It's Not Your Grandma's Wallpaper!

I think we can all remember a time walking into either our parents’ or grandparents’ kitchen to see a flock of geese staring back at you, or a rose garden that exploded onto the walls.  STOP the horror music and fast forward 25 years.  After all the trauma that many of us faced when helping our parents remove wallpaper in 1” squares and then washing walls down to remove all the glue so that we could paint,  we need to forgive (I said forgive, not forget)and re-consider WALLPAPER! 

Wallpaper has made a considerable comeback in the last few years.  We are now seeing wallpaper being used in many different ways.  Rather than seeing full rooms being papered we now have bold patterns on an accent wall.  The most popular rooms that top designers are using paper in are Bathrooms, Bedrooms, and also on home offices.  This trend has been gaining momentum for a few years and it does not seem to be waning.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE paint, especially my Benjamin Moore paint, but wallpaper can add texture and pattern that paint can simply not do.

The wallpapers of today are full of texture, pattern, and different scales.  Wallpaper can take a well designed space to the next level. It can balance a space and make it more interesting to the eye. Today’s most popular patterns are geometric, large scale damasks, and contemporary textures. The younger generation, that may have missed out on the geese (lucky you), are much more willing to see wallpaper in their spaces. 

Wallpaper has acquired a well-deserved bad rap over the years as being very difficult to take down; UNTIL NOW!  York Wall coverings has designed SureStrip, a high performance substrate and special adhesive that allows the paper to be applied effortlessly and be removed in full strips.  YES, I said FULL STRIPS. That fact alone may tempt you to wallpaper everything.  Slow down there, cowboy… moderation is the name of the game.

Think that calculating wallpaper is hard? Flashback to Grade 5 math when you learned about perimeter and square feet.  To find out how much wallpaper is needed simply calculate your square footage.  For example a 10’ x 8’ wall is 80 sq ft.  You then divide that by 23…23 you say? Well the average paper is 20.1/2” x 33’ long, which is 56sq ft and ½ of 56 is 28.  Twenty Three becomes my magic number to allow for a match, which most papers have. There are exceptions to the rule, and that's when you talk to us at Clancy’s Rainbow for help!  Sorry, back to the calculations. A 10’x 8’ wall = 80 sq ft, divided by 23 = 3.47 and since you can not order single rolls you need to round up to the next even number. So 4 single rolls or 2 double rolls are needed to cover that space. 

To paste or not to paste?  Well you don't get to determine that, the wallpaper manufacturers do.  Most wallpapers today are unpasted, due to the intricate screen prints and weight of the papers. I have hung both pre-pasted and unpasted wallpapers and would say that there are advantages and disadvantages to both. One is no harder or easier than then the other, just different. 

Now that you have picked your paper, how do you get it up on the wall?  That's where the World Wide Web is full of tips and videos to help.  If you’re not a DIY person, that's where Clancy’s Rainbow can help and/or recommend a trusted wallpaper hanger. 

So now, as you look beyond your computer screen and see that wall that is in need of some PIZZAZ, consider the new patterns of wallpaper and the new Sure Strip by York Wallcoverings for easy application and removal (when ready) and give that wall a whole new level of design.

Leisa