Paintable Textured Wallpaper- How and Where to Use Them

 

 

 

 

I have had a love affair with paintable textured wallpaper for many years now.  For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s a thick wallpaper that you hang like wallpaper, paint on a coat of primer and then paint it in your desired color.  Paintable wallpaper comes in a variety of unique thick textures and patterns and once primed, you can give it virtually any paint treatment under the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paintable wallpaper is an excellent design solution for a small or narrow space and is a gorgeous technique to do on a ceilings.  I recently used paintable wallpaper in my small guest bathroom and I am thrilled with the end result:

 

 

 

 

{If you’re interested in any of the details/paint colors of my guest bath revamp, you can find the revamp post here.}

I used a flat chalky gray/blue paint on my paintable wallpaper, which gave the wall such a beautiful finish.  Now, the pattern in the paper really stands out, making this small space really pop when you walk in.  It turned out to be the perfect solution to have a unique and bold wall treatment to make this small space stand out, but still giving it an elegant and calming feel.

The paintable paper that I used is made by Architectural Inspirations and I purchased it online at American Blind and Wallpaper:

 

 

There are some absolutely gorgeous paintable papers on the market today.  Here are some of my favorites that I have found. Keep in mind that some of the papers are only displayed in white so you have to use your imagination in how they would look painted:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also find some unique textured papers that can give a look of wood:

 

 

or for a look of an smooth plastered wall with dandelion impression:

 

 

If you want a rustic plaster look without spending a fortune on the wall treatment, you may be interested in this plaster embossed paintable paper:

 

 

Lastly, there are so many beautiful paintable textured borders available as well.  Done in the right space with the right color, I think they are so beautiful and elegant:

 

 

 

 

There are so many unique ways to utilize these papers in a home. My favorite way is to see them used in small spaces such as a small powder room or on one accent wall:

 

 

If you have a narrow hallway somewhere in your home, textured paintable paper looks gorgeous used as wainscoting, covering the lower part of the hallway wall:

 

 

 

I also love to see these papers used on the ceiling, giving an old tin ceiling look:

 

 

So now that you have a taste of what kind of fabulous paintable papers are out there,  I wanted to talk about how easy these papers are to work with and how best to work with them.

If you decide to order a paintable wallpaper, be sure and follow the directions on the wallpaper website for measuring for wallpaper.  You can find great selections of these papers at American Blind and Wallpaper, Designer Wall Coverings, Graham and Brown and Design Your Wall. The prices can really vary. I have seen rolls as inexpensive as $10.00 per single roll all the way up to $50.00 per roll.

When I got ready to order the paper for my bathroom, I measured my bathroom twice. I was lucky that my paper only has a small square pattern repeated, so my repeat wasn’t too bad. Some of these textured patterns are large, so checking the repeat is really important. I ordered extra just to be sure.  Also, most of these paintable papers are already pre-pasted but there are a few that are not, so you’ll want to be sure and check for that as well.

I hung the wallpaper myself. It didn’t take me long at all. Because the paper is so much thicker than standard thin wallpaper, it was so much easier to work with it.  It was a breeze hanging it and pushing it around to line it up while it was on the wall. After the paper dried, I used an exacto knife to trim it.  The paper looks yellowish while it is still wet on the wall and as it dries, it will eventually turn back to white. It took about 12-18 hours to fully dry for me.

The directions on my paintable paper said that the paper may be primed.  Because I wanted a chalky flat look, I went ahead and primed it.  I did a small area where I did not prime, just to see what happens and it works fine but it gives the painted finish a little bit more of a sheen.  So if you’re going for a more glossy look, you may want to skip the prime. This was what my paper looked like after the paper dried and I primed it:

 

 

As far as paint finishes go, I personally think these papers look best when used with either a flat paint or a very soft egg shell finish.  Although, my paper instructions said that the texture will stand out more with a pearl or glossier paint application, I’m not sure I completely agree.

There was a time in the 1990′s where people used these papers a lot, painted them and then swiped over the top of the textured pattern with antiquing glaze or a pearl glaze. Maybe that’s what the wallpaper instruction people were trying to say.  Yes, that technique will definitely make the texture stand out more, but I personally think it’s a dated look to layer these papers with dark or metallic glazes, unless it’s more of a subtle layer. I could see maybe ever so lightly swiping the tops of the texture with almost dry brush of one, or two shades up of the base color.  However, if you have a contemporary home or space, using a higher gloss (without layers of glazes) on a contemporary textured pattern could be fabulous as well:

 

 

You don’t have to seal or finish the paint with anything.  I did have to do two heavy coats to cover and really get into every intricacy of my pattern.  I do have to say though that the chalky flat paint is really incredible. I know it’s not practical though.  My bathroom is a high traffic area and I bought a quart size of my paint and if something gets on the wall and I can’t get it off, I’ll just give a quick swipe to the area with paint.

Well friends, I didn’t mean to write a dissertation but I guess I did.  I hope that the information, sources and pictures will help you if you’re interested in trying out a fun new paintable wallpaper.  Yep, it takes some work, but it was worth it in the end for my little bathroom project.

If you are interested in seeing more pictures of some great paintable wallpaper, you can check out my Pinterest Board called “Wallpaper Love” here.  I will be adding more of these fun papers to the board as I hope to do a few more walls in my home in the next few months. By the way, if the wallpaper people are reading this, please, please, please figure out a way to make a thick embossed paintable wallpaper with the look of some of the decorative geographic wall molding treatments that are super hot right now like these looks:

 

 

 

You can look at my Pinterest “Molding” Board for more inspiration here if you too are obsessed with decorative molding like I am.

I have several projects that I have finished and will be posting later this week.  I hope you guys have a FABULOUS week as we close out February.  Spring is almost here!

Cheers!

Cyndy

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