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How About a Nice, Relaxing Weekend of Wallpapering?
Decorating With Wallpaper
By Jaima Brown
(ARA) - A wallpapering weekend may not seem like your idea of a stress-free,
satisfying break from the work routine. But, we are a nation of list-makers,
according to a survey conducted by an independent research firm on behalf of Ace
Hardware Corp. Called "America's To-Do List," the Ace study reveals that 75
percent of adults in the United States maintain a to-do list. Half of those
people's lists contain at least three tasks, and home decorating ranks high
among the chores that appear there.
If you are within that group, a wallpapering weekend will not only shorten your
list, but also give you a high return on your decorating dollar and reward you
handsomely with everyday satisfaction. What's more, it's fun. People who have
not wallpapered within the past decade will be pleasantly surprised to find a
new generation of products that make wallpapering easy, fast, odourless and free
from mess and stress.
Among them is a range of gels and sprays for removing old wallpaper without an
unwieldy steamer or a heavy dose of elbow grease. One-step wall primers that go
on easily and dry quickly are also widely available. Proper priming is the key
not only to a smooth, professional-quality installation, but also to easy
removal of the wallpaper when you replace it with a fresh, new pattern in coming
years.
The overwhelming majority of wallpaper and borders are now pre-pasted,
eliminating another step from the installation process. They are also
strippable, which makes it easy for you to redecorate your home every few years.
The most difficult aspect of the job nowadays may well be choosing a pattern
from among the many beautiful options. Collections by S.A. Maxwell & Co. even
help take the guesswork out of the selection process. Coordinated patterns are
arranged according to colour families, and each book contains a wealth of
decorating ideas.
If a large room seems too daunting, consider the mud room just inside the
backdoor entry, or the laundry room. Both are small. The laundry room may
represent the least risk for a wary, do-it-yourself novice. The mud room,
however, will probably result in the most dramatic transformation.
In a vacation home mud room, we've picked three coordinating patterns from
Maxwell's Wicker Park collection. You can even split this project into one, two
or three separate phases, each taking an hour or less to complete, and improving
the interior landscape every step of the way.
Install the fresh gingham pattern from the floor to the chair rail. Top it with
a whimsical antique tractor print. Between the two designs, add a tractor
border. A finishing touch of wood molding from a local lumberyard, added above
and below the border, gives the project perfectionist detailing. When installing
the molding, don't forget the age-old carpenter's admonition to measure twice
and cut once.
A novelty wallpaper of clothes hangers and floral bouquets on a background of
whimsical written expressions turns a utilitarian laundry room into a
mini-showcase of your do-it-yourself skills. The die-cut border along the top of
the wall caps your weekend creativity and can be added while the laundry dries.
These go-together patterns are from the Garden Chic collection by Maxwell's L.V.
Emmert Studios.
Powder rooms invariably come to mind when a weekend fixer-upper contemplates a
wallpapering project. Often used by guests, this room calls for a touch of
glamour, and the luxurious grape-and-pear pattern on a red background from L.V.
Emmert Studios' Winnetka collection fills the bill. In papering a powder room,
leave time enough to carefully cut and fit the wallpaper tightly around plumbing
fixtures for a thoroughly professional look.
While many do-it-yourselfers think only a small bath or powder room can be
wallpapered in a weekend, it is often just as quick and easy to wallpaper a
dining room, living room or bedroom. Free from appliances, fixtures, angles and
corners, priming and papering large, uninterrupted expanses can move along at a
rapid, rhythmic and highly satisfying pace.
Nothing transforms the look of a room more thoroughly and economically than new
wallpaper. Because it can be easily cleaned with a damp sponge, it will also
stay looking great longer than paint. However, once you've got the hang of it --
literally, you're apt to plan a wallpapering weekend every several years.
To find the nearest retailer carrying Garden Chic, Winnetka, Wicker Park and
other wallpaper collections by S.A. Maxwell Co., call (847) 932-3700 or visit
www.samaxwell.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jaima Brown is director of design for S.A. Maxwell Co., a leading
producer of wallpaper, borders and coordinating fabric |
