How to Apply Textured Wallpaper to a Dining Area
Sharing how I used the textured wallpaper called Anaglypta to cover a damaged wall in my kitchen dining area.
With the cooking side of the kitchen makeover complete, it was time to finally come to a decision on how to cover the rough and damaged wall surface in the dining area that was covered in painted wallpaper that was so old and dry it was cracking.
It has looked like this since the day we moved into the house a year and a half ago when I ripped off 2 pieces of the painted over wallpaper to see what was under it and found nothing good.
Here is a photo that shows the other section of wallpaper I ripped off. I knew I could not just paint the wall, it was going to need stripping and then something that would hide the uneven surface. I wanted to think on it and just let it be until I figured out what I wanted to do with the wall.
If I had a big budget and skills, we could have ripped out the sheetrock and replaced it, but that was not going to happen. I thought of board and batten and other wood treatments like shiplap, but I felt they may be too much for the small space. I am going after an open, clean and easy breezy feel.
The old wallpaper came off easily, getting all the old-fashioned wheat paste off took effort though.
What Is Anaglypta Wallpaper?
Anaglypta wallpaper is a paintable embossed wallpaper that has a permanent raised design. It is made from paper or vinyl. It is always white so that you can paint or stain it any color you want. The designs run from florals to geometric and many other classic patterns.
The thickness of the paper and raised design is what make it a good choice when you need to hide wall imperfections.
After many months, I finally decided to go with an understated pattern of Anaglypta that I found online at Home Depot and Wayfair. I did a search for inexpensive grass cloth and it came up.
It is called Brooke Paintable Anaglypta and when it arrived it was exactly what I was looking for. I needed a little more than one roll, so I bought two rolls. I have leftover so you may be seeing me use it somewhere else in the house. :-)
A paint and glaze mix look especially nice where the color lays in the recessed areas bringing out the texture in the design.
When using white in a space, having different sheen’s and textures of the color adds interest. I like the mix… seeing the high shine of the painted Carrara marble countertop against the matte texture of the wallpaper and the semi-gloss sheen on the window trim.
The wallpaper can be painted once. I figured if I want to add color in the future, I can paint it then.
So goodbye off-white cracking wallpaper and hello bright and white.
Wallpapering Tips When Hanging Textured Wallpaper or Anaglypta
The process to hang textured wallpaper is mostly the same as hanging regular vinyl wallpaper except for a few important differences. Knowing these before starting will ensure you have Anaglypta textured wallpaper hanging success.
- The paper is not pre-pasted. You will need to lay out each sheet after you cut it to size and brush on wallpaper adhesive that is made for hanging thick papers. I placed a long piece of plywood on my kitchen table to do this.
- You also need to brush the wallpaper adhesive on the walls before hanging.
- You need to “book the paper” by folding the length onto itself so adhesive sides are together for at least 10 minutes. Be patient.
- When smoothing the paper out with a wallpaper brush to get rid of air bubbles and creases, you have to be gentle or you will flatten the raised texture in the paper.
- Remove excess paste on the surface of the wallpaper with a damp sponge right after you hang each piece.
- Use a long straight edge and super sharp craft knife blade to trim excess paper. I waited to trim when the paper was dry. Change the knife blade frequently. A dull blade will shred the edge of the paper.
Have to ever hung textured wall coverings? Any tips to add?
Now that this project is done, the first floor of my house has been updated with lots of white paint and DIY’ed to fit my style.
In this space I painted the ceiling fan without removing it, painted the brown trim white and made white drapes for the sliding glass doors.
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