Wall mural papers

[Tom d'Angler]

Avoid self-adhesive anything in decorating would be my tuppence.

I agree, for the same reasons.

I've noticed a fairly large increase in the number of PTW products over the last few years

I have wondered if wallpaper manufacturers are fed up with issuing refunds because DIY-ers are struggling to hang PTP papers properly. The hanging instructions are often printed in such a small font that I wonder if most people don't bother reading them and end up with problems. I have hung quite a few where I have followed the instructions to the letter, and had problems with edges curling, the printed layer delaminating, and the pattern match running out of true towards the bottom. I've never had any problems with PTW papers.

One customer provided me with pre-pasted wallpaper and I had to use his bath to soak it as I didn't have the required trough! Even though I followed the instructions, it was a nightmare and all the edges lifted curled when it dried. He paid me to go back and replace it all

as shears wouldn't cut the pulp...

A few years ago I hung some PTW on a feature wall. It was really thick and had a glittery textured pattern. Knife blades wouldn't cut through the texture and I blunted two pairs of shears on that one. My eyes kept going funny just looking at it and half the glitter came off as I hung it. She paid £130 per roll for it too.

But they were very manageable around complex or tricky areas, which these PTW affairs aren't.

Weirdly, I find the opposite as I feel like I can be really heavy-handed with the paper when I'm bending it around window reveals etc. and I have to be more careful with PTP as I find it's more likely to tear. Mind you, I will usually put some border and overlap adhesive on the reveal to make sure it holds.

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

They look like something that should be on show in the London Dungeon

[dynamod]

A few years ago I hung some PTW on a feature wall. It was really thick and had a glittery textured pattern. Knife blades wouldn't cut through the texture and I blunted two pairs of shears on that one.

I think I know the one. It's more like linoleum than wallpaper. That was one of those rare papers I used Beeline Red on. It was in a small bathroom and if I had any hair to tear out, I would have done so, happily.

Ready Pasted, like Novamura (the original PTW) is gone I suspect. I've not encountered any in years.

[dynamod]

I have wondered if wallpaper manufacturers are fed up with issuing refunds because DIY-ers are struggling to hang PTP papers properly.

I think PTW has its origins in DIY, but I stand to be corrected by any trade historians.

I find on flat open walls, and confined areas where physically putting up a paste table is an issue, they're ok. Some are really nice to put up as well, but I got a bit soured at them by an early attempt Dulux had. Some designs were ok, but others shrank, which sort of defeated the point of non-woven (which they clearly weren't, despite not being PTP)

Like most aspects of the decorating trade, more recent offerings are waaay better than what came out originally.

I still wish Arthouse would go into receivership though.......

[Grendel]

A few years ago I hung some PTW on a feature wall. It was really thick and had a glittery textured pattern. Knife blades wouldn't cut through the texture and I blunted two pairs of shears on that one.

I think I know the one. It's more like linoleum than wallpaper. That was one of those rare papers I used Beeline Red on. It was in a small bathroom and if I had any hair to tear out, I would have done so, happily.

Ready Pasted, like Novamura (the original PTW) is gone I suspect. I've not encountered any in years.

Novamura rings a bell. I seem to recall my parents making a pig's ear of papering with that stuff.

[Tom d'Angler]

I seem to recall my parents making a pig's ear of papering with that stuff.

My dad, an enthusiastic but unskilled DIYer hung patterned paper in our lounge once and the pattern across the join with the ceiling went down by about 15° as the drops progressed. My mum said he’d hung it incorrectly. My dad said the council buil the house at an angle! :

[Grendel]

My dad was the same. The paper was overlapped and I'm almost surprised he didn't nail it to the wall as mom said that was about his level. The walls got painted at some point and the cutting in was practically non existent with runs here and there too. But what really made me laugh when we cleared the house was that in the living room dad had painted around some of the furniture . We moved a side unit and were left looking at a "shadow" of darker paint on the wall. Terrible decorating but made us laugh...

[dynamod]

Novamura rings a bell. I seem to recall my parents making a pig's ear of papering with that stuff.

That's surprising to hear actually, as it went on very easily, BUT as it was soooo thin (and a flexible polystyrene as opposed to a paper) it was tricky to cut. Snap off blades weren't around as I recall, and we normally used razor blades to cut it. It hid its seams beautifully though, but was ultra fragile once on. A whole room could be stripped clean in 30 minutes as a result of that.

[Grendel]

It was more down to my parents decorating "skills" than any failing of the product itself...

[bourbon]

@grendel Your dad did his best, Bless him.

[dynamod]

My dad said the council built the house at an angle

Given some of the council houses I've seen, he may have been right.

Putting old 'tile on a roll', or anything with a stripe on those places was awful, as wonky ceilings and corners showed up those papers something rotten. All the plumb bobs and lasers in the world don't stop the room itself being off.

[Grendel]

My dad said the council built the house at an angle

Given some of the council houses I've seen, he may have been right.

In my parents defence theirs too was a 1950's built council house which we still have and going round it with a spirit level is an interesting experience. Still has a lot of original features too like warped doors...