This wall has a texture on it that will look bad under the new wallpaper, and it will also interfere with adhesion. So the wall needs to be skim-coated / skim-floated to smooth it. But the current paint on the wall is glossy, as you can see on the right side of the photo. The smoothing compound is sticky stuff, but it (like many coatings) cannot be trusted to adhere to a shiny surface. I say it’s like the toy Colorforms … the new material will kinda stick – but not really stick . But if the surface is dull , or matt finish , the new coating will be able to grab ahold and adhere . To make this wall surface dull , I’m rolling on a primer that will dry with a flat / matt finish . There are various primers out there that will adhere to a glossy surface and then dry flat. But I’m using my trusty wallpaper primer , Roman Pro 977 Ultra Prime . Yes, this is a wallpaper primer . But it also checks all the boxes … it sticks to just about anything , it dries quickly, especially with a fan blowing on it, and it dries with a matt finish that wallpaper paste – and smoothing compound – will adhere to. At $70 or more per gallon , yes, this stuff is expensive . But it works , it’s low odor , it’s already on my truck , and it saves having to carry around an assortment of of primers and materials. Here’s my smoothing compound. Sheetrock brand Plus 3 joint compound used for working with drywall . Note that quick-dry formulas , nor spackling compound , are not suitable and won’t hold up under wallpaper . You can search here for my other posts to see more about the smoothing process for textured walls .
So I was leaving work for the day and loading up my van . A couple was walking down the street with their large Labradoodle dog . They read the signs on my truck , and I could hear them bantering around ” Wallpaper Lady .” So I turned and greeted them. From across the sidewalk, the guy shouted, “You papered our son’s nursery – back in 1997.” !! I did a whole lot of wallpaper jobs in the West U / West University ( Houston ) area, back when the neighborhood was evolving and attracting young families . How cool to reunite with one of them! Oh, and, for the record – that kid is now 25 years old!!
Dang … I forgot to take a before pic. This large powder room was originally papered in Serena & Lily ‘s Feather , in green . I stripped it off and applied wallpaper primer , which took a day, and hung the paper the second day. Larger than usual toilet alcove .If you’re from Austin , Texas , you recognize these things. Barton Springs , BBQ trucks , the State Capitol , cowboy boots . Hippy Hollow isn’t on there, and I’m not sure it even still exists, but the nudist colony there was definitely part of Austin’s culture! The pattern is in the City Toile collection by Katie Kime , which is wildly popular . I wasn’t crazy about the quality of the paper , but it install ed OK and will hold up for many years. It sure changes the room! iThe home is in the Oak Forest / Garden Oaks area of Houston
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