will continue to look good for years to come.

Blue Birds Brighten a Bathroom – But Not A Good Quality Paper

The original wallpaper had fallen victim to curled seams. This happens most often with lower-end pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid vinyl wallcoverings, particularly in humid rooms, like this bathroom. Adding to the list of no-no’s were an improperly smoothed wall and the lack of a primer.

The seams on these papers are never great to begin with. When there is humidity, it will find its way into the seams and onto the paper backing of the wallpaper. When this backing gets wet by humidity, it expands. When it expands, it has nowhere to go but out – pushing away from the wall. This results in a curled seam. This is not “loose” wallpaper, and the seams cannot be glued back down. In many cases, the paper backing layer of the wallpaper actually delaminates (separates from) the top vinyl layer.

The homeowner loved the pattern, particularly the blue birds, and bought the same exact paper to replace the other. I stripped off the old paper, took various steps to stabilize the unsound wall surface, then skim-coated the wall to smooth it, primed, and hung the new paper.

The look is cheery and bright, and looks fabulous with the pale yellow bead-board wainscoting. The seams looked good when I left, and will pull down tighter as the paper dries.

Still, these economical pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid vinyl wallpapers are not my choice for use in any room. And this particular brand (Norwall) just about tops my list for brands to NOT purchase.

My Solution for Yesterday’s Cantankerous Wallpaper

Here’s what I ended up doing with the Norwall pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid vinyl wallpaper that was featured in my previous post. This brand is known for curling seams, as well as seams that just don’t lie down nice and flat, but appear to be “pouched” just a tad. I experimented with several pasting techniques, hoping to get nice, flat seams.

… It didn’t do well when I pasted it with full strength paste, as it got gummy and dried out too quickly. And it didn’t do well when I pasted it with diluted paste. Nor was it happy when I ran it through a water tray as per mfgr’s instructions (and then rolled a thin layer of paste onto the wall); it went up great and looked good … but look back at it after 10 minutes and discover that it has bubbled. What worked best was to wet it in the water tray and then unbook the strips and let them hang to dry out for 10-15 minutes or more. This left enough moisture for the paper to grab ahold of the paste I had rolled onto the wall, but eliminated the excess moisture that was causing the off-gassing and bubbles.

I wet a bunch of strips at a time… I had them hanging over the shower rod, on the towel bars, over the door, and the small ones got set on the toilet to dry.

Flaw of the Day – Ink Splotches

These big globs of misplaced ink appeared in the middle of a bolt of wallpaper, and, along with some smaller smudges, ruined about 10′ of paper.

The brand is Norwall. Please, when ordering wallpaper, be sure to order a little more than you think you will need, to cover issues like this, and to allow extra for repairs down the road.

Paper-Backed Solid Vinyl Paper = Poor Seams

Another of my many reasons to stay away from “pre-pasted, paper-backed solid vinyl” wallpapers. (Read my previous post re peeling and curling.) This seam isn’t bad, but it’s not as nice and flat as a seam on a good quality paper wallpaper.

These goods are made by laminating thick sheet of vinyl (plastic) onto a gritty manila-type paper backing. The materials are quite disparate for a good union, in my opinion, and the end product is too thick to lie tight against a wall.

This particular brand (Norwall), at $12 a single roll, is not just inexpensive – it’s plain outright cheap. Inexpensive might be good, but cheap rarely is.

Tedious Installation

You see pretty wallpaper around three windows. I see six sides to wrap, three headers to wrap, three under-windows, and a whole lot of splices.

This bank of three windows took me more than five hours to hang.

The job continued to the left, and included another (somewhat simpler) window, a number of strips in a short-on-headroom space over the cabinets, and also over a deep cabinet that had me tip-toeing on the top not-a-step of my ladder and lying on my belly on the top of the cabinets.

This one long wall in a kitchen in Fresno south of Houston took about 8 hours. But all the hard part is behind me, and tomorrow, the remaining walls will go much faster.

This wallpaper pattern is by Norwall, and was bought at a discounted price from Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.