Hand Printed Wallpaper

[Nigel Watts]

Does anyone have experience of hanging hand printed wallpaper? I am thinking of buying some for my living room from the firm of Watts of Westminster (no relation as far as I know). Having looked for some time for a suitable colour and design, the handprinted papers seem vastly superior in terms of intensity of colour and definition of printing.

The price, however, is awesome and a batch will have to be made specially to order. Before making the decision I want to be sure that I can trust myself to hang the paper to an acceptable standard. I have done quite a bit a papering in the past, but have never used paper of this type. Any "dos" and "donts" would be gratefully received.

 

[Nimster]

I would say:

DON'T - think about doing it yourself unless you are happy to waste your money

DO - find a good reputable decorator who has done similar work before and hire him - you'll get a much better finish and there'll be less waste.

That's assuming that your "I've done quite a bit" statement is the same as my experience. I've done plenty of papering, but there's always more waste than there should be and at least one hang that ends up screwed into a ball.....

 

[Nigel Watts]

Thanks for the advice. There is a minimum order quantity for a batch of handmade paper, so I may have to buy more than I can use in any case.

In the room I wish to paper I have already, without professional help, mended the floorboards, reinstated missing sections of skirtings and architraves, replastered in lime some quite large areas of wall, cleaned and mended the cornice, moulding and installing new plaster ornament where necessary, grained the woodwork in imitation oak, redecorated the ceiling with homemade distemper, and done the second fix electrics. Having done so much myself I feel reluctant to hand over the final process to a tradesman.

The question really is: how much more difficult is it to hang handmade paper? For example, compared to mass produced paper, is it less robust? Is it more susceptible to staining if some paste gets on the printed side? If the answer to these question is no, then I am prepared to take the risk. If yes, how much more difficult is it, and what steps can one take to overcome the problems.

In modern business jargon, I need a risk assessment.

 

[middi]

The thruth may be Nigel, that not many people on this site enjoy hanging wallpaper, maybe we all "fumble" our way through the motions and we all settle for a certain degree of perfection, ( after we covered up our mistakes ).

Hand printed wallpaper is not exactly run of the mill, B&Q, slap it on type of paper and does't matter if the dog wraps himself up in a couple of sheets. If you make a mistake with the hand printed stuff it wont be so funny, there should not be a reason why you cannot tacke this, especially as you come across as a very good handyman.

Surely all the information you need can be obtained from the makers regarding pastes and application including any pitfalls wich you should be looking out for.

 

[Horace]

My understanding is that the edges that butt together on "normal" wallpaper are machine trimmed but I think with the handmade stuff you need to manually trim it yourself. That, I imagine could be a real nightmare when it comes to a professional finish.

I actually enjoy wallpapering and prefer to do it myself as a bit of a perfectionist (I may take longer than the professionals but I reckon I do a better job than some I have seen!) but handmade stuff would scare me silly.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Good advice again - Thank you

When I went to the manufacturer's fancy showroom in Chelsea the charming and very posh assistant was surprised when I started asking practical questions, like how to estimate the number of rolls, how to hang the paper etc replying that it was best to leave that kind of thing to one's decorator. She was even more taken aback when I said that I was thinking of hanging the paper myself. She eventually phoned the factory and put me to someone equally charming, though much more down to earth and a good deal more knowledgeable.

For £60 one can get a sample made in one's prefered colour, so this is what I ordered. If I (and more importantly the wife) like it, we will need to decide if we can afford it.

 

[jess marley]

My husband once hung his grandmothers hall with some hand-made paper she had bought 60 years before 'just in case'... In case, I suppose the Germans invaded and put a stop to gratuitous wall-paper printing.
It was a nightmare, although he did a beautiful job, it was almost as if the paper conspired to be tricky. Yes, the edges had to be trimmed, which I think he did with a pair of his father's shears, his father being a tailor.
After this the greatest problem was the water solubility of the inks involved, which would bleed like a stuck pig if one was cack-handed enough to get the tiniest amount of paste on them.

All said though, it looked amazing. Absolutely, go for it. You won't be nearly as quick as a professional, but your previous posts show you'll approach it carefully and cautiously. Just allow yourself MASSES of time so you don't get panicked and I bet the job will be just as good.
I'd love to tell you more about his granny and the tin of unexploded Spam she made him bury in the back garden...but it really doesn't have much to do with paper hanging. Another time.

