Art Deco Wallpaper in Magazine

The July 2019 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine has this page, highlighting a return to the Art Deco style in decorating. They show four different patterns that reflect this, and list the manufacturers.

A few words of aviso … Just because you see it in a magazine or read it on-line, doesn’t necessarily make it a good thing.

The first paper on the left is by Chasing Paper. This company makes the deceptively-described “removable wallpaper,” a new trend that is unfortunately luring many homeowners down the wish-I-had-never-heard-of-it path.

This “peel and stick” material is extremely difficult to work with. I mean, it’s hard enough to get Contact Paper smoothly onto your kitchen cabinet shelves … Imagine trying to wrestle a strip 2′ wide by 9′ long onto a wall, around a window, behind a toilet, and trim it around a pedestal sink. It is also not “removable.” … Oh, it will come off, all right. But it will take chunks of your paint and maybe drywall along with it.

One of my colleagues recently posted on our private Wallcovering Installers Association Facebook page of his experience with this particular brand, and he was very unhappy. I won’t hang peel & stick, and most of my friends won’t, either.

On to the next pattern above, the blue and white half-circle blocks. This is by Hygge & West. H & W has adorable patterns. But, bless their hearts, they have not put research into substrates, inks, compatibility, etc. My experience with their papers is that the ink swells when it gets wet with paste and then curls back, resulting in a tiny “pouch” in every spot where the ink crosses a seam. Do a search here to see my previous posts on that brand and their seams.

So many companies make lovely paper. I wish that H & W would network with them and find a better paper and ink combination for their products.

The last pattern in the photo is by Tempaper. Another company making peel & stick stuff … Enough said.

Back to the photo … the purple fan design in the middle of the page. Finally a hit! This is made by Bradbury & Bradbury, a company that specializes in vintage designs, especially Victorian and Art Nouveau. They have a wide variety of other styles, too, and are branching out even more in recent years, to include ’20’s, Atomic Age, and other eras.

Bradbury makes lovely paper. It’s a higher-end brand, and it requires some special trimming and pasting techniques. So it may not be DIY friendly – but it sure is beautiful. In fact, I have some hanging in my own master bathroom. 🙂 https://wallpaperlady.wordpress.com/2016/05/03/new-wallpaper-in-the-wallpaper-ladys-bathroom/

Katie Kime in Flea Market Décor Magazine

The Spring 2018 issue of Flea Market Décor magazine had a feature on Katie Kime, a popular designer based right here in Texas, near downtown Austin. Her successful company has a brick-and-mortar location in Austin, in addition to a huge on-line empire. They sell home goods of all sorts, and, best of all, wallpaper.

The magazine (unfortunately) jumped on their “peel-and-stick” wallpaper. This stuff sounds good, but is, in reality and in my experience, a nightmare, both to get onto the wall, and then later to get off the wall. So stick to their traditional paper option (the hand-pasted version).

Very cute patterns. Go check them out!

Innovative Solution for Drywall Cracks

I had noted that the walls in this powder room had one horizontal crack in the drywall. I picked up a roll of mesh tape, so I could fix the crack.

But when I got to work, the HO had already applied this. It was recommended by the Sherwin-Williams guy. It’s peel-and-stick, and comes in several widths. It feels like vinyl, and if there is any movement within the crack, it is supposed to expand and contract without opening up another crack.

The instructions say the feathered edges allow you to paint over it invisibly. The wallpaper was thin-ish, and I worried that the patch would show under the paper, so I chose to skim over it, which smoothed away any rides.

I don’t have any history or info on this product, so time will tell how it performs in this application.

Wallpaper in Better Homes & Gardens Again – Not Lovin’ It This Time

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“…Mitchell Black (company) is taking the intimidation out of wallpaper, one bold pattern and easy-hang strip at a time,” says the bi-line.  I’m always glad to see wall décor in public media.  But I see a number of problems with the rest of their information.

First, they print commercial grade (fine for its setting), traditional paper (great – as long as it’s a good substrate), and peel-and-stick (horrible).  P&S paper is like putting a large and unworkable sheet of Contact Paper on your walls.   Even though they call it “removable paper,” it will tear up the wall as you pull it off.   It’s very difficult to get smoothed out and looking good; the article even says that you can expect it to trap air bubbles so “…save it for rooms with lots of furniture and soft light.”  !!

