Covering Your Walls With Fabric

Does anyone know how to use liquid starch to cover your walls with fabric? We live in a mobile home.

Annmel from Mountain Home, AR

Answers:

Covering Your Walls With Fabric

I have done this. I live in a home that was built in 1909 so not the best of walls. I used spray adhesive. I did this in small areas at a time. I would spray the wall and then the material, let sit for just a few minutes (til tacky) and than applied. I live in South Dakota, hot summers and bitterly cold winters.

I have not had any of it come loose or bubble like people told me it would. I get many compliments on my walls. They don't believe me that its material until the go and touch it. Cleans well also, just vacuum. Hope this give you the confidence to try it. (06/22/2006)

Covering Your Walls With Fabric

I have done this many times, works on any walls, ceilings, and paneling. Just get a tub or good size bucket and put liquid starch into it, dip the cloth, (cotton is best, you can use sheets too, but not knits or polyester etc.). Wring out as much of the starch as you can into the bucket and put on wall smoothing it out as you go. When you get to the next piece just overlap a bit and put that piece up, too. Continue till the job is done. I use a wallpaper smoothy, they're 1.00 or 2.00 at a paint store.

If the fabric peels away due to kids picking at it or something just re-wet it with starch and smooth it back on the wall. It might look funny while it's wet, but if you couldn't see through it dry, you won't see through it when it dries again. When you want to change the decor just pull the material off throw it in the wash and use it for somethin. It's easy. (06/23/2006)

By Janet

Covering Your Walls With Fabric

Janet above have given you most of what I would have told you. Make sure you clean your walls well before applying fabric. I did two bathrooms to start out with, one in large pastel flowers, the other in Jungle print. The Jungle print was in a main bathroom that company used. Anyone who went into it, came out raving about all the colorful birds and small tree toads. I did both rooms at a reasonable price. Had them up for over ten years. Just pulled them off.

I still have the material. I did a old trailer for a income challenged friend that couldn't have paid for expensive wall treatment for her badly water damaged walls. She couldn't believe the changes. No damage showed through the fabric we used. Made she very happy. Hope you try this method. Go wild, you can always pull off and do again. Have fun, wish I was there to help. Sincerely. Judith W. 6/30/2006)

By Judith W.