Brush Up on Paintable Wallpaper for a Posh Look
Customize your wall treatments the affordable way, with richly textured wallpaper painted any color you like
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating... More »
| Share: |
|
The thought of painting wallpaper makes most people's hair stand on end (including mine — my husband and I are still undoing the handiwork of a previous homeowner who was particularly enthusiastic with the paintbrush). But there's one lovely exception: paintable wallpaper, which features a textured surface in white or cream that's just waiting for you to cloak it in color after it's hung.
Lincrusta, the granddaddy of these papers, was invented in the late 19th century and is still around today. Made from linseed oil paste and pressed with an embossed roller to create a pattern, it became a popular way to give walls a layer of textural interest that was more affordable and durable than materials such as plaster or stamped metal. Its cousin, Anaglypta, which is made primarily from wood pulp, arose during the same era.
Today, paintable wallpapers come in a greater-than-ever variety of motifs, from Victorian to contemporary. For many homeowners they represent the ideal marriage of pattern and palette — instead of hunting for a paper that checks your style and color boxes, just paint your own.
What do you think about paintable wallpaper? Have you used it in your home? Share details in the Comments!
Lincrusta, the granddaddy of these papers, was invented in the late 19th century and is still around today. Made from linseed oil paste and pressed with an embossed roller to create a pattern, it became a popular way to give walls a layer of textural interest that was more affordable and durable than materials such as plaster or stamped metal. Its cousin, Anaglypta, which is made primarily from wood pulp, arose during the same era.
Today, paintable wallpapers come in a greater-than-ever variety of motifs, from Victorian to contemporary. For many homeowners they represent the ideal marriage of pattern and palette — instead of hunting for a paper that checks your style and color boxes, just paint your own.
What do you think about paintable wallpaper? Have you used it in your home? Share details in the Comments!
This ornate Lincrusta wall covering adds period panache to a vintage home. Embossed papers lend themselves especially well to decorative painting techniques, which accent the detailing in the relief.
| |
| Textured paper painted deep turquoise adds a double pop to this living space. Paintable papers can be a great tactic for masking a less-than-perfect wall surface, which paint alone might throw into glaring relief. |
Longing for the look of an old-fashioned pressed-tin ceiling? Try wallpaper instead. You could give it a metallic paint finish or even cover it in silver leaf, but pale, matte colors let the pattern shine through at its best.
There's no reason you have to paint textured wallpaper if you like the way it looks in plain white. Circles add a bubbly midcentury modern feeling to this space and play off the round chair forms and flower balls.
| |
| Paintable paper makes a refreshing change to traditional wainscoting, and the feminine air of this pattern contrasts beautifully with the rustic notes of the space. |
| |
| This Anaglypta wainscoting wears a rich bronze that stays quietly in the background yet gives the room depth and dimension. Bands of contrasting trim help to set it off. |
Torn between painting your wallpaper and leaving it in its simpler state? Split the difference. Adding color to an accent wall creates two looks in one.
Houzz Guides: More inventive ideas for wall coverings
Houzz Guides: More inventive ideas for wall coverings
Ideabook updated on Feb. 6, 2013.
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Find Local Pros by Category:
Architects & Designers · Interior Designers & Decorators · General Contractors · Home Media Design & Installation · Landscape Architects & Designers · Kitchen & Bath Designers · Design-build Firms · Closet & Home Storage Designers · Carpet and Flooring · Fireplaces · Tile, Stone & Countertops · Specialty Contractors · Landscape Contractors
Find Local Pros by Metro Area:
Atlanta · Austin · Baltimore · Boston · Chicago · Dallas · Dc Metro · Denver · Detroit · Hawaii · Houston · Las Vegas · Los Angeles · Miami · Minneapolis · Nashville · New Orleans · New York · Philadelphia · Phoenix · Portland · Salt Lake City · San Diego · San Francisco · Seattle · St Louis
As others have suggested, I used it in two places where the old sheetrock had been damaged.
Popcorn ceiling, doubtful, sorry! The problem is the popcorn comes off with water and since the wallpaper will be wet when you apply it you'll probably end up with quite a mess on your hands.
However, the earlier popcorn may have asbestos in it so you might want to check that.
The paper was easy to work with, just like any paper you apply paste to. Also, no problem to cut.
w
Gina Fitzsimmons ASID, Annapolis, Md.
I love the ideas here. I have old cheap paneling in another room and I don't want to paint it a flat solid color because I like the texture from the wood. I considered glazing over paint but that sounds like a lot of work so I'm now thinking of using this paper. I was afraid the grooves would show through.
Thanks!
Can you paint it before you put it up and then perhaps touch up the areas that smudged? I'm thinking of antiquing it and then painting a thin line of silver on it, to get similar results. Otherwise for using this on a ceiling, I'm thinking it might be best to hire Michelangelo!
btw, am so NOT going for the tin look!
Any ideas? :)
Love this idea. Didn't know it existed. I looked up Lincrusta, the product is sold in NY & MA but no installers in my city. Is it true that a specially trained person needs to install wallpaper that can be painted? I have no idea if this is extremely expensive to do walls in a room but just beautiful, Is it difficult to take down years later without damaging walls? Thanks for this article, love learning new things.