Hi Everyone,
No, I’m not exaggerating. I will try to be succinct because I’ve already spent umpteen hours on the entry wall covering.
First,, it took me many months to decide what I wanted to do. I loved the printed tapestries at Romantic English. I found one and tweaked the colors.
This was going to be beautiful.
From the beginning, I knew the secret to putting up the canvas fabric onto the walls was to have the fabric paper-backed.
David, the owner of Romantic English has been incredibly obliging and although the artwork in the living room has had issues with the coloration and print, he got the entry just right. Incidentally, he’s no longer doing custom work. It’s not because of me. He told me before he had started that he was no longer doing it.a
Still, there was a do-over involved. Both of us made mistakes, but David insisted on making the entry wall covering panels over for me.
I would’ve saved myself a lot of time and trouble had I called Custom Laminations first. I tried, but getting through to them is difficult.
Hot Tip: Dial through until you get a prompt for the operator. Emailing would probably have worked too.
Anyway, I figured they would figure it out.
It took me a few weeks to send off the fabric. I read on the Custom Laminations website that the fabric had to be sent on a roll. So, I ordered the thinnest and lightest 2″ x 48″ roll from Amazon.
,
It took me a while because I wasn’t satisfied with how badly I had rolled the fabric on, even though it took me two hours to do so. I never did re-roll it, and finally went over to the Copley Square FedEx office. Unfortunately, a sorely uniformed agent waited on me. I can forgive uninformed, however, this dude was arrogant AF and tried to sell me a box that was 60″ x 30″ for my 7″diameter by 48″ roll of fabric. The price was nearly $300.00!
What???
I should’ve realized when I walked up to the desk and he looked at the 48″ roll of fabric like it was a bomb or something.
Oh, I did walk in two weeks earlier to inquire if they could ship a roll of fabric for me and what they needed. A different guy said, “Just bring it in and we’ll take care of it.”
In addition, I checked the Fed-Ex website and knew they had a box, the right size, however, Arrogant Agent (AA) patently refused to check and insisted that the triangular box I saw was only 24″. However, at that moment, God stepped in to give me a hand because only about 18 feet away, I saw the same box I had seen on the website get picked up. As the box was moving through the store, I asked AA:
“What about that one? I can see that it’s at least 48 inches long.”
He said, “No, it’s not.”
Don’t argue with me, you little twirp!
I said, “I’m 99% sure the fabric will fit in that box.”
Well, that box isn’t four feet, argued AA, now acting super-annoyed.
We don’t have a box that long. Our longest triangular box is 24″ he reiterated.
I think you guys can see where this is going.
Please check on that, I asked as nicely as I could.
He excused himself and returned a couple of minutes later with the box that I said would be perfect.
See? I told you it would work I smiled trying not to look [too] smug.
No response whatsoever.
Oh dear, I guess I inadvertently bwoozed his wittoo ego.
He didn’t even look up from his screen and brusquely continued typing.
Knowing full-well that he had no intention of apologizing, I asked him anyway.
Under his breath, still fixated on his screen, he said, “sorry.”
Wouldn’t you be annoyed?
I’m phenomenally tired of rude people, so I asked him, “Is that the best you can do?
Now, he looked up and gave me an exasperated look as if to say, “how dare you walk in here with a roll of fabric and expect ME to know that we have a box for it.”
Good grief!
Look, I apologize too much. I mean, I’m the woman who kept apologizing to everyone while I was in excruciating labor with Cale.
Like, “I’m sorry y’all have to stand here watching a woman who has a wild ravenous cat inside her tummy trying to claw his way out.”
Run, Little Bro, Run!!!
BTW, this gif below is exactly what it’s like when you’re over a week past your due date.
I’m sure some of you can relate.
Of course, I asked to speak with the manager.
This time he shot out of there lickety split,, and she appeared a minute later.