Next, they print on 24″ wide x 18′ long rolls.   Regular wallpaper comes either 20.5″ or 27″ wide.  Why print on an odd sized roll?  And what’s with a measly 18′ long roll?  Most papers come 33′ long or 27′ long, and generally yield three or two strips respectively.  With a roll 18′ long, with 8′ high ceilings, you might get two strips (after allowing for trimming and pattern placement / matching), but with the more common 9′ ceilings, you will get only one strip).  And a whole lot of paper you paid for that is going in the trash can.

Last, it says, “Some pros paint first, but it’s not necessary.  Just spackle holes and sand rough spots.”  Wrong, wrong, WRONG!  Proper wall prep counts for 60% or more of a successful job!  Paperhangers don’t “paint” – they prime, with a primer specifically suited for wallpaper.  And merely glossing over imperfections won’t hide them … walls must be as perfectly smooth as possible.  If you paper over a textured wall, the bumps will show through.  If you paper over a glossy wall, the paper won’t stick.

I’m not fond of their patterns, either.  Cute designs, but three of the four photos of room sets with furniture and accessories looked awfully busy.

Just my 2c.

Peel & Stick “Temporary” Wallpaper – Horrible Stuff

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Boy, oh boy, did I hate seeing this featured in Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Interior designer and television star Genevieve Gorder has many fans, and so does BH&G magazine! When people read something in print, they tend to believe it. I hope that people do NOT read this article and make a mad dash to buy this new product… peel & stick, so-called “temporary” wallpaper.

In my experience, it’s horrible. You know how difficult it is to put Contact paper on a surface without getting wrinkles or bubbles. But Contact paper is only about 18″ wide, and only as long as your shelf. Imagine trying to manipulate that Contact paper in a wider strip, and one that reaches from floor to ceiling! And if you try to pull it up to reposition it or smooth out a wrinkle, it will pull the paint off the wall below, creating an uneven surface and leaving paint on the back of the paper, so you have areas that now will not stick to the wall.

And the claim of “temporary” is misleading, too. In my experience, the stuff bonds tightly to the wall, and gets tighter over time. Removing it is likely to cause damage to the paint and even the underlying drywall.

I won’t hang peel & stick, and many of my friends won’t, either.

When shopping, please do your research before making a final decision.

Cool Race Car Wall Decals in a Boy’s Room

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If your little man is big into something, how about decorating his room with his passion?

These decals come in assorted sizes and colors, and can be mixed and matched and positioned any way you like.

These are a peel-and-stick product, and came from the on-line company Stephen Edward Graphics http://www.stephenedwardgraphics.com/.

Pencil Stickers in Children’s Playroom – CUTE!

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This ultra-cute peel-and-stick mural was made to order, to fit the exact dimensions of the wall. The interior designer even had the pencils on the bottom right go up a little higher than the others, so they would show above the white kiddie table that sits against that part of the wall.

It has been years since I did a peel-and-stick job, and today reminded me of why I prefer regular wallpaper. Unlike regular wallpaper, it is very difficult to smooth out wrinkles. It is somewhat repositionable at first, but once it sits against the wall for a few minutes, it is very difficult to pull it up without stretching or peeling paint off the wall.

The homeowner was concerned that her little ones might get their fingers under the stickers and peel them up, but no chance of that happening – that stuff is up for good! In fact, when they do get around to removing the stickers, they should be prepared to repair some damage to the wall.

I was not happy with the way the install was going, because of wrinkles in the material and because it didn’t want to hang straight. So I ended up cutting the pencils apart, so that instead of trying to unpeel and apply and smooth with one 15′ long strip, I cut it into more manageable pieces of two or three pencils each. The ones along the ceiling were easier to work with, probably because they were shorter. I also used a special smoother, which is made of plastic and wrapped with felt, to protect the surface of the material.

The finished room is really cute. I love the way the pencils coordinate with the dots in the playroom rug!

This home is in the Woodlands. I had also hung paper for them in their previous home, also in the Woodlands. That is a mighty nice community for families with young children.

Good-Bye Alien, Hello Copasetic Geometric

This homeowner was wooed by a manufacturer’s claim that its peel-and-stick wallpaper was easy to install. Well, she put up two strips and called uncle! Hell, even I won’t work with that stuff! Besides, I think it looks like Alien from the book Communion.

The peel-and-stick is a lot like Contact Paper. It’s not repositionable, and it’s difficult to smooth out wrinkles or maneuver into place. In the first photo, I am peeling it off the wall. It was hard to remove, and, as you can see, it has pulled much of the olive green paint away with it.

I repaired damaged areas of the wall, primed, and then hung the new paper, a cream-on-silver geometric pattern by Thibaut. The wallpaper was easier to work with, and the new look is much brighter.

This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, 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. I hung this in a powder room in a contemporary style home in the Houston Heights.