Wall mural papers

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:52 pm

Couple I'm working for are always full of ideas and today they were looking at wall murals.
This is the sort of thing ( and one they showed me)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wallpaper-400x ... to_dp&th=1
I'm not a newcomer to wallpapering but I've never done one of these. Anyone on here hung this sort of thing and any advice or anything to be aware of would be helpful.
Thanks.

bourbon · Post by **bourbon** » Mon Jan 09, 2023 9:44 pm

bloke who did mom's room before Julie came to live with me, tried to persuade me to have one as a feature wall. after he got the paste all over the paper that we had chosen for the sliver colour in it, that he then had to repaint. I would say, Make sure the paste is kept away from the front.

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:40 am

Murals need careful setting out to look right, but often they are printed to the dimensions of the location they are being installed to Essentialy custom printed. Hanging errors are not an option with these installations.

Cheap ones can be a real sore head, depending on whether the seams are butted or spliced, as not all murals are the same in this respect. The instructions will tell you which type you have.

Also, check the instructions for the correct paste, as you may need to use a wheat-based adhesive if some of the dyes aren't colourfast. Beeline green top is normally fine, but if your mural specifies a particular adhesive type, go with it.

I'm not a fan of mural hanging if I'm honest, as I find the variable quality a bit frustrating. Good quality ones won't cause too many issues, but lower end ones are best avoided IMHO.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 8:52 pm

Thanks . If it's not a daft question would you rate the one in the link as a cheap one? It mentions pasting the wall but doesn't mention specfic paste unless I've missed it. Also it refers to them as 3D but is there actually any sort of 3D effect as I can't really see it as such. Is cross lining needed on less than perfect walls ?

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:30 pm

It's not expensive by any means, but there's a paradox with wallpaper, that sometimes, and I do stress sometimes, cheap papers (and murals too) will work fine. The problem for the hanger is that until you start the job, there's no way of knowing.

Not the answer you were hoping for I imagine, but wallpaper is a minefield at times.

As it's a paste the wall affair, it's not going to stretch or shrink, so you have that in your favour. I suspect it will be ok, as most of the adverse isues cheap paper experiences come from them turning to mush and/or bridging into a tube after pasting. If it doesn't specify a particular adhesive, I would definitely use a ready-mix tub paste. It'll make seam work far tidier.

The usual basics of keep it plumb, keep it clean and don't overwork seams always apply.

EDIT - The 3D thing sounds like marketing BS

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:36 pm

Missed your last question. Oops.

Some murals recommended no liner, or Gardz over liner (an oddity which flies in the face of the reasons for lining) but these are typically commercial situations where frequent redecoration may be required.

A sealed liner acts as a semi permanent base and saves time and money when redec happens. It's not standard practice.

Personally I would line.

Tom d'Angler · Post by **Tom d'Angler** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:59 pm

Grendel wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:52 pm Anyone on here hung this sort of thing and any advice or anything

Over the years I have occasionally been asked to hang murals and I always avoided it by telling the customer that I don't have any experience so it would be better for them if they found someone more qualified... until a couple of years ago when I tried that with an existing customer and she asked me to have a go anyway as she wouldn't hold me responsible if it didn't go well (and I had that in writing via email).

Like the one in the link you posted, it was printed onto normal width individual drops and it was paste-the-wall. The drops were individually numbered (right to left, as it said on the instructions), they were pre-cut, and they were rolled together into a carboard tube. All I had to do was unroll them from the tube, roll them back up individually, and space them out on the floor to make sure I got the middle one centred on the wall (as there are no spare drops, I didn't want to run out left or right, and I wanted the picture centred of course), and then I started hanging. It was very easy to do. The paper (it felt quite plasticky) was very strong and didn't stretch and the pattern matched perfectly all the way down the drop. I used Wickes ready-mixed paste. There was only about 3 inches overhang at each end so it was important to make sure the middle piece was centred as there wasn't much room for error if I had been out of centre on the first drop. When finished, it looked terrific (and still does as I've been back since).

Would I do it again? I would avoid it if possible and only agree if I had a waiver in writing from the customer after explaining to them the large quality variation from one manufacturer to another.

I have heard there are murals that need every drop to be overlapped with its adjacent drop and then you splice down the overlap but I would definitely avoid those as one slip of the knife and it's buggered.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 6:22 pm

I did pop round briefly today and they seem keen to go ahead at least after some other work has been done and they were looking at a "higher end' paper rather than a cheaper on. I'll mention the overlapping issue which seems to be a nightmare if I'm honest. Thanks again.

