The Fabric Softener Fix for Stripping Wallpaper

On August 28, 2015, we finally closed on our home in Fruitport, Michigan. Being a short sale, Patrick and I had been waiting since late February of that same year to sign the documents, solidifying the closure. I knew it would be months before we could move in, even after the closure, but that was the least of my worries. We were inching closer to our ultimate goal of remodeling a home. Standing two stories tall, half brick-half vinyl siding, attached garage, on just shy of an acre, seven bedrooms, and three and one-half baths, we were eager to start our adventure in reconstructing and cosmetically reconditioning a three thousand square foot, 1970's retro home.

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Paintable Wallcoverings

Special thanks to our new blogger, Shannon VandenBosch from our Plainfield store for submitting this article!

Painting a room can be an inexpensive way to redecorate, but it is sooooo plain!  There is no texture, no dimension, or pattern.  Almost everyone has plain, painted walls. BORING!!!

So let's talk about wallcovering, specifically paintable wallcoverings. Take a look at the pictures showing 4 different patterns painted in the same color, Benjamin Moore's 2029-50, potpourri green.  Because these patterns are dimensional, they create visual interest and can express one's style, if you will.  Plus, this product we sell from one of our suppliers is environmentally friendly and breathable.  Because it is made from non-woven material, it is as easy to install as it is to remove.  Each pattern can be used alone or paired with other prints to create a paneled effect or as a wide border between patterns.

HOW TO:

• To begin this project, the walls need to be clean, dry, and primed.  
• Use a light-weight, pre-mixed adhesive for non-woven wallcoverings.  
• Cut wallcovering according to size needed, paste the wall, press each strip into place, and smooth out air bubbles.  
• Trim excess and remove any paste on the front of the pattern with  clear water and a sponge. 
• Wait 24 hours for the paper to dry and then paint with a latex paint in any sheen.

Now you have created a space that not only has personality, but it is out of the ordinary!

Tri-Fold Door Headboard

In an earlier post, we talked about using a standard paneled door as a headboard.  Here's another take on the "door as a headboard" idea that really offers you a ton of creative opportunity:  create a headboard from a set of tri-fold closet doors.

Now, admittedly, this is maybe a bit more expensive than some of the other ideas--you would need to pick up a set of doors if you don't have them--but the project will produce a very unique and interesting result that's probably worth the expense. 

Here's how to achieve what you see in the picture, as well as some other variations you could try:

Stripes, Stripes, Stripes

As we see in the picture, stripes can create a calm, soothing, clean and somewhat modern feel in a room.  And the good news is that accomplishing a look like this is much easier than you may think.

However, before we spell out the "how-to's" regarding this project, let me start by saying that the biggest, most important tool you'll need (besides the doors and the paint) is the right tape.  Trying a project like this with the wrong masking tape is going to be disappointing and frustrating.  So don't go cheap on the tape if you're going to try this!  I strongly recommend picking up a role of 3m's "Orange Core" safe-release masking tape at RepcoLite.  This is a specially formulated "safe-release" tape that will both leave sharp, clean lines while at the same time come off freshly painted surfaces without pulling up the paint.  Using a tape like this will prevent any bleed-through or "bumpy" paint lines.  You'll get sharp, crisp lines and (trust me) you'll be happy!

OK, start with the right tape and the rest of the project is easy.

1. Prime and paint the doors with a white (or the predominant color in your scheme) Eggshell finish.  Preferably RepcoLite's Hallmark Eggshell.
2. After the doors have dried for 24 hours, carefully measure off and tape the different section that you want to apply the different color stripes to. 
3. Roll your colors onto these areas using a small roller and allow to dry for 20 minutes to an hour before carefully removing tape.
4. Continue in this manner, filling in the doors with the differently sized and colored stripes until the doors look the way you want.
5. Once you've accomplish this, let the doors completely dry and mount them.  (Remember this, though:  Latex paint dries to the touch in hours, but doesn't reach it's full cure or full hardness until about 30 days later.  This means the doors/headboard won't be as durable as possible for the first month or so--so go a little easy on them!)

Variations on this One 

1. Don't stagger the stripes--run them from one end to the other.
2. Skip the stripes entirely and paint each door a separate color.
3. Paint the doors a solid, consistent color--all three of them--and then run 1, 2, maybe 3 narrow stripes (1", 2" or so) across the doors from left to right.  Clump these narrow stripes or spread them out.
4. Run the stripes from top to bottom rather than left to right.
5. Apply wallpaper to the doors instead of paint.  

