Making Wallpaper from Old Books

Decoupage Wall Covering Methods

I would like to take some pages from a book that has a torn spine and turn them into a border for my son's room.

I know that I have to seal the pages somehow but I am not sure what kind of product I need to use.

My other question is how do I adhere the pages to the wall? I want to know that I will be able to remove it some day without damaging my walls.

To complicate things further, the walls have wallpaper on the upper section and are painted on the bottom.

Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Lisa

The technique you need is decoupage. I recommend Durwin Rice's beautiful book on decoupage, New Decoupage. It is chock full of techniques and tips for decoupaging on walls.

With any decoupage project, I recommend doing a test before attempting the actual project. Since different papers and inks have different weights and compositions, they interact differently with the decoupage medium.

The three most common problems are bubbling, tearing very easily (when moistened) and running ink. You mention an additional requirement: that the paper be removable without damage to the walls. Your preliminary test will guide you as to which of the following tips are necessary for your specific application.

You can apply your pages using an acrylic glue or decoupage medium; then seal with the same product.

I prefer Mod Podge or Elmer's Glue-All as a decoupage medium. Since the paper in your book was not designed to be stuck onto walls, wallpaper paste alone will probably not do the job.

Here's a tip from Durwin: mix the acrylic glue 50/50 with wallpaper paste. The wallpaper paste isn't as strong as the glue but gives the paper good slip, allowing you to slide each page into place and flatten it without tearing. A 50/50 mix gives you the advantages of both products.

Durwin advises taking a handful - yes, a handful! - of the mix and smearing it where you want to place a page. This makes it easy to slide it around and smooth out wrinkles until you are satisfied.

Use your fingertips to gently smooth out any bubbles. Next take a damp - not wet - sponge and wipe away any glue residue from the page and around the edges.

The thick coat of decoupage medium slows the drying time, allowing you to watch for bubbles and smooth them out before they set in. If you miss one or two, simply pierce each bubble with a pin or craft knife; then smooth. It won't show once you seal your wallpaper border.

It is not likely the ink from your book pages will run, but if it does here are expert decouper Kay Davies' tips on dealing with ink bleed.

If your preliminary test indicated that the pages could not be easily stripped when you want to change the décor, do your decoupage on top of strippable wallpaper. When it comes time to remove, simply strip the wallpaper using the manufacturer's instructions.