I didn’t say much, but she got some other helpers and couldn’t have been nicer and she apologized profusely. Of course she did because dude didn’t handle that one so well. In addition, she didn’t charge me for the box.
What should’ve been at most a ten-minute stop took 40 minutes.
A week later, I got an email from Custom Laminations with the headline:
Fabric needs to be returned.
What?
They don’t do panels.
I didn’t ask why, I just said, okay. My bad. I should’ve tried harder to make contact. However, I read all of the instructions very carefully and it said nothing about not being able to do panels.
So, today, I received the roll of fabric. Since they are professionals, they wrapped it tightly in heavy plastic.
Below, a bit bedraggled and in my kitchen is what nearly $300 down the drain looks like.
Please forgive me for the long-winded story. It’s necessary so you can get an inkling of what this process has been like.
Okay, so now what?
Well, I could start over, but:
1. I really like this tapestry
Oh, I forgot to tell you one thing.
In order to get the fabric to be no more than 60″ wide, I had to take apart a seam about 18″ from the bottom of the big central panel.
Unfortunately, I did a terrible job, which might cause some problems.
However, is there another way to attach the fabric to the wall?
I bet some of you already know the answer.
YES, there is!
And that is with liquid starch. Yes, like the stuff my mom used decades ago to press my dad’s shirts. I guess some folks still use it.
I have found a number of tutorials that explain how apply fabric to the wall with liquid starch. Some are more complex than others.
The one above is one of the best. I wish he had shown how he cut around that open arch. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
The thing is, I don’t know if there’s a paper hanger who will do this unorthodox type of installation. It does involve wetting the front of the fabric.
Is the dye color-fast?
Not 100%, but I’m not washing it. If dunked quickly in water, no dye leaches out. Plus, Rit makes a product that is supposed to hold the colors in. I think it’ll be okay,, though. The starch only gets brushed on.
Supposedly, this is a much easier installation than regular wallpaper. I believe that’s because there’s some time to reposition the fabric, if necessary.
If it were only the two small panels, I wouldn’t worry about it.
However, the big one with the doors is a problem. I wish I had had the entire door painted now. If I put plenty of paper down, I think I could handle painting the doors, but only inside the moulding.
Then, I could wait for Cale to come, but a better idea might be to ask my upstairs neighbor, who’s the nicest lady, and has probably installed wallpaper before. She put up about 100 paintings by herself when she moved in. Oh, and she picked up my first dishwasher on her own and carried it in.
I will let you know. In the meantime, I could still try and find a professional who will do this. Maybe it’s not as weird as I fear it is.
Do any of you have experience applying fabric to the wall like this, or have had it done?
Two more things before I go.
Yes, there’s Modpodge, but I’m not sure about that one as it is really like glue and might be impossible to remove. It might be possible to use typical wallpaper paste, but I’m not sure about that one either.
Well, that’s all for now.
If you enjoy these types of mistakes post, please check out one of my all-time favorites about 15 catastrophic mistakes one can make with fabric. I made at least half of these!
xo,
***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES
***AND, the all-new 2025 HOLIDAY SHOP with new things added since Sunday!
 Please click this Amazon affiliate link.
Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.
Thank you so much!
I very much appreciate your help and support!
Related Posts
Best Proportions for Interior Trim-The Secret to Getting it Right!
6 of the Best Classical Architects People Should Copy
Come See My Holiday Fireplace mantel Decor – 2022
Her Open Floor Plan is an Excedrin Headache Nightmare!
Mistakes Guys Make When Decorating To Impress Women
How To Create The Perfect Summer Home
Boxy Boring Bedroom? And Some Unusual Solutions
46 Responses
Hi Laurel,
I have hung Kravet linen fabric on a number of installations on house walls and lined drawers. I used woodworkers PVA glue mixed with water. I dunked the fabric in the mix. Positioned it, smoothed it out. Trimmed it. Took a while to dry but a perfect job. When I moved house I wet the panels with water , peeled them off, washed them and reinstalled them in the next house. It is a brilliant way to glue fabric to walls and panels. I highly recommend it if the dyes in your fabric are colourfast.
