Wallpaper History

Wallpaper

Although it’s been around for hundreds of years, in the world of design, wallpaper has become the latest thing. Brought back to the height of fashion in recent years, the new look in wallpaper or wallcoverings is hard to resist. Antiqued, textured, hand-painted, gilded and embossed or quirky and colourful, made in unusual materials, from vinyl to faux fur - today, there’s a wallpaper for everyone and every room, no matter what your personal style.

Wallpaper styles

Vintage
In many cases, the hot, new look in wallpaper is borrowed from the past. Today’s wallpaper designers are reaching back to various eras in history to recreate and reinterpret patterns for the 21st century.

There are toiles and damask prints borrowed from the 1800s, now made modern with larger patterns and bold colours. There are Art Deco looks from the 1920s, including William Morris prints, which now look modern on their own, thanks to metallic touches - a staple in 1920 design that appears almost futuristic today. Silvery mylar wallpaper from the 1970s (originally inspired by the 1920s, too) is also back, as are graphic op-art patterns from the ’50s and ’60s.

Flocked and Blocked
Flocked wallpapers, made by dusting powdered silk, wool or flock onto a tacky patterned surface, have the look and feel of soft velvet. Damask flocked wallpapers, in brilliant red on red, maroon on maroon, and black on white, featuring large, almost blown-up sized patterns - now, one of the most popular prints in this category - are a great choice for making spaces appear elegant and luxe, yet modern.

Hand-blocking is a centuries old method in which wallpaper is hand-printed from hand-carved blocks on homemade paper. Hand-blocked wallpaper depicted scenes include, panoramic views of antique architecture, exotic landscapes and pastoral subjects, as well as repeating patterns of stylized flowers, people and animals. Today, there are artisans who hand-block wallpapers using customized designs, companies who specialize in reproducing original period hand-blocked patterns, and those who sell manufactured wallpapers in the style of hand-blocked.

Textured Wall Coverings
Textured wallpapers—like textured broadloom—add depth and dimension to rooms. Of late, there’s been a surge of tactile choices including mock-crocodile, sand, feathers, faux animal skin, sea sponges and glass beads. There are also sculpted wall surfaces made of powdered gypsum rock that can be applied in panels along one wall.

Black and White
A relatively new trend, wallpaper in black-and-white everything—dots, stripes, paisleys, damasks, ginghams, circles and geometric configurations—make for a dramatic and enticing backdrop for modern or retro, Op- or Pop Art-inspired decor.

New Colour Combinations
Wallpaper backgrounds are awash in silver and grey metallics overprinted with matte-finish motifs in aqua, teal, mint green or rose. Notable hot colours include coffee bean and pumpkin, chocolate and combinations of lavender, sage and taupe or melon, aqua and pale gold.

Another colour trend is the use of metallic touches or highlights in wallpaper. Silver, pale gold, antiqued gold, bronze and copper are all popular metals for this treatment.

New and Rediscovered Materials
Paper wallcoverings aren’t the only category in wallpaper. Other materials also make for great ways to decorate walls.

Barkskin, an organic, hand-pounded and sun-dried wall covering made in an environmentally sustainable process; it can look like parchment or leather and comes in several natural colours. It’s perfect for accent walls in bedrooms and living rooms.

Bamboo wallpaper, made of the woven plant, features a soothing, natural texture that works well as an alternative to beadboard wainscoting, or as a featured wall in a kitchen or bathroom.

Grasscloth, another wallcovering made of woven plants, was a very popular choice in wallcoverings during the 1970s. Today, with the resurrection of ’70s style, grasscloth is back - and, this time in a range of optional colours, from green and red to blue and black.

Paintable textured wallpaper, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is another resurrected style (available in a range of patterns, from vintage to modern) made of embossed paper or vinyl, which can be painted any colour to suit any space.

TIPS

Wall Strips
Instead of borders at the top of walls, run “wall strips” or wide stripes of wallpaper — be that one, two or three—in contrasting but complementary colours above wainscoting, in the lower bottom half of a wall, or in triplicate around the walls of a room.

Wallpapered Lampshades
Wallcoverings can also be used to cover lampshades, wooden boxes and placemats.

