Defects in Serena & Lily Feather Wallpaper

Disappointed to find lines like this running through several bolts of wallpaper.

I had to discard two full-length strips due to these and other marks.

Here we’ve got smudges on the back side … looks like someone at the factory stepped on the paper.
This is the second time this winter that I’ve had printing defects from this company.

It’s Schumacher. So, Yeah – There Are Gonna Be Printing Defects.

Smudged pattern. Mis-aligned pattern.

Sometimes manufacturers will use tape to flag ” issues ” like a defect or a spliced piece. But there was nothing of note where this red tape had been placed. It was impossible to remove the tape without lifting the ink off the paper. So a full strip of wallpaper was wasted. This red tape popped up in two different bolts of paper.

In addition, I had another full length strip the was ruined by a small stain. It might have been overlooked, but it was going to fall right at eye level in an entryway. Also, the pattern was such that I could not pull any of my tricks, like cutting a flower out of scrap paper and pasting it over the stain.

Defects With Schumacher – As Usual

Schumacher may have a high-end name and price tag, but I am not impressed with the quality. Some of their materials are very difficult to work with. Another thing is, you can almost always count on printing defects.

In this case, there were a few tiny specs of black here and there. Most were on the back, but at least two appeared on the pink surface of the paper.

I am thinking maybe an oily chalk of some sort. And they were “active.” Meaning, if I tried to wipe them off, either dry or with a dap cloth, or attempted to lift them out of the paper with a razor blade, they smeared. That would not wipe off, so we would be left with a visible smudge on the paper.

Cute As Can Be Pineapples In Clear Lake Powder Room

Originally, this powder room in a brand new home in the Clear Lake area south of Houston was painted a taupe-y grey, and the walls were heavily textured. This bright and crisp Pineapple pattern in navy on white really opened up and brightened the room, and made it fitting for a family with two toddlers.

It took a day and a half to smooth the textured walls, and a full day to hang the paper. The extremely un-plumb walls and un-level ceiling and floor and sink, and other features were all obstacles. The homeowner and I decided that it would be better to have the pattern match in the corners, and then let it run crooked along the ceiling and floor lines. Too complicated to get into here. But in the end, the finished room looks great!

I usually love Serena & Lily papers, but this time I encountered several printing defects. There was a slight pattern mis-match at the seams. There was a faint smudge on one motif at the point of every pattern repeat. And one bolt had a line of dark blue ink along the right edge that ran for several feet. AND … this bolt came with no label. I assumed it was a return, and was of a different run, and thus was unusable in this powder room Luckily, I usually have the homeowners order enough paper to accommodate issues like this.

Coincidentally enough, my Wallcovering Installers Association colleagues on our private Facebook page had just been discussing Serena & Lily papers, and a rash of printing defects and other issues that many installers had been experiencing lately.

Other than the printing defects and wonky walls, the paper went up nicely.

Serena & Lily papers (and other home good merchandise) can be bought on-line, or through their paper catalog – which they just mailed out recently.

Flaw of the Day – Smudged Smeared Ink

Luckily, these streaks of smeared ink ran through only about 5′ of one bolt of wallpaper.

Still, this cost us a full strip.

Another reason to always buy a little extra paper.

Flaw of the Day – Smudges on Serena & Lily “Feather”

I usually love Serena & Lily papers, but was disappointed today to find an entire double-roll bolt with this printing defect. (enlarge the photo if you need to)

At first, I thought it would look OK on the wall. But different areas of the bolt had more visible smudges, so I had to discard the whole thing.

Luckily, because of the pattern match and the height of the wall, I was able to get an extra strip out of the remaining good bolts, so I had enough to finish the project (barely).

Flaws of the Day – Smudges and Streaks

The smudges you see are ink from the manufacturer’s printing process. They appeared on both the right and left side of this strip of wallpaper.

It was just by chance that I saw this before I got it to the wall (because normally you’re looking at the back of the strip while you are pasting it).

There was another, faint, thumb-sized smudge on the outer 3″ of another strip. Even though it was faint, it would have stood out against this very plain background.

Again, lucky that I spotted it before pasting, and was able to save the strip by plotting to use it where the defect would be cut off by the door frame.

The manufacturer is Thibaut, one of my favorite wallpaper brands. Issues like this are rare with Thibaut.

Flaw of the Day – Smudge on Back

Digital Image

This smudge goes all the way across the back of this strip of wallpaper.

I don’t know what it is from, and I worry that it might be ink or some other substance that could bleed through to the front of the paper, so I had to throw the strip away.

A good reason to always buy a little extra.

The manufacturer is Serena & Lily.