Hang Wallpaper like an Expert 

Composed by: Lori Sawaya

GARDZ by Zinsser Can Save You Time and Money 

• I would like to explain why I dig Zinsser's GARDZ primer so much. To do so, I must explain some things about hanging wallpaper.
  
  When I install wallpaper, a primer must be used prior to hanging. As painters, we all know why it is important to prime. As a hanger, this might mean different things.
  
  First, a good primer will obviously help the wall covering bond to the wall (provide 'tooth').
  
  Second, it will help the wall covering release from the wall when removal is performed.
  
  Third, it can provide 'slip' to a wall, helping a pasted sheet slide into place without it being stretched.
  
  Most hangers use a water-based acrylic pre-wallcovering primer. The specs usually say to let it dry for 24 hours before initializing the next step. Hmm. How many of us apply the next coat when the primer is dry enough to touch or lightly sand? Yeah, me too.
  
  

  Now this would not be much of a problem for another coat of paint, but with wallcovering, it is a different scenario. Another coat of paint can be applied, and dry quickly due to the evaporation of the vehicle. This does not strain the primer layer very much.
  
  However, with a wallcovering, we are applying a much heavier/thicker layer coated with a thick, viscous paste that is water-based. On top of this, there is usually a vinyl layer hampering the drying/evaporation process. This causes the primer layer (which has not properly dried/cured) to reactivate, returning to a semi-liquid state. The paste inter-mingles with this broken-down primer, and becomes 'one'.
  
  Add to this a little relative humidity, and a cheap builder's flat below the primer, and you got problems. We all know you can sneeze on builders flat, and it will rub off. Imagine layering on several mils of moisture, and allowing it to marinate for a day or two. Now you know why sometimes a 'properly prepped and primed' surface with a wallcovering can be a bear to remove.

  
  To sum this up, a paperhanger looks for a fast drying primer, that will not re-wet or wet-out shortly after drying. Almost all paints or primers (acrylic or oil) will re-wet if applied too soon. Not so with the new DRC's. Someone coined the phrase DRC a couple years ago referring to all the new Drywall Repair Clears. Taken from the old acrylic clear masonry primers (Benjamin Moore's comes to mind), Scotch Paints in CA developed a product called DrawTite. Several imitations appeared shortly afterwards. Sherwin sells its version of it, along with others. However, Zinsser was the only one who could come up with something comparable to the original DrawTite, and overcome the distribution problems that Scotch had.
  
  GARDZ dries in half-hour or less, and will not re-wet itself. The moisture resistant surface is a dream from which to remove wallpaper. It stinks a bit when applying, and there is a learning curve in rolling a water-thin product without making a mess, but is worth it.
  
  To back up my claim, I brought pictures for proof.
  
  This is a basic drywall patch, probably 1/8" thick blue-lid joint compound. I rolled some GARDZ onto the bottom right corner, and let the roller edge draw a finger up the middle:
  

  

  
  After drying for 15 minutes, I primed the rest of the patch. You can see the previously primed section did not re-wet, and remained solid:
  

  

Tips for hanging Wallcoverings 

Wallpaper is making a come back, check out these links and be ready!

Wallpaper, wall coverings information and books.

The Cutting Edge of Wallpaper (Interior Design)

Amazon Price: $26.37 (as of 11/21/2008)

Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century

by: Gideon Bosker, Sara Corpening Whiteford

Amazon Price: (as of 11/21/2008)

The Complete Guide to Painting & Decorating : Using Paint, Stain & Wallpaper in Home Decor (Black & Decker Complete Guide)

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 11/21/2008)

Fabrics and Wallpapers for Historic Buildings

by: Jane C. Nylander, Richard C. Nylander

Amazon Price: $29.70 (as of 11/21/2008)

How to Decorate with Wallpaper: A Practical and Inspirational Guide with Step-by-Step Projects

by: Bernadette Fallon, Lauren Floodgate

Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 11/21/2008)

Wallpaper on Ebay 

From Vintage to contemporary wall covering designs

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Designer Wallpaper, Wall coverings 

Hand-Made and Luxury brands of wall coverings

Anthropologie

A trendy, graphic and colorful collection of wallpaper.

Bradbury & Bradbury

"Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers' historical designs bring to life the architectural styles of the 1880s through 1930s: Victorian, Arts & Crafts, and Art Deco. Our extensive selection of Victorian wallpapers reflect the designs of William Morris, Walter Crane, Christopher Dresser, the Herter Brothers, and represent Victorian styles from Anglo-Japanese to Classicism. Our Arts & Crafts designs, rendered in warm hues, include borders, wall fills and friezes; reminiscent of traditional patterns and stencil techniques used in the Craftsman-era home. With our Art Deco Collection we capture the vibrant, elegant, and futuristic vision of the Modern Age designers from the early 1920s to the late 1930s."