Comparing Wallpapers
The easiest wallpaper to hang and clean is vinyl or vinyl-coated paper. Vinyl is scrubbable, which means you can clean it with a sponge and cleaning solution. Vinyl is also the most durable.

Embossed wallpaper, which has a raised pattern throughout, is easy to hang, but is also one of the more expensive papers.

Grasscloth, once a natural woven wallcovering from Japan, is now sold as paper that mimics the original’s appearance. Grasscloth wallpaper disguises most imperfections or damages in the wall, due to its woven-like texture.

Foil wallpaper is very expensive, although it can quickly brighten up and change a small room if used correctly. Some also like to use fabric wallpaper, but just keep in mind that it does not clean very well or easily, and it can be extremely difficult to hang.

Hanging Wallpaper

You’ll need the following tools to hang wallpaper:
Stepladder
Large flat surface on which to cut and/or paste
Plumb line or level, chalk, tack, yardstick, pencil, string
Scissors
Wide-blade putty knife
Razor knife and blades
Seam roller
Water tray, for pre-pasted wall covering
Bucket
Wall-covering paste brush

To determine how much wallpaper you need to hang, measure the height and width of the walls to be covered.  Add an extra 10 to 15 percent to allow for wastage. Divide the accumulated number by the square footage rating of the wallpaper you’ve chosen. This will tell you how many rolls you need.

If you can, buy one or two extra rolls in case you need to make repairs at some point.

Before buying the rolls of wallpaper, check that all the dye lot numbers for each roll match: this will ensure that all your rolls are identical (variations exist between dye lots).

Two days before you’re ready to hang, wash the walls with a solution of soap and water. Lightly sand any imperfections or bumps on the walls. Using an oil-based primer, prime each wall thoroughly; allow 24 hours to dry. (Never hang new wallpaper over old; if wallpaper is still on the wall, remove completely before washing and sanding the walls.)

If your printed wallpaper has a dominant feature—a large stylized motif in between smaller motifs—then it’s important to plan how the paper is going to work on the walls. You also want to make certain the primary motif won’t be cut in half by a plate rail or chair rail or wainscoting.

Placement is also important to ensure seams are running along-side window casings or door jambs. Paper strips should overlap about 1 inch over door and window casings.

When you’re ready to hang, make plumb lines around the room—these will act as guides to help you paste rows of straight paper strips. To make plumb lines, measure the width of your wallpaper strip. Then, use a tape measure and make a mark that is 1/2 inch shorter than the wallpaper. Next, use a level to create your plumb line, a straight, vertical line. This is where your first two strips will meet. Continue making plumb lines all the way around the room.

Once you have made all the plumb lines, measure the height of your wall and add three inches. The height plus 3 inches is the length of your wallpaper strip. Measure and cut the first strip.

For pre-pasted wallpaper, dip your paper into a tray of water, then roll the wallpaper with the pattern facing in. Allow the paper to sit in the water for 30 seconds. Remove the paper from the water and set it on a flat surface. Fold the wallpaper so the pasted sides are sticking together. Be careful not to crease the wallpaper. Let the paper sit for 3-5 minutes.

Now, unfold the wallpaper and place it on the wall to the left of the plumb line. It will overlap at the ceiling and the baseboard. Use a brush or sponge to carefully smooth the wallpaper. Wipe off any excess paste with a cloth.

Use a putty knife or wall scraper, and a sharp razor-edged knife or box cutter to cut off the excess paper at the ceiling and baseboard. Apply the next strip of wallpaper. When two strips meet, don’t overlap the paper: the pattern needs to line up perfectly.

For doors and windows, hang the paper over the opening and then cut away the excess. Use diagonal cuts on the corners.

Don’t hang a full width of wallpaper around an inside corner; instead, hang the wallpaper in two parts. Measure and allow for about 1/2-inch extra for the first piece to wrap around the corner. Then hang the second piece; making sure that it hangs straight.

Before wallpapering around switches and electrical outlets, turn off the electricity (the strips are wet!). Remove the cover plates from the switches and outlets, and paper over the openings. Carefully trim the paper back to the edges of the box, so the cover plates will hide the cut edges of the wallpaper. Wait until the paper is dry before turning the electricity back on.

Once the paper strips are hung throughout the room, wait for about 10-15 minutes before using a seam roller. When ready, gently roll over all the seams. Be careful not to move or stretch the paper as you roll.

