THAT PainterLady.com

Do you have gorgeous grass cloth wallpaper? Does it have a small stain that you just can’t ignore? How do you go about fixing a stain on grass cloth wallpaper?

I have a stain of about 4 inches by 2 feet at the ceiling edge of some grass cloth wallpaper. the entire rest of the room is perfect even tho the paper has been up for 30 years and I love it. What could I do? Could I put a glaze over it or paint it? Barbara

The first step would be to match colors. If you have a sample of your wallpaper, you can take it to your local paint store and have them help you pick out the closest color. If you don’t have a sample, then you will need to purchase a color chart to bring home and match colors.

You will need to pick both the lighter color and the darker color. You can use latex paint for this project. Acrylics may work a little bit better, but then you will need to start mixing paints in order to get the right colors (and that is a whole other deal).

If you are unsure of the exact colors, pick 2-3 different ones, buy small samples containers and test them on a piece of foam board.

In order to cover the stain on the wallpaper and prevent it from bleeding through the paint, you will need to use a stainkill primer and sealer. Kilz makes a good one. Brush the primer onto the paper making sure to fill all the crevices. Try to end the paint into the wallpaper with an organic line as opposed to a straight line. We want the paint to blend in and not look as if it were painted once it is complete.

Once the primer is dry (1-3 hours depending on the brand), you can then paint your base color. This color would be your lightest color that you chose.

Wait until that is dried completely and then you can use your glaze. The glaze / paint ratio is one part paint to 3 parts glaze.

Mix together and then use your brush to apply it to the area. When it is still wet, take a damp sponge and wipe off the glaze only on the surface, allowing the lighter color to show through.

The glaze that settles in the recessed areas will give it that realistic shadowy look. You can use the paint and glaze to blend the edges where the painted wallpaper and real paper meet. You want to make this fix-up look as natural as possible.

If you are still unsure of yourself with this process, you may be better off hiring a professional to do it for you. It may not cost as much as you think.

I hope this was helpful. Please keep us posted on how it turns out. THAT Painter Lady, Dawn

For more information click here: How To Paint Grasscloth Wallpaper

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 10:59 pm and is filed under Painting Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.