Oh Laurel, I do feel for you with the vertigo, I have a similar issue. Luckily I have a hubs to do the high-up work most of the time, but anything requiring precision or fine motor skills, he’s not so good. Anyways, I have a tall step ladder with a railed platform at the top, which makes me feel much more secure when I have to get up high. It folds up, so easy to move through doorways, but I admit transporting it to your home is probably not easy unless you know someone with a truck. But I know you’ll find a solution, you always do. Best of luck.
Have you considered using it as fabric not wallpaper? Lightly padding walls with batting and spray adhesive, stapling at edges then covering staples with cording using adhesive.
Hi Laurel!
I’ve gotta guy…I call him Jimmy from the Bronx ; )
He’s a wallpaper installer-mostly very high-end Manhattan projects, but now based in Manchester, NH. Hoping he might be able to help. Good luck!
+1 (959) 599-0166
Thanks so much, Lisa. Someone is coming over tomorrow, but I’ll keep him in mind, in case.
Hi Laurel! There is a fabric finishing company here in Texas that might be able to help you – SBI.
Maybe worth a call to see if they can do panels? Good luck! I know the end result will be beautiful no matter what direction you go!
Hi Jill,
Thank you. Yes, they are fantastic! I worked with SBI on dozens of jobs and far prefer them to Custom Laminations. I did contact them and they do not do paper backing of fabrics.
Hi Laurel,
Today, I read your blog about the entry wallpaper issue. How frustrating! I would be beside myself as well.
I am not sure if you will get this. Anyway, I wanted to share with you what I did 24 years ago with installing a Tommy Hilfiger fabric/sheet on an accent upper wall in a guest bathroom. I tried the starch method on a sample of drywall, and it didn’t work for me. What did work, was using Golden Gel Medium, Regular Gel in a matte finish. And guess what, it is still up today, unstained, same quality as it was 24 years ago when it was installed. Before I put it up though, I did use a liner on the primed dry wall.
Anyway, I wanted to share this with you, it could be an alternative to your dilemma. I wish you the best of luck and the fabric panel that you have chosen is absolutely beautiful! I look forward to seeing your entry completed! I always enjoy reading your blog.
Sorry I didn’t get to read comments but I know that Miss Mustard Seed has a tutorial on putting up fabric as wallpaper. She is typically very clear and concise and correct when giving directions. Best of luck!
I’m sorry you had such an awful experience with the FedEx person. In my opinion, good customer service is so rare these days because employees are not trained, and so often the managers that are hired are not qualified to be managers, either.
Oh, the agony of it all!
Marian Pardons “missmustardseed” on instagram and blog.& website
has done this many times using starch to hang fabric on walls. She could be an invaluable resource for you.
Best wishes.
And that FedEx experience is so sad. So few people anymore have grace and courtesy. I am glad his manager did!
Hi Diane,
I agree. Miss Mustardseed is a fantastic resource. She’s been featured on the blog a number of times.
About 50 years ago, using wall paper paste I just heavily pasted the wall and put fabric directly over it. This was floor to ceiling; no problems.
I think we all want to see your lovely hallway with this fabric as much as you do. Is it possible to ask David at Romanic English if he has any recommendations? Since he prints the fabric, I’m sure he has clients that have had it put up on walls. Sometimes finding good contractors requires detective work.
My best guess is there are some eager art or theater or interior design students at one of the many institutions of higher education that would figure out the method and the solution and could use some $
Hi Sue,
That’s a great idea, in theory, but I have no idea how to go about finding such a person unless it’s by word of mouth. In addition, the only student I’d be interested in, is one who had extensive experience creating scenery or one studying to do wallpaper. It’s a specific skill not taught in interior design school. Interior design school gives a very general education with very little hands-on skills being taught unless they’re of a design nature, such as creating a plan for the wallpaper, and the rest of the space. It’s the same with architects. They know what goes into creating a building, but they are not builders.