Most wallpaper hangers find that working in a clockwise direction around the room is best for right handed people, and working counterclockwise is best for left-handed people. Wherever you start in the room, find a major focal point and begin there.

As the wallpaper dries you might see small pockets of air that weren’t smoothed out. Use the smoothing brush again. When an air bubble is trapped and can’t be smoothed out, then make a small incision with a razor. Expel the air from the cut then carefully apply direct pressure with a wet sponge to dampen the paper thoroughly, which will reactivate the paste underneath and should reattach the paper to the wall.

Glossary

American single roll: An American single roll—different in measure to a European single roll—is a quantity of wallpaper between 34-36 square feet. The width is usually 20.5 inches, however, it can be up to 36 inches wide. The length ranges from 4-7 yards.

Bolt: A continuous roll of wallpaper, packaged as one unit. It contains a quantity of paper equivalent to two single rolls of paper.

Butted seam: A butted seam is created when two strips of wallpaper are laid with the edges just touching, and not overlapping.

Cellulose: A wallpaper paste used for non-vinyl wall coverings that aren’t “pre-pasted” on the back.

Chalk line: A chalk line is drawn to denote a vertical plumb line on a wall—this aids in aligning wallpaper strips.

Double roll: A double roll is bolt of two single rolls of wallpaper in a continuous strip. The double roll, or bolt, is priced as two single rolls but is packaged as one unit or length of paper to minimize waste.

Dye lot: Also called “a run”, a dye lot is a batch of wallpaper rolls that are printed at the same time. All rolls should be from the same dye lot to ensure the designs are identical; rolls vary from batch to batch.

Lining paper: Lining paper is a plain paper applied to the wall before wallpaper is hung and pasted. The lining smoothes out the finish and allow for better adhesion.

Metric single roll: A metric roll contains 28-30 square feet per single roll. It is usually 21 inches wide and 16 feet long, or can be 27 inches wide and 13 feet long.

Pre-pasted: Wallpaper with paste already on the backing, which can be activated by soaking it in a water-filled tray. The directions for each individual paper must be followed to determine proper soaking and booking time.

Primer: An acrylic or other latex product, primer is applied to the walls about a day before wallpaper is hung.  With primer, a better slip, and a better positioning of the wallcovering is achieved. Use of a primer also improves the initial bond, and the removability.

Railroading: The horizontal rather than vertical application of wallpaper to the wall.

Random match: Certain wallpapers are designed to work no matter how one panel is placed in position in relation to the next one. Stripes and all-over textures are generally random matches.

Repeat: The distance from the centre of one motif of a pattern to the centre of the next.

Seam roller: This is a tool used to roll over and secure the seams of newly hung wallpaper strips, and to make the panels adhere to the wall.

Sizing: Sizing is a powder mixed with water and applied to a painted or otherwise sealed surface to give better “slip,” which makes installation easier.

Slip: The “slip,” a characteristic of an adhesive, allows sliding and repositioning of the wallpaper while it’s being applied to the wall—slip makes it easier to hang.

Smoothing brush: Used to smooth out wrinkles or air from behind wallpaper during installation.

Straight edge: A ruler or other tool used as a guide for the blade when trimming wallpaper during installation.

Trimming: Trimming wallpaper involves a straight edge and a blade to remove excess paper from around the door, windows, ceiling, outlets, and at the baseboard.

Type I: A light duty commercial grade wallcovering weighing between 7 and 13 ounces per square yard.

Type II: A medium grade commercial wallcovering weighing between 13 and 22 ounces per yard.

Type III: A heavy-duty commercial grade wallcovering, weighing in excess of 22 ounces per square yard.

Unpasted wallpaper: Unlike pre-pasted wallpaper, unpasted wallpaper has no paste applied to its backing. The backing of unpasted wallpaper is brushed or rolled with paste before it’s hung.

Vinyl: Vinyl is a synthetic material that is applied to wallcoverings as a flexible film. Wallpaper is often coated with vinyl or has vinyl laminated to a backing, which helps to make it “scrubable” or easy to wash.

Wet hanging: Wet hanging is a method of hanging wallpaper in which the adhesive is applied to the back.

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Wallpaper History Society, Lifford House, 199 Eade Road, London, N4 1DN. All queries to be sent by post.