New ideas in wall coverings

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 8

New ideas in wall coverings

Habitat!

George Chimirri

Consider the advantages of plain paper if your trails are in need of a lift. If you are also feeling like a touch of special luxury, or want to get into the latest trend, read on.

in our last article we briefly touched, on plain walls which I felt were far more versatil? and through choice of colour, expressive of mood and personality. We saw how personal choice of furniture; pictures, brie a brae and accessories could be shown off to greater advantage on plain ground. This, result, up to now, has usually been obtained by . painting walls, and some years ago painted lining paper was used extensively. Paint was often applied on an old, papered surface rather than stripping back several layers of paper Some renovators and new house builders however, did apply lining paper, and later painted the walls. Painting wallpaper was npt always successful because, depending on the state of the glue, the paint sometime ■ lifted the paper and a ” the joins suddenly became visible. Painting papered walls is always a calculated risk. Although it has been done successfully, the many risk factors mean that "you cannot guarantee success. - '• /

To combat this. situation, some years ago, plain papers began to be printed. The Victorians had -used the: i in conjunction' with narrow friezes, and we find that trend returning today. For someone renovating an old house • this technique is undoubtedly an asset. Some plain papers are printed using paint colour charts as a reference., I

find the plain, printed papers I use are no more expensive than the standard, good-grade commercial papers. The paint is immediately at your disposal, and no tinting is required so you get an absolutely exact match. (A Christchurch paint specialist company will also match up wallpape. - , curtains, or any sample you take along with a matt or gloss paint). Papering t.ie walls with plain paper gives a marvellous smooth finish, hard to achieve with most paints. Hung correctly, (there are some tricks to it), it can '• ’lav ’. a soft, even finish and a brilliant reflective quality — more alive than matt paint, but subtler than high-gloss. Imagine a plain paper, covering all the walls, and a matching, high-gloss, painted ceiling that reflects like a coloured mirror all the light and shapes below it. Anyway, enough of plain paper, and back to texture. ■ z

A popular way to achieve texture on walls now is the application of an Anaglypta paper. Made from cotton fibre with an embossed design, it looks like/ ’plaster. • Being quite strong, • it will successfully cover cracked walls and ceilirigs. It is sold in rolls, comes in a variety of patterns, and should? be ; painted. Personally it always reminds me of icing on a wedding cake. However, it can be effectively utilised as an inexpensive coverall on vast, damaged areas. •; MOIRES: A paper embossed to look like

watered silk, usually in pastel shades. It is used extensively in Europe. However, in the United States much bolder colours have been printed in this category'.

A whole room of it can be a bit much, to say the least, unless of course you are intending to recreate the Versailles Palace. However, used in moderation in small panels around a large sitting room or bedroom, its plush and genteel look can be quite stunning. FABRIC BY' THE METRE: A rather new concept in New Zealand, very popular in Europe, and now making its appearance in this , part of the world.’’ The fabric is usually fixed to a framework, track, or narrow batten, at ceiling and skirting height. The fabric used to be stapled on to the batten. However, new technology has produced a snap-fas-tening track., ’> With this track, the fabric is attached to one track and slid inside a second, outer'Casing.

A fabric that does not distort or stretch too much should be used. It is fixed top and bottom for a -.continuous wall covering. Gingham or ticking has been known to produce pleasing, practical results. Pictures can be ,huhg on fabric wall coverings.

To clean the fabric you must take it down and wash’or dry clean it. The new, snap-fastener track makes this easy/ If you need to economise and use the older,’ stapling method, the staples can be readily removed for /cleaning ; the

fabric with a staple remover.

Some countries stipulate fire-proofing the fabric in certain public areas such as theatres, hotels, and restaurants, where fabric wall coverings have proved popular abroad. Although this is a fresh, and I think, a super idea, the commitment, once the battens have been attached (which, incidentally, is quite expensive) is quite substantial. So it is recom-

mended only for the longterm. You" will need to love the idea of fabric so much that 10 years later you still have the track and are putting up new fabric.

POSTSCRIPT: In the last article I expressed some rather definite views and comments about commercial wallpapers and grass papers,, which have aroused some comment. These articles are designed mainly for the layperson and not the “socalled professional,” and when I said that grass paper is difficult to butt joint, I was referring to the capabilities of the average home renovator. However, there are a few gifted amateurs about who can do a grass paper justice. I have also seen some “20-years-in-the-busi-ness” professional paperhangers do some appalling work in this category.