My issues are:
Time
Patience
Standing on a ladder and not losing my balance
Lifting arms over my head for an extended period of time creates blood pressure issues for me.
Plus, I’ve never hung any kind of wall covering.
However, I did create elaborate models and created custom matting for all of my presentations. And, all from scratch. The off-white model began as sheets of matting board that are used to frame artwork. I made that when I was eight months pregnant with Cale. It was pretty funny because I was HUGE which created an additional challenge. I went through zillions of exacto blades. haha
At this point, I would be better off trying to find a professional because this is a challenging job because there will need to be a lot of piecing together. Fortunately, because of the busy pattern, it won’t be noticeable.
I doubt this is the right solution but could you attach the fabric on a frame like the canvas for an oil painting and then hang it on the wall?
Agree with the commentor about Emily Hendersons post. Your neighbor, a paper hanger or you should be able to hang as long as fabric is colorfast. Good luck! We have faith in you.
Hi Janet,
I am trying to avoid linking to other bloggers because it hurts my business. I do sometimes. However, I had looked at Emily’s post a few days ago and found the method helpful except for the seam binding. The most clear tutorial was the one I linked to in the post. I just wish he had shown how he trimmed the curved doorway. Even a straight door way is a challenge. Ideally, it would be best if the fabric were precut to fit, (at least on the inside edges where the openings are) but I need to find out if there’s any shrinkage when it dries.
I might practice on the doors. I can reach the top of the door without standing on anything. But I can stand on a stool to make it even easier. The panel size is 30″ x 41″ So, manageable.
Strictly speaking, if the fabric had gone up before the frames, that would’ve also been helpful.
I’m so inundated right now with updates to guides on top of everything else. Things will calm down next month.
Great blog to wake up to! I’d been wondering about the progress on your home.
This project takes me back to the 70s when Martex was a luxe linen brand (at least for my budget, it was). Apartment owners didn’t allow the tenants to paint the rooms and I’ve never been able to live in a white room, especially apartment white.
So I ‘papered’ the bedroom walls in bed sheets backed by batting and fixed the edges with staples, concealed with long lengths of grosgrain ribbon.
I thought today’s post would be about the Lincoln bathroom, but this one was just as much fun ;o)
Back to the 70s – a warm memory of upholstered walls.
Your place is so beautiful, and you are so generous to take us along on this adventure.
Re the FedEx guy: it’s hard to know what’s going on with people at times. Some people just don’t love their jobs. Or maybe they just got dumped by their partner on a phone call (well, text in today’s world). Or some other bad news. Sometimes we remind people of an ex-flame and they are crabby to us for no reason. Undoubtedly, his manager will help him shine up his customer service skills or show him the door.
Hi Laurel
I did my guest bathroom walls with the fabric and starch method 3 years ago. It looks like the day I did it. I did completely wet the fabric with starch and squeezed it out before applying it to the wall. I used Premier Prints Spirit navy, it’s a medium weight. The fabric has a tendency to stretch as it’s applied so some care has to be taken to line it up. It is a colorfast fabric. I tried this method to mount a large sample piece of vintage Scalamandre fabric for art. Oops. It bled. Good luck!! You are an amazing designer and I’ve learned so much from your blog. Thank you!
Me being me, I would do it myself. First, I would get a cup of coffee and mull the problem over. I would cut a bit of the salvage edge to test to see how color-fast the fabric is. I would watch a bunch of YouTube videos…Miss Mustard Seed is a great start. Then I would test applying a bit of the salvage edge to the wall of a closet or somewhere inconspicuous. Maybe get some cheap fabric to practice with. Then I would go for it.
But that’s just me. Not sure this helps.
Thanks Caryl,
I have extra panels to practice with and I’ve already done some experiments to see about running. The fabric doesn’t bleed, but after prolonged soaking, some will leach out into the water. The beauty of the starch method is that the practicing can occur in a conspicuous location. It’s easy to remove.