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:11 pm

Tom d'Angler wrote: ↑Mon Jan 09, 2023 6:52 pm I have heard there are murals that need every drop to be overlapped with its adjacent drop and then you splice down the overlap but I would definitely avoid those as one slip of the knife and it's buggered.

If it's a vinyl mural, you could use a Muraspec shoe cutter, though strictly speaking they're for fabric backed wall coverings, so care is still needed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=erf7EN9xO ... e=youtu.be

Good splicing is an artform and takes real skill to do effectively, but with uber sharp blades and a steel straight edge it's not too hard. Slicing through the liner beneath is what really needs to be avoided, as you're essentially creating a double layer seam, and thus a weakness in the installation. Hence the joint cutter.

Splicing cheap paper isn't clever, and the blade needs changed for every drop or something gets mangled or torn.

It's not brain surgery, but it does need a confident, delicate touch.

Tom d'Angler · Post by **Tom d'Angler** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 2:12 pm

dynamod wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:11 pm Good splicing is an artform

I'm confident in splicing lining paper and "normal" wallpaper but doing that to you've-got-one-shot murals gives me the heebie-jeebies.

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:17 pm

These 'no mistakes' papers aren't a lot of fun. Paperhanging, for the most part, is a pretty relaxing way to make a living, but I've quite literally been sweating on certain jobs over the years.

Reverse roller papers, some grasscloth and anything by Arthouse I get a bit twitchy over.

Tom d'Angler · Post by **Tom d'Angler** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 6:36 pm

dynamod wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 5:17 pm These 'no mistakes' papers aren't a lot of fun. Paperhanging, for the most part, is a pretty relaxing way to make a living, but I've quite literally been sweating on certain jobs over the years.

I find that I get anxious at the thought of hanging wallpaper if it’s paste-the-paper but not if it’s paste-the-wall. Despite my trepidation, It always turns out okay. When papering, I’m very grateful that Mrs d’A is with me as she stays calm when I’m starting to get frustrated. I always try to do the most difficult wall first (for me, that’s usually the window wall or the long drop if it’s a stairwell) so it’s out of the way when I’m at my freshest. After that, all the other walls seem easy.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:13 pm

Thanks again to you both. I went around to the customers again today to look at something else but of course the conversation turned to the wall mural. The original one they liked upon closer inspection was a window sized affair rather than a full wall. They had seen was is in effect an open window design as open french doors. However , they looked at others which are much more adaptable to the size of the wall. Some of the murals come with an adhesive and are paste the wall. There are some that are self adhesive but to be honest neither of us thought that sounded like a good or easy idea . There seems to be several qualities and they were looking at the "premium" papers which work out at around £ 35 m2. I mentioned I'd been asking and had got replies from a couple of professional decorators and they did ask if either would be interested in the job or at least till I informed them that it might be a bit far to travel. They also understood the comment about the waiver.

Grendel · Post by **Grendel** » Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:16 pm

Tom d'Angler wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 2:12 pm
dynamod wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:11 pm Good splicing is an artform
I'm confident in splicing lining paper and "normal" wallpaper but doing that to you've-got-one-shot murals gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I'm not a professional decorator but can hang paper and have spliced or repaired patterned paper but this mural gives me the frights too.

dynamod · Post by **dynamod** » Fri Jan 13, 2023 8:14 am

Grendel wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:13 pm There are some that are self-adhesive, but to be honest neither of us thought that sounded like a good or easy idea

Avoid self-adhesive anything in decorating would be my tuppence. We used to instal self-adhesive borders when they were in fashion, and they were a royal PITA. You get one shot at getting them right, and removing them (assuming they even moved) the surface they were being put on was typically damaged. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should look to, or be expected to hit the mark every time.

Tom d'Angler wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 6:36 pm I find that I get anxious at the thought of hanging wallpaper if it’s paste-the-paper but not if it’s paste-the-wall.

I'm the opposite, funnily enough.

I've noticed a fairly large increase in the number of PTW products over the last few years, and in fairness, most of them are pretty decent, but it still feels an entirely unnatural way of working. That said, some (a lot, actually) of the 'papers' we had to hang back in the bad old days went so soft once they were pasted, you needed a trim wheel to do top and bottom, as shears wouldn't cut the pulp...and they stretched...and they shrunk...and dyes would bleed. Happy days. But they were very manageable around complex or tricky areas, which these PTW affairs aren't.

I have a set of these fossils in the workshop somewhere, and those serrated wheels were what a lot of old papers had to be cut with

Good Old Days, my backside