Owens Corning

Wallpaper Offers Great Decorating Variety

Wonderful  WallcoveringWallpaper truly creates a style and mood in a room, serving as the backbone in your home's decorating scheme. The largest surface area in any home, walls deserve the attention they demand. Why not spruce them up with wallpaper, an easy and relatively inexpensive way to transform walls into something spectacular.

You'll spend a lot of time looking through wallpaper books before you're able to make a decision. The variety of styles, colors, patterns, textures and prices will all have to be considered as well. Because of the wide variety, let's dissect some of range of products available.

Wallpaper is either machine printed or hand printed.

MACHINE.
A machine-printed wallpaper will typically be less expensive because it is mass-produced. Machine-printed wallpapers are generally printed in one of four processes - rotogravure, surface, flexographic or rotary-screen printing.

HAND.
Two types of hand-printed wallpapers exist - hand-block and silk-screened. Hand-blocked wallpaper is rarely used today because it's time-consuming and expensive. A wooden block creates a pattern. Silk-screened wallpaper is elaborate, more like a work of art. It's a complicated and expensive process.

Having detailed wallpaper-printing procedures, let's learn more about wallpaper material and its purpose.

VINYL.
Vinyl wallpaper is the most versatile and durable. It's best suited in kitchens and bathrooms. It comes in a great variety and a broad price range. It's also considered the easiest to hang for do-it-yourselfers. Vinyl wallpaper comes in 3 varieties: a vinyl sheet laminated to a paper back, a vinyl sheet laminated to a cloth back, and a vinyl-impregnated cloth with a paper back.

PAPER.
Paper wallpaper is more delicate and better-suited in living rooms, dining rooms, or other low-maintenance areas.

EMBOSSED.
An embossed wall covering is a heavyweight, decorative paper that can be painted on after application. Embossed paper is usually applied to a ceiling. Embossed wallpaper is formal, elegant and appropriate for a formal bedroom.

FLOCKED.
Flocked wallpaper is washable, made from rayon and nylon. Contains patterns cut in velvet pile. More traditional in style, flocked wallpaper adds warmth to a formal living room. It is also good for hiding an imperfect wall. It's not used frequently today, but is appropriate for period homes.

FOIL.
Foil wallpaper tends to show every imperfection, so be careful where you hang it. Foil comes in 2 types: aluminum laminated to paper and simulated metallic. Foils work well in bathrooms, kitchens and in dark areas.

GRASSCLOTH.
Long, natural grass imported specifically for wallpaper. A natural look, the color can vary slightly. The seams are harder to conceal. Grasscloth looks warm and inviting in living rooms.

LINING.
A plain wallpaper, lining is applied to a scarred wall to hide imperfections. Used before painting or wallpapering a difficult wall.

Written by the editors of HouseNet

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