HOT TRENDS IN WALLPAPER

Michael Holigan: Welcome to Your New House. It's time to roll up your sleeves and roll out the wallpaper. Wall coverings have become one of the easiest and most practical ways to make a dramatic impact on any room in your home.

Al Carrell: You know, wallpapering used to be a dirty, difficult and messy job that was best left to the pros. But today, you can add color, style and texture to any room in your house, and do it yourself.

M.H.: And you know Al, one of the great trends in wall coverings is, these days you can get more design for your dollar. Today we want to show you some practical wall coverings that are guaranteed to take center stage in any room. And along the way we're going to show you some basic techniques that will get you on a roll. Let's get to work. Whether you're building a new home or remodeling a home, one of the first things you need to do is choose a wallpaper. And the wallpaper choices can be overwhelming

Hilda Bell: One of the first places you can start is here at the computer.

M.H.: Sherwin Williams is testing a new high-tech solution to selecting wallpapers, borders and even coordinating paint. Hilda, I like this pattern here. What do I do?

H.B.: Well, you can just tag it and we can go back and look for it. Okay, let's look for the book. It's from Heartland, volume 5, here it is.

M.H.: I believe it was page 90.

H.B.: Okay. Is that it?

M.H.: That's the pattern. Most wallpaper stores don't have the computer, so find the store designer and ask for suggestions. Many companies have books on specific styles of paper such as neoclassical, textured wallpapers, floral prints or even country patterns. Once you've made your selection, the clerk can help you determine how much wallpaper to order by the measurements of your wall. With your order in hand, you are ready to tackle the walls. If doing an entire wall seems overwhelming to you, try warming up your wallpapering skills with a border. It's a great way to spruce up the house and it's very easy.

Sandy Hill: They even have borders now that is just like contact paper and, but you do need a helper to help you hold it while you're working it into place. And your main concern is to work it down and get all the bubbles.

M.H.: No bubbles.

S.H.: Bubbles out, right.

M.H.: If you have a textured wall that you'd like to wallpaper, you're going to have to sand down to a smooth finish first. But with just a border, the texture on the walls really doesn't show through. When you get to the end of a roll, it can be a little tricky.

S.H.: Okay. Since both the ends are rigid like this, what we're going to do is take your pattern and overlap it just somewhat, so the eye will not actually see where you left off.

M.H.: Okay, so we'll cut it with the overlap intentionally, we won't just but it up at the end where it stopped.

S.H.: That's correct.

M.H.: Okay. Sandy, we really changed the looks of this room. How expensive was it to do?

S.H.: Less than $25.

M.H.: For the whole thing?

S.H.: Uh-huh.

M.H.: Next we're going to show you how to hang a textured paper and even paint it. Roxie, is this any different from hanging normal wallpapers?

Roxie Murrey: No, not really. It hangs about the same. The only difference is that it is textured and sometimes the texture will fool you. You can't see the bubbles. Now that's your brush, you want to brush it outward, then up and then, all the way to the top. You want to keep brushing it out and as you're brushing it out you want to make sure your seams do not pull apart. And then as you brush out then you start brushing down. And you'll feel the bubbles going out, the air bubbles. What you want to do is, you want to put the putty knife up in there nice and firm after pushing it down, then taking your razor knife, and you move it as you go. You want to make sure that you cut all the way across, cause that is one of the mistakes people make, they go pull it and it's still attached, and they give it a big yank and they tear the paper. And if you'll hold your putty knife down like that, nice and firm, that's a good way to see if you cut it all the way across.

M.H.: Is this easier to do than texturing a wall?

Kimberly Spears: Yes, it's a whole lot easier to actually apply and to work with. Your dealing with a paper back as opposed to all the supplies and equipment that you would be using when you're actually texturing a surface.

M.H.: Well, when you texture a wall, you can do a lot of different colors and patterns on it. How about with the wallpaper?

K.S.: I find that the wallpaper really comes in to many more different effects and styles than the actual texture. You've got so many distinct designs nowadays. There are star looks, stripe designs, more detailed, as if it was an actual mural design.

M.H.: How about hanging the wallpaper. Is it any different from hanging typical wallpaper?

K.S.: It's a lot more delicate, believe it or not. It looks to be a lot thicker, but one the actual paper becomes moistened or wet, it becomes very, very soft and, like tissue paper. It's very delicate. So you need to take a little more time and a little more patience when hanging this wallpaper. You want to be real careful with it cause it will tear. It's very fragile.

M.H.: When we paint it, are there any certain techniques that we need to do a little different, or anything we need to know about it?

K.S.: Actually, you would always want to use a latex paint because it's easier to wash off. It also goes on with a smoother coverage. Now the applying of the actual paint really isn't that much more detailed than as if you were paint an actual surface, so that is good for people who are familiar with painting walls.

M.H.: Can you use a brush or an roller?

K.S.: You always want to use, they recommend using a roller.

M.H.: Okay.

K.S.: And that being because the coverage itself goes on a lot better. You usually don't want to do anything with a brush other than do your cut-ins and whatnot.

M.H.: Whether you're a first time paper hanger or an experienced pro, here are some new trends to look for. New designs that look like murals. Vinyl protective coverings. Coordinating fabrics, borders and paint. And even glow-in-the-dark paper.

Episode 29 1996 - 97 Season

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