Wallpaper can give any room almost instant appeal. It is a little fancier than paint ,and with proper care, it can last a good long time.
Wallpaper sometimes has a reputation of being expensive. This isn’t because it is unusually expensive itself (just like paint, prices and quality can very), but because there can be a lot of waste involved. Reducing that waste will save you money, no matter which brand of paper you use. If you have fallen in love with a particularly expensive wallpaper then the waste issue becomes an even bigger issue when planning your room budget.
Here are some tips on how to reduce that wallpaper waste for a frugal project.
Wallpaper that has little or no discernible pattern will require less paper and generate less waste. This is because patterns need to match up at the seams and at the ceiling. Without a pattern, the strips of paper can be applied one after another, and just trimmed to the height of your walls.
If you do want a pattern in your wallpaper, choose one that has a small repeating pattern rather than one that has a large pattern. With a small repeating pattern, there are more opportunities to match the pattern.
Another tip on patterns: a pattern that matches horizontally will generate less waste than a pattern that either drops or alternates it pattern (different colored stripes, for example, that change every other column).
Wallpaper is sold in single, double or triple rolls, but that doesn’t mean that the triple rolls offer triple the coverage. Read the labels carefully to make sure you have the correct coverage.
And finally, save any leftover wallpaper, covering it carefully with plastic wrap to keep it clean. You may need to to patch the walls at a later date.
Mary Ann Romans also writes for the Computing Blog here at Families.com where she shares everything from the latest news on technology to cool downloads and fun websites.
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