If you’re a homeowner, then you may be looking for something newbeyond paint and wallpaper.
A great alternative might be to place removablefabricon your walls instead of paint.
Decorating with fabric on walls is quite similar to the process of hanging wallpaper.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
If you have worked with wallpaper, you’ll have no trouble with this project.
Before You Begin
The first step in this project is to find appropriate fabric.
Check fabric warehouses and bargain bins for lightweight and inexpensive fabrics.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
It’s always better to have too much cloth than not enough.
Let the fabric dry completely.
Precise trimming will happen after you hang the fabric.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Working with a helper makes this work much easier.
Prewash the fabric again, then cut off the selvage edges (the fringe) with scissors.
Prepare the Wall
Wash the wall down and dry it before you begin.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Remove cover plates from outlets and wall switches.
Cover the floor with drop cloths, as rolling starch onto walls can be a messy operation.
Apply the Starch
you might use liquidstarchto attach the fabric to the wall.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Use a plastic container with a lid to hold your liquid starch.
It can then be stored away if you are interrupted.
ensure to cover all wall surfaces completely.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Around open light switches and outlet boxes, be careful not to slop starch onto the fixtures.
Hang the Fabric
Hanging the fabric takes patience, but it is not difficult.
The fabric should overlap the side corner and the baseboard and ceiling by 1 to 2 inches.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
At the seams, overlap the fabric strips by about 1/2 inch.
If necessary, use thumbtacks to secure the strips of fabric at the top.
Use a wallpaper smoothing tool to flatten the fabric against the wall.
Roll more starch over the fabric and let it dry.
Use care when trimming around outlet and switch boxes, to avoid touching wires with the knife blade.
The fabric should come right off in complete strips.
For a removable method, hangdecorative fabricon your walls using liquid starch.
Opt for stronger wall adhesives like fabric glue or attach the fabric with hardware for a more permanent solution.
