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Show Spring Home Improvement 2 - March 2000 Getting the hang of wallpapering For hundreds of years, wallpaper has gladdened the hearts of homeowners. Not only does it cover up cracks and other wall imperfections better than paint, but it brings texture and richness to a room while giving it a polished and finished look. Wallpaper's variety is almost endless. It comes gilded, embossed, flocked, boldly textured, shiny or flat. It can resemble silk or velvet, coordinate with linens or drapes, serve as a border or frame or even transform a wall into a mural. floor-to-ceilin- g Properly hung, it has been known to last for generations. "But you'll want to replace it before that, just for a change," said Debra Fedasiuk, spokeswoman for Win. Zinsser & Co., a manu- 150-year-o- facturer of wail surface prep materials. Why then, with all of wallpaper's virtues, do otherwise confident people have niggling doubts as to their ability to hang it? Why does the wallpapering scene from Love Lucy" come to mind? I Wallpapering can be a messy and frustrating project, admits Fedasiuk. But a broad, inventory of new products and a handful of basic guidelines have made wallpapering easier than it's ever been, making it a consid- eration for even the most timid wallpapering project is pretty straightforward. You need to strip off existing wallpaper, primer the walls and hang the paper, according to Fedasiuk. A -- Follow the experts' guidelines to the letter and you, too, can create a dramatic decorat- - Our home EQUILINE is the pick of the crop! It. ing statement. STRIPPING The biggest mistake make is in the way they remove old wallpaper. ass, d Interest rate as low as prime rate 100 Wallpaper brightens almost any room. It takes a bit of work , but the results are worth financing No closing costs We pay it all for you No appraisal We use your tax notice Close within 10 days "Zinsser did research and determined people don't look at the products out there," Fedasiuk said. "They go for folklore solutions, like vinegar and water, which creates a runny, smelly mess." It doesn't work well either, "and they damage the wail by gouging it in an attempt to get the paper off." Do your research, she said. There's a new gel stripper, for example, that makes removal much easier and less messy. If you use a good product, the old wallpaper will come down like a banana peel." PRIMERING Wallpaper needs to be hung over a sound, stable sur- face that's ready to accept the adhesive. It will not adhere properly to glossy painted walls or porous surfaces. Poorly adhering paint can also cause trouble. To promote bonding, prepare the wails with a universal wall covering primer, said Fedasiuk. There are several primers on the market that only require one coat applied with a brush or roller. An Important tip: tint the primer to match the background of the wallpaper, especially if its a strong color like navy blue, bright yellow or red. Then, if there is an area continued on page 2000 Home Improvement Published by the Sun Advocate Kevin Ashby & Emery County Progress Publisher Sue Mosher Lynnette Lessar Shirley Stubbs Loretta Trejo Jenni Fasselin 435 637-096- 4 Utah Central Credit Union J Director Sales Sales Sales Sales www.utahcentral.com Membership ebgWUty required. Available OAC. Production Christa Kaminski Kelly Wilkinson Layout Ad Design San Advocate 845 East Main, Price, Utah 84501 Fax 2 www.sunad.com 17 |