Carter & Company

"Carter & Company/Mt. Diablo Handprints specializes in the meticulous reproductions of significant historic wallpapers. Working from available documentation, such as fragments of the original pattern or photographs, we define design elements and determine colors in order to restore patterns to their original state."

de Gournay

"de Gournay's goal is to help you design, create and realise the ultimate hand-painted interior. Our designers' unique understanding of style and colour together with our large database of historic interiors can be used to produce a happy, vibrant and peaceful enviroment in your home that you will appreciate forever and that will be admired by all.

de Gournay hand paints wallpapers, fabrics and porcelain at the very top end of the decoration market. You will appreciate that the very uniqueness of our interiors would be compromised were we to make extensive photographic archives available on the web. Here we present a tiny selection of our interiors to give you a glimpse of what is possible.

de Gournay has traditionally specialised in 18th century Chinoiserie and 19th century French scenic designs. We also specialise in reinterpreting these designs and colours to create a contemporary feel as required."

Designers Guild

"Designers Guild designs, manufactures and distributes furnishing fabrics and Wallcoverings, currently having over 50 collections in its portfolio, as well as a wide variety of home and lifestyle products; most notably, bed and bath ranges and furniture as well as collections carpets, rugs, paint, stationary and accessories and the Fragrant Home collection of scented candles, room sprays and bath and body lotion."

Farrow & Ball

"Wallpaper made using our environmentally friendly water based paints, all papers are manufactured by us, using traditional techniques. Our patterns are block printed and our stripes and striés trough printed."

Flavor League

"Flavor Paper produces unique vintage, contemporary, and custom handscreened wallcoverings that will add a burst of flavor to any room.

Each roll of Flavor Paper is hand printed to order facilitating customization. Whether you are interested in one of our designs or custom colors, logos or patterns, we can make your wallcovering dreams a reality."

Fromental

Headed by Tom Butcher, Fromental produces fine hand-made wallpapers. "The 20th Century collection consists of 12 designs hand-painted onto paper and silk. Styles range from elegant 30's inspired florals, through delicate 50's conversational pieces, to bold super graphics."

Hannah's Treasures

"Our collection of vintage wallpaper dates from the 1920's-1960's. We have over 500 different vintage wallpaper designs pictured on this website."

Historic Wallpapers

"Masterpaperhanger Jim Yates, a student of historic wallpaper, offers archival installation services of reproduction wallpaper for historic house museums and private restorations. Installation services also includes a variety of French scenics and Chinese murals."

J. R. Burrows & Company

"A specialist decorative furnishings supplier in the English tradition, featuring Arts & Crafts Movement wallpaper, furnishing fabric and William Morris carpet marketed as the Burrows Studio Collection, Scottish lace curtains, and the Stourvale Mill Collection of Wilton and Brussels reproduction historic carpet from the Federal, Neo-Classical and Victorian periods."

Jacobsen and Balla

"Award-winning Bay Area product designer Ruth Jacobsen creates exceptional, highly customized handpainted wallcoverings. Jacobsen & Balla's distinctive wallcoverings are produced using handmixed full spectrum paint, with products that focus on a fusion of artistic transitional styling, innovative materials and handcrafted production techniques. Her customized, full spectrum paints create wallcoverings with infinite variation, breathtaking in their clarity and richness."

Resotration Hardware

Wall coverings in the colors and patterns now synonomous with the Restoration Hardware style and design savvy. Moderately priced, and shipped to your door.

Secondhand Rose

"More than 1000 original vintage wallpaper patterns. Antique wallpaper in original rolls. Quantities of Victorian antique papers, 1940's florals, L'art Deco geometrics, novelties from the 1950's, 1960's Op Art, 1970's Mylars. For immediate delivery. Largest collection in the world."

Sherwin Williams Wallpaper

Search and look through the Sherwin Williams Wallpaper Collections ON LINE! Too cool and so convenient.

"With more than 100,000 wallpaper and border patterns available, Sherwin-Williams can help you find that special pattern that's right for you."

Timorous Beasties

"Many of our designs are hand printed.
Our wallpapers come in a wide range of colours to suit any room or interior."

Wallteriors

"Wallteriors has been in the business of creating stunning environments for the past 24 years.
Our plan to nationally market our own handcrafted wallpaper line to the design community has been in place for the last seven years. More recently with our success, we have expanded our facility to our new studio and offices located in Palm Springs, California."

World Silk Road

"Handpainted Chinese Wallpaper /Mural

China was famous for the Silk Road. NSR HANDCRAFTS' artists develop the Chinese traditional paint to the wall paper, With the traditional craftsmanship-----Gongbi, landscapes, birds, flowers and legendary figures are painted vividly by hand on silk mounted rice pape, which material named Juan in Chinese, for peple hang it on the wall as wallpaper or frame it as picture. The history of Hand-painted Silk Wallpaper can date back to the 17th ~18th century, designed by European wallpaper designers by incorporating Chinese art elements from Chinese artists, which is a good example of the combination of Chinese and western arts. Attracted by its unique artistic value and charm, a large number of royal family and aristocrats in Europe selected hand-painted wallpaper for the decoration of their palaces and castles. Hand-painted wallpaper is now commonly seen in various ancient European buildings."

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