Ink From Label Rubs Off Onto Wallpaper

The instruction sheet was rolled up inside this bolt of stringcloth wallcovering . As you can see, some of the ink came off and discolored the wallpaper . This is not uncommon. I had to throw away the first 10″ or so of paper (about 2 sq ft of paper).
Other things can damage the ends of rolls , too, like tape , impressions / dents created by labels or packaging , edges banged up during shipping , and more.
Another reminder to always purchase extra paper .

Cardboard Protects Edges of Wallpaper from Being Crushed

Some wallpapers are more delicate than others, and can be damaged during shipping. Some manufacturers have started using these cardboard caps to protect against getting banged up.

‘Iconic’ Woods Pattern by Cole & Son on Heights Entryway Accent Wall

Before. Getting ready to prime. Note that I have protected both the floor and the baseboards with dropcloths.

Done! Dramatic!

Detail.

This bolt had been damaged in shipping, and the right edge had dings / dents. With this thick, puffy non-woven material, these could show at the seams when butted against the next strip. So I plotted the placement of my strips so this one would be on the far right end. That last strip was not the full width wide, so 8″ of the right side got cut off where it met the adjoining wall. That eliminated the worry of those dented edges showing.

I used the paste-the-wall method to hang this non-woven wallpaper. With the wall wet with paste, it would be easy to get paste all over the wallpaper if you used the traditional installation booking technique. So I’ve learned to roll the material up with the print side in, and then secure with a hairband (from the dollar store). Then you can easily carry the rolled-up strip up your ladder, remove the elastic tie, and then let the paper fall into place. Only the back side comes into contact with the paste on the wall. Once you get good at this technique, you will never have to wipe paste off a seam, nor off the woodwork or adjoining walls.

Cole & Son says that this “Woods” pattern has roots dating back to 1959. I guess that makes it truly iconic. I can say that it is quite popular – I’ve hung it a bunch of times.

Recycling a Huge Wallpaper Shipping Box

Flaw of the Day – Banged Edges

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Well, it’s been a while since I complained about edges of wallpaper that got banged up during handing by the shipping company.  But today, here we are.

Often these little imperfections will flatten out as the paper dries.  But these creases were pretty severe.  And with a pearlized paper like I hung yesterday, every defect will show.  So I had to unroll and throw away a lot of wallpaper before I got to material that was suitable for putting on the wall.

Interestingly enough, the heaviest “bashed” areas were INSIDE the bolts.  It sure makes you wonder what the heck the guys are doing at the factory!

Soring Birds Day Dream in a Baby’s Nursery

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What a well-loved pattern for babies’ rooms! This soon-to-be-with-us baby in a Spring Branch (Houston) home has a lovely new nursery. I have hung this many times, but this is the first time in this colorway.

The pattern is called “Day Dream” and is by Hygge & West, an on-line company. It comes in many colors, and fits into many rooms or themes.

The second photo shows me about to hang the first strip, having plotted the layout so the bird will fall down the center of the wall, and using my laser level (the red line on the wall) to keep the paper plumb.

Hygge & West papers can be challenging to hang. The seams curl and the paper waffles. The second-to-last photo shows the slight curling at the seams where ink falls on the seams, which is common to their paper. However, this time, I had much less difficulty with the paper in general….It laid flat without waffling or wrinkling, and there was very little curling at the seams. I hope that this means that the H & W team has listened to us out here in the field, and has started to use a better substrate and ink formula.

Still, they could use some help in packaging their merchandise for shipping – the final photo shows damaged ends of rolls of paper, due to being banged about during shipping. Unfortunately, all of the rolls were banged up, and the damage went deep into each bolt – meaning that I couldn’t cut around and discard the damaged areas. Since this pattern has a lot of open space, there isn’t much pattern to disguise these bashed areas, so they are going to show on the wall.

Nicely Packaged Wallpaper

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One of my big complaints about wallpaper is when it arrives with banged up edges – damage caused by poor packaging and mishandling during shipping. Depending on the extent of the damage and the type of paper, these banged edges can render wallpaper unusable.

This manufacturer (Graham & Brown) has got it figured out – the paper was nicely wrapped in plastic and came in a good enough cardboard shipping box. But the extra step was these cardboard end-caps that completely protect the edges of the rolls of wallpaper, and protect them from dings and wrinkles.

Beautifully Packaged Wallpaper

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One of my big rants is about wallpaper that has banged up edges, due to being bashed about during shipping. “All the manufacturer has to do is add a little bubble wrap,” I say. Some companies use thin cardboard “collars” around the ends of the bolts – but these end up being too tight and crimping the wallpaper, which creates dents and scars.

Well, this manufacturer went a mile beyond, and came up with a way to keep the bolts of paper free from any shipping damage.

Each roll of wallpaper is encased in a plastic sleeve. At either end of each roll is a “puck” made of corrugated cardboard (not visible in the photo), custom-cut to fit the diameter of the bolt, and with a tab in the center that pokes into the center of the bolt of rolled up wallpaper, ensuring that it stays in place. All inside that plastic sleeve.

Then each of those bundles is placed inside a custom-tailored-to-fit box made of cushioned corrugated cardboard; one double roll of wallpaper to a box.

Then all of those boxes were placed inside a large shipping box, also made of cushy corrugated cardboard.

This is by far the best thought-out and most-effective protective wrapping I have ever seen. Every single bolt of wallpaper arrived in perfect condition.

The product line is A-Street Prints, and the manufacturer is Brewster.

Nicely Packaged Wallpaper – For a Change

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There can be all kinds of flaws and defects with wallpaper, but mostly I complain about banged up edges, which happen during shipping. Most manufacturers put ship their merchandise in cardboard boxes with no padding. Some even send it in paper envelopes, with no cushioning whatsoever.

Today, I arrived at the job site and saw this. Wow!

Maybe someone in the Powers That Be got the message ? … These four double roll bolts came packaged in a custom-sized box, with just enough room for bubble wrap on top, on bottom, and on either end. That bubble wrap effectively did the job to cushion the ends of the wallpaper from dings during shipping.

Way to go, Schumacher! 🙂