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Bring Walls to Life with Wallpaper
One of the biggest
problem areas in a room is a large blank wall that stares back at
you as you enter. These walls create a feeling of emptiness within a
room, and sometimes act to disrupt the flow of color and design
that’s already in place: or they do not fulfill their potential of
creating visual impact in a room.
Wallpaper is an
inexpensive and popular way to decorate walls and bring them to
life. Depending on the size of the wall, its coverage, and what
image it wants to portray, wallpapers lend versatility to a room and
allow for your creativity.
Working with wallpaper is easy when you know how to do it, and here
some tips.
Preparing a Room for Wallpapering
Wallpaper disasters occur because proper preparation of the wall is
not taken seriously. Like when painting a wall or upholstering a
couch, a significant amount of time must be dedicated to the
preparation of a wall. This extra time spent will save you time and
trouble in the long-run.
Measure your wall and purchase wallpaper that will cover the entire
surface of the wall (allowing for error and pattern matching). Cut
your wallpaper into manageable sized strips when you are ready to
use them.
To prepare the wall for wallpapering, remove any switch plates, wall
fixtures, and socket covers. Clean the wall thoroughly to remove any
dirt and/or mildew, and let it dry completely. Search the wall
surface for any holes, depressions, or bumps: these may be repaired
using a drywall compound or spackling compound. Apply the compound,
smooth it as much as possible, and let it dry thoroughly. Sanding is
then required to smooth the surface to make it as easy as possible
for the wallpaper to adhere to the wall. Then prime your wall with
an acrylic adhesive which is recommended by a wallpaper expert.
The Act of Wallpapering
Once you’ve primed your wall with the adhesive, decide how you want
to hang the wallpaper. Go in the direction (right to left or vise
versa) that is easiest for you. Cut your wallpaper strips allowing
for pattern matching and a small amount of waste at the bottom.
Starting from top, apply the wallpaper to the wall. You may want to
precut the holes for the switches, other openings, etc. (being very
exact with the measurements to avoid error) or cut them as you
proceed to hang the wallpaper (the easiest way). Either way you must
be precise!
Amateurs often end up with the problem of small air bubbles under
the wallpaper, or uneven attachment to the wall. Resist the
temptation to use a plastic smoother as it may tear the wallpaper or
leave marks if used with improper pressure. Instead, use clean soft
cloth and apply gentle pressure with the hand, or a light flexible
rubber flap - much like the one used to clean windows.
Designing with that Wallpaper
Wallpaper provides an opportunity for colors and patterns to be
incorporated into a design. The appearance of a large wall may
benefit from wallpaper with patterns or stripes to break their
overwhelming size. Use vertical stripes to add height to the room,
and horizontal ones to create the illusion of a wider space. Another
option is to incorporate a dual design - using a striped pattern on
the upper half of the wall and a solid or floral print on the lower
portion to create interest.
Use borders near the ceiling to create visual interest and give the
illusion of height to the room, as it calls attention to the
ceiling.
When using wallpaper in more than one room of the house, you have
the option of creating fluidity between two rooms without having to
use the same wallpaper. The fluidity may be achieved by staying
different tones of the same colors, contrasting colors, or similar
patterns.
Building the Room from the Wallpaper
When designing an entire room, wallpaper create a nice visual
palette with which to work. Wallpapers, because they provide various
color and pattern in their designs, may create a central mood in the
room (formal, informal, etc.); the source of a color scheme (from
the colors in the wallpaper); and even a pattern that will flow
throughout the room (floral patterns, stripes, or dots).
Wallpaper provides a great opportunity for design ingenuity. Don’t
be afraid to use the wall to its full potential - either to enhance
the design of the room or build an entire room around it.
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