Laurel why don’t you try Melanie Harvey, “master wallpaper installer”…the girl who did your Gracie panels? You were very happy with her as I recall. Obviously I read EVERY post and that installation stuck in my mind..it came out so well. This is going to be beautiful and so “you”.
Hi Alice,
I thought I wrote in earlier blog post, but can’t find it that Melanie is now retired. I had an appointment with her for early September. I was trying to postpone it when she gave me the bad (for me) news. In addition, I had asked her if the fabric required paper backing and she said that it did and that it needed to get sent out for that purpose.
I covered the walls in two rooms with the starch method in years gone by. One was a sun room with upholstery weight cotton–kind of chintz weight. Small room three sides of windows, plus the door, so lots to work around. It turned out beautifully. I think I used ribbon on the top edges because I didn’t like my cutting. When I moved, I just caught a corner of each piece and pulled it cleanly off the wall. Laundered the pieces and had them to reuse for pillows or whatever. My second use was in a bathroom with a slightly heavier and textured cotton fabric. Again, I loved the result, and if I recall, I did better with the edge cut and didn’t need ribbon. I would do it again if the need arose.
I have used Mod Podge to glue fabric on a lampshade. It turned out beautiful and smooth except where the original lampshade had crinkled! Use Mod Podge matte as their Mod Podge for fabric is hard to work with (it has a plastic consistency).
Missmustardseed.com did a bedroom wall with the starch method. It’s also on Hgtv.com. Looks like it worked well. Love your home. Good luck !
Here’s a solution we used to cover plaster walls that had been terribly damaged from wallpaper and gouged plaster.
We tacked the fabric below the crown molding using glue and nails. And then tacked again above the baseboard. Oh, then added upholstery staples for extra adhesion.
Going slowly, we made a tidy line around the room with the glue and nails. We covered the nails and staples with a matching grosgrain ribbon.
Meant to be temporary until we repaired the walls, it has lasted 16 years with no problems. We may never repair the walls since it’s worked so well.
May this experience inspire a solution, esp since your pretty fabric may be damaged by solvents.
Hi Kat,
Thank you for your kind comment.
I can’t help notice the word, “we.”
Sigh…
Is it possible to use Fray Check on the raw edges?
Hi BB,
Yes, that would probably be helpful.
Hi Laurel,
I’m crossing my fingers that you can find someone to hang your tapestries. In a big city like Boston surely there’s a skilled trades person with the knowledge to get it done properly.
I’ve been wanting to try hanging fabric somewhere. My guest room currently has bare walls. It could be the perfect place for it. And I’ve read it cheaper than wallpaper. I’m going to go back & reread Emily Henderson’s tutorial.
What about the Fabric Back people you mentioned in your 19 February post, Laurel? Could they do a suitable backing?
The starch method is an option, Miss Mustard Seed did it several times. Might she be able to advise?
I think the problem is indeed the doors because there’s no overlap, thus raw edges at the openings. I think you’d have to starch the panels onto the walls and then cut the openings, a difficult operation.
There must be a way to make it work, your reproductions are so lovely!
I’ve been struggling with a problem and have made an unpleasant discovery. I bought a remnant of a beautiful blue textured velvet for two narrow curtains to frame a printed fabric. I started to sew the side hems and discovered my machine wouldn’t sew the fabric; it would sew other fabrics but not this. Two hours of trial and error later I worked out it was the thread (not fine enough), and triumphantly started to sew. The vertical line is wonky and hideous because of the texture. Wish me luck undoing a smallish section and hand-sewing two curtains! But I’m going to make it work and I’m sure you will too.
Hi GL,
My issue is I can’t do the high-up work as it will definitely make me dizzy and nauseous. Don’t ask. It’s just something I have to be careful about.
