Back when paneled walls were all the rage many homes were built and loaded with wood paneling. It might have looked great way back then, but now, your walls might need make overs. How do you make over paneling? Paint? Of course not! Use fabric to cover those boring walls and youll instantly create a look of luxury.
It doesnt cost a lot of money to cover a wall in fabric. Check fabric outlet stores for great deals on cloth but choose your selection carefully. Fabrics that stretch are not good choices. Thick cloth, like denim or corduroy, should also be avoided. Although lightweight cloth will work best on your paneled walls cloth that easily unravels is not a good choice. Likewise, if you are covering walls painted with a dark color you could have trouble concealing the paint with light colored cloth.
Pre-shrink any cloth selection before applying it to the walls. Prepare the walls by first covering any grooves in the paneling. Masking tape works well but you can also take the time and trouble to fill the grooves in with putty. When the grooves are filled or covered its time to hang the fabric. Carefully cut the cloth for the chosen wall. Cut around windows, doorways and light switches. After you are certain that the cloth is cut to exactly fit the wall its time to prepare the "glue". You wont really use glue to hang the fabric. Instead, dip the fabric in liquid starch then place it on the wall. Youll likely need an assistant to hang the fabric. Slightly squeeze out the excess fluid then position the cloth at the top of the wall. Dont wring the cloth since its necessary to have a lot of starch on the fabric for it to stick to the wall. Use a straight edge, like a ruler or even a credit card, to smooth the wrinkles out of the fabric. Its a good idea to put towels on the floor while youre hanging the fabric. The starch tends to drip and the towels will absorb it. Wipe baseboards dry as you move along with the project to keep the starch from drying on them. Its much easier to dry the baseboards throughout the project, than to wait until it dries, and try to scrub it off the wood. The starch should be prepared according to the package instructions or you can purchase liquid starch thats ready to go. Fabric doesnt have to soak in the starch; just dip it and hang it. The starch causes the fabric to cling to the wall. Fabric will dry quicker if you place fans in the room or turn on the heat. The cloth can hang for years on the walls. You can wipe away smudges or cobwebs with a damp cloth. When youre ready to change the fabric, or launder it, simply peel it off the wall. When youre ready, go to the corner of the fabric and pick at it with your nail or an implement. When the cloth pulls away from the corner just grab hold of it and peel it off the wall. You can now launder it and re-hang it the way you did originally. This time, however, the cloth is already cut to size. You can find inexpensive cloth at retailers that sell sewing supplies but most of these fabrics will be 36" to 45" wide. Find an outlet or an upholstery shop, from which to purchase cloth, and youll find widths of 54" and wider. The wider fabrics will make it easier to cover large walls. Keep in mind that upholstery fabric can often be heavier than ordinary cloths, and can be more expensive as well. Check discount fabrics for flaws before purchasing. Outlets can sometimes sell fabrics which have been woven wrong or have obvious flaws in the cloth. Patterned fabrics are fine but can often require extra yardage to align the patterns on the walls. Measure the length and width of the intended walls before purchasing fabric. Check the width of the fabrics youre browsing to make sure you have enough to cover the wall. Youll enjoy the finished creation which can change the entire look of the room with just one upholstered wall.
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