 

[Nemesis]

I confess - I have hoarded away unused and untrimmed, just in case, a number of rolls of hand-printed William Morris paper, which I bought in around 1973 cos they were a fantastic bargain...


I also have somewhere a paper trimming gadget, bought in a junk shop, although these days the manufacturers will usually do that job for you.

 

[jess marley]

Nemesis, you worry me, Charlie's nan was so off her rocker she kept un-used post pregnancy bindings (presumably to restore one's figure post partum) 'just in case' . When we discovered them she was in her nineties.
Give the wall-paper to the V&A, you'll sleep better, I promise.

 

[Nemesis]

No. it may come in useful one day! I just haven't found the right place yet. It's not taking up much room.

Along with the many boxes of Prices candles which I inherited from my mother in law when she died, stored safely in the pantry just in case. They are priced at 9d a doz.

I have to say though that when looking at pics of the V and A sixties fashion exhibition (I've got my hotel and train tickets booked....) I was a bit disturbed to see a Bus Stop jumper exactly the same as one I had given to the charity shop not so long ago featured.

I'm hanging on to my Biba. It may fit me again one day. And the jars of Biba polenta and sugar may too be required in time of seige.

 

[jess marley]

Deep breaths and let it all go......

 

[Nemesis]

Nah... they can have it when I die, and not before.


http://www.thebibaexperience.com/

 

[jess marley]

:!:
Night night.

 

[Lime]

Having seen a professional putting up this type of wallpaper using "tub paste" I would never think of doing it myself.
This man decorated a whole room with all the difficult shapes around a twisting chimney breast in just a couple of hours.
It was perfect everywhere.
I couldn't fault it.

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

I'm not an experienced paper hanger, but I do know about materials and methods. I think you need to find out from the printer if the ink is soluable first. If so, any paste on the front side will spoil it.

Then be aware that the front of the paper will be absorbent and won't have a wipeable finish (unless they can give it a special coating) so any paste or other dirt on the face of the paper will discolour it. It may also be a softer paper than the mass produced stuff which could leave it prone to stretching as you hang it.

I would want to visit the factory if it were me, see the process and talk in detail. This is not cheap stuff. I would also want them to recommend a paste. I bet it won't be the stuff that comes in packets from B&Q.

Sue

 

[Lime]

I'm not sure with Watts of Westminster but Cole & Son recommend the use of tub paste.
http://tinyurl.com/yekg76

Don't forget to use horizontal lining paper.

If you hang the paper properly you will never regret buying it.
The pain of what seems a lot of money now gets forgotten and the cost will get intertwined with legend as you enjoy the paper year after year.

 

[Nigel Watts]

I am intending to line the walls first - horizontally as you say. The comments about water soluability of the printed colour are my biggest worry. I have nver managed entirely to avoid getting some paste on the front of the paper. I tou dont apply enought paste to the back there is a danger that the edges wont stick down prperly; too much and it oozes out from the joins.

 

[sarahj]

I did a painting and decorating course about a year ago, and although it was fairly basic, there was plenty of opportunity to discuss the range of wallpaper skills required as a professional. We did touch on the expensive end of the market and the scariness of hanging a delicate piece of paper - apparently, a major difference to machine wallpaper can be that the non-machine wallpaper may have to be hung with a much larger overlap, it can be as much as 3cm to allow for shrinkage.

I would definitely go for it, as said before, as long as there is plenty of technical information/support before you start, and you have allowed yourself enough spare to practice with, there is no reason why you shouldn't do a good job. If you have allowed enough to practice with and you can't get the finish you want, you can always call in a professional afterwards.

 

[Moo]

The problem of water/paste damage is one that can, I suppose, be solved by taking extreme care.

The problem of shrinkage, however, is a different matter. With such expensive paper you may not be able to afford enough experimentation. However, is there a chance that the manufacturers would let you have some offcuts or roll-ends of unprinted paper to play with?

 

[biffvernon]

This may be a suburban myth but I thought the best wallpapers were cut with a bevel edge. When the two pieces are put together there is a little v-shaped gap underneath the surface of the paper into which the excess paste flows without spilling out and spoiling the print.