For many people the word “wallpaper” can conjure up some pretty unpleasant memories. The nightmare of removing wallpaper (sometimes multiple layers at one time) has left some contemplating the use of sledgehammers and sandblasting. While other well intentioned DIY’ers began a day of hanging wallpaper with their spouses, only to have it end in near divorce. Exchanging wallpaper horror stories has become as common as swapping tales of endless hours spent in child labor. The point is many people fear, and therefore, avoid wallpaper.
But once again technology has prevailed, and this time it has given rise to new wall covering products that will have many of us forgetting our past experiences, and delving in with renewed enthusiasm. For the DIY’er, wallpaper manufacturers have developed product lines that virtually eliminate the negative issues associated with both the installation and removal process.
If you never thought the words “easy” and “wallpaper” would be used in the same sentence then you’ll want to get familiar with products like EasyChange from Sherwin-Williams, Easy-Walls from Chesapeake Wallcoverings, Waverly4 from Waverly, and EasyLife by Imperial Visions. These revolutionary papers have a backing that is a non-woven blend of natural and synthetic fibers like those used in tea bags and gauze. What this means to consumers is that the time to install wallpaper is now drastically reduced to a clean and simple three-step process for both pasted and non-pasted papers.
Typical wallpapers require sizing walls first and allowing enough soak and book time so seams don’t separate once the paper dries on the wall. The key to the “easy” papers is the non-woven backing that will not expand, shrink or separate at the seams. For the pasted papers there’s no need to soak and book the paper while waiting for the paste to activate—just wet, hang and trim. Anyone who can use a paint roller can hang the non-pasted papers by rolling paste on the wall and putting up the dry sheets. Getting the paper in place is easy too as the paper moves easily on the wall allowing you to align and realign.
The composition of these papers also makes them strong so they won’t tear. You can even take down an entire sheet and put it back into position to correct mistakes. Because they are vinyl free, breathable and resist mold and mildew, the wallpapers are ideal for high-humidity areas such as bathrooms and kitchens.
Maybe best of all is the ease of removing these papers. Regardless of how long the paper has been in place you won’t need chemicals, steamers or sandblasters to get it off the wall. Simply grab a corner and pull. The paper removes in full sheets without damaging the wall. Manufacturers estimate that it takes about fifteen minutes to remove this wallpaper from an average size room.
Wall coverings are available in so many patterns, non-patterns, textures and materials and these options are not just decorative, but also design tools that can help to improve a space:
- Use vertical stripes to create visual height and horizontal stripes to give the illusion of a larger area.
- Install a wall covering in a portion of a room to create a separate space or set it apart from the rest of the room.
- Covering walls and ceilings alike is very effective in disguising sloped ceilings or angled walls, like those in attic rooms, so they almost disappear. Choose a loose, airy pattern that doesn’t have to be matched exactly.
- Using small prints will create a feeling of space, while large prints will make a room look smaller and cozier.
- If you plan to display art or detailed objects on walls, opt for neutral wall coverings such as linen, silk or grass cloth to create a backdrop for these items.
- View wall covering samples from a distance to get an accurate feel for how they’ll appear installed. You may appreciate the overall pattern even more or find that the subtleties you like up close, now disappear from a distance.