The variations are basically endless.  It's only a matter of the limits of your creativity.  Above all things:  have fun!

Paneled Door Headboard

Creating an interesting, colorful or unique headboard for you bed is a fun and potentially easy way to completely change the look and feel of a bedroom.  Over the next couple entries, we're going to look at some of the best ideas out there on the web--along with a little how-to steps from RepcoLite to make sure these projects go easily for you if you try to tackle them.

The first one I want to talk about is pictured at the left.  It's the "Old Paneled Door" headboard and really can be a highlight or focal point of your room if you do it the right way.

The main thing you need to tackle this project is . . . obviously . . . and old paneled wood door.  Possibly you've got one sitting around in your basement or attic (like me!), or maybe you'll need to scour some junk shops and mission stores.  Another thing to try is this:  call your friends and family.  Many people have all kinds of extra junk sitting around in their homes that they don't know what to do with.  They hate to throw certain things away, but they also have no use for them.  As a result, people "sit on" items like old doors and they end up just taking up space.  It never hurts to ask....

Anyway, once you get your door, the steps are easy from that point on to achieve the look in the picture:

1.  Install some trim (or crown molding) around the edge of the door that will be the top of the headboard (see top edge of door in photo above).  This will give it a finished look on the top and will also cover up the notches cut in the door for the hinges!
2. Clean it up and scuff sand it (if you're going to paint it).
3. Apply your latex paint without primer (if you're going for a distressed look as we see in the photo).
4. After the paint has dried for a couple days, take some 120grit sandpaper and dust lightly over the entire painted door.  Spend some extra time on edges and the panels to completely remove the paint in those areas and expose the original wood beneath.
5. Once the door looks sufficiently distressed, wipe it clean with a damp rag and let it dry.
6. After it's dried you can either leave it and hang it, or for a little extra durability, you could top-coat it with 1 coat of RepcoLite's Flat Polyurethane Varnish.  (If it's white, you might want to leave it unvarnished as the varnish will yellow over time!)
7. After it's dried for 24 hours, you just need to mount it sideways on the wall (door knob removed and hole down so it's hidden behind the bed) and you're done!

This is one of those projects that you should be able to accomplish relatively quickly and without too much effort.  The part that will require the most DIY'er skill will be the installation of the crown or trim around the top edge.  Other than that, it's all pretty straightforward and simple.  But best of all, the impact is huge.

VARIATIONS on the IDEA

1. Leave the door with a "stained" look.  Either scuff sand it and apply a "freshen-up" coat of stain over the whole door (along with a couple coats of Polyurethane) to create a new, finely finished look; or, leave the stained door completely "as-is" for a more rustic look.
2. Don't distress the door.  Skip the roughed-up look and go for a nice, even, solid coat of paint.  If you do this, I'd strongly recommend RepcoLite's Prime-all Primer as a great basecoat.
3. Use those old wallpaper scraps!  Cut squares of wallpaper that will fit the panels of the door and install them.  Cut them from scrapes left over in your own home, or call RepcoLite and ask about discontinued wallpaper books you can grab for free!

MORE SAMPLES

 from Country Living (photo by Simon Bevan)

from Sunset

from The Weblog

Little Changes, Big Impact (part 3): Wall Shapes

If you're looking for simple ways to give a room in your home some appeal, what about painting some shapes onto the walls?  Now, you could accomplish this by painting just a few geometrical shapes all over the walls, randomly placing squares and circles, but don't limit yourself to that.

For example, think about your laundry room.  What if you'd paint the walls a sky blue color and then paint a clothesline on one wall?  And don't quit there, go ahead and paint some "cartoony" clothes on that line.  You could use bright colors in the clothes you "hang" on that line and those bright colors would infuse your room with a sense of fun and interest without overpowering it. 

If you're looking for a twist on this idea, go ahead and hang a "real" clothesline on your wall and fill it with "clothes" that you cut out of extra wallpaper that you may have lying around.  

This is a simple project and a fun way to use up excess wallpaper.  Just glue two sheets of wallpaper together (same pattern on the front and back or different patterns--it doesn't matter).  Glue the two sheets together and, when they're dry, cut shirt, dress and pants shapes out.  Then, using real clothes pins, hang these items on your line.

Whether you paint the clothes shapes onto the wall or cut them out of wallpaper, this is a great way to infuse your room with color and interest (and a sense of whimsical fun) without having to completely overhaul the entire space.