I think the tapestry has to be pieced together which is why I ordered multiple prints for the bottom half. If the inner edges of the doors can be cut first, that would be very helpful.
I could do a diagram to explain, but piecing together would make the job much easier.
Laurel, hi Karla in Atlanta here. I danced for 17 years (and studied one summer at Boston Ballet, ala E. Virginia Williams), as did one of my daughters. She’s now ripe old age of barely 30 living in NYC, a management consultant. She is sick smart and shares my love of all things design. My career/firm specialized in healthcare marketing consulting and advertising, but my passion post retirement, is all things architecture (my dad was architect), interior design and landscape design. I also deal with a now 9 year quiet autoimmune disorder. Keep hopes high, Laurel. I beat mine against all odds…
I was never so proud as the day I watched my 29 year old jumping for joy after purchasing her first big NYC home item; a $5500 very old Verdure tapestry in France, on the heels of a 3 month stint at Le Cordon Bleu, JUST BECAUSE she loves cooking! This was a self-imposed break after finishing her MBA.
Point of all my rambling: I will never apologize for the lengths I go to please my inner design heart. Don’t you either. Your piece is AMAZING and keep going for it to completion (as is your home).
Karla
Point of all this is we do not live apologetically for our love of history and beautiful surroundings.
Hi Karla,
Oh, I love your comment. You must be so proud of your daughter. She sounds like a seriously amazing young woman!
Hi Laurel,
Having used fabric starch to apply wallpaper for the first time (and it’s still up several years later), this seems very doable, as well as least likely to ruin your fabric. I’m certainly not an expert, but I have seen fabric walls trimmed with welting to cover raw edges, so there’s some method out there to do so, and starch may be the simplest and most gentle way. Good luck!
Heidi
Hi Heidi,
Thanks for letting us know it was successful for you. I’ve read that it comes down easily. But I don’t want it to come down too easily. In my case, I can’t cover the edges because of the design and also because of the doors. It’s because of the doors that this job is not so straight-forward.
Emily Henderson wrote a blog post with written steps for using fabric as a wall covering.
Good luck
Oh wait, I just took your colorway from the tapestry as my palette. It has the blues and greens I have and now I can pick my hallway and all the rest of the uncolored rooms. I knew the dream must have a purpose .Thanks.
haha! Glad to help, Janet.
I have a wallpaper hanger who seems to have experience hanging every wall material you can think of. He will be hanging some Susan Harter murals in my house. These are custom painted canvases so perhaps it isn’t so different from hanging laminated fabric?
Your experience at FedEx is disappointing. Many people in service jobs are wondering how to cover increases in healthcare costs and groceries. Maybe his careless attitude is a reflection of this? On the other hand, he could just be a jerk who happens to be employed by FedEx.
Hi Anastasia,
Oh, Susan Harter. You’re so lucky! I love her papers. That is probably a special material that’s meant to be hung. I haven’t seen it, so I’m not sure. Mine is just like fabric one would use for a slipcover. However, I’m encouraged that you have a guy who’s hung every wall material one can think of.
Re Fedex guy: I’m being kind, I would say he was exhausted. It was near closing time and clearly he was ready to go home. But still…
You were in my dreams last night. I was picking you up at your manor house on rt 9 south of Albany to take you to lunch. Your husband Wright and 13 year old daughter were there. (She was lovely, looked just like you.) They decided to join us but I had forgotten to find a place to eat and we ended up having roast beef in a church basement. Wright immediately started downing tequila sunrises. (Explains the wasband.) My parents showed up and argued with me because my Dad wanted to pay the bill.
I woke up exhausted and still can decide what color to paint my hall.
Oh Janet,
That was a dream for the ages!!! My mom was a shrink and she used to tell me that in dreams, everyone is a part of ourselves. But, there’s also symbolism such as husband Wright, as in “Mr.Right?” Funny, my Wasband doesn’t drink at all and he’s a vegetarian. Also, no manor house for we were as poor as the church mice in the basement. lol