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I have brown paper on a roll, as well as Kilz primer and wallpaper paste. Must
it be the particular brands mentioned? The website states the three items go
well together, but honestly, I've searched the neighboring stores and several in
the next town to no avail.
Draw-Tite No Run is mentioned, but honestly, it would be nice to know what the
purpose of this stuff is. Adhesion? Stain cover?
Desperate to begin covering these ugly walls, Karen Marie
I spoke to Bonnye(*) yesterday, who reports her list of materials
required has changed a bit.
Okay, to begin, I found Finish Factor brand
Standard Contractor's Paper in a 28" x 140' roll. This
is equivalent to 326 square feet of paper. Allow for overlapping
and you have a bit less, but not that much.
I tested a door using Roman's Golden Harvest Universal
Wallpaper Paste - GH-57 and the paper. While it covered well and
the bubbles disappeared overnight, it is basically brown paper bag
paper on the wall and nothing exciting. However, I must say that if you
have crappy walls with surface issues, this would do the trick for a
neat textured effect you could paint afterwards.
The suggested wallpaper paste is GH-34, but I'm not having much luck
finding it. :-(
So the mottled look has not been achieved as of yet. I'm heading for
another town today to see if I can find the required materials Bonnye(*)
suggested. She mentions the importance of just the right materials, so
I'm trying to listen.
I found Roman's Golden Harvest GH-34 in town, and in
of all places, the local hardware store. We don't shop there
much because they charge too much. You have to figure out
if it would be cheaper to make a run to the next town or pay
the markup for local availability.
Problem is, the Draw Tite is a bugger to find, so I may have
to spend extra to have it shipped. Lowe's seems to be a great
source for the paper, though.
In short, the answer would be no. But since I'm so long winded and it
helps me to learn by talking it out, here goes.
At present I would need to mention that I am by no means a professional,
but this is my interpretation of the method. :-)
Walls, even walls with paneling or just plain sheetrock, should be covered
first with a product called Draw Tite (Clear, No Run formula) by Scotch Paint.
It would be my thought the Draw Tite seals the walls and provides good adhesion
for the paper.
Then, using the Finish Factor paper, tear the paper into about dinner plate size
or whatever shape suits your fancy.
Apply Roman Golden Harvest GH-34 Wallpaper paste to the backside of
the paper, then fold it in half with the sticky section stuck to itself. Basically, this
is called 'booking' which means when you open a 'book' of paper, the sticky stuff
is inside. While the paper is the same on both sides, it is important to put the
paste on the curved side, not the side that was exposed on the roll.
When the Draw Tite on the wall is dry, or dry to the touch if you are in a hurry,
apply the paper you have booked and smooth them on, overlapping the edges
as you go to form a cover-up look, of sorts.
When the paper on the wall is dry ( I would assume a day to dry at least )
then you will apply another coat of Draw Tite. This, as far as I understand, is
where the mottling comes in, that no sponging or additional action is required.
It just mottles on it's own.
As I have yet to use the suggested products in combination, I cannot say
if this is true, but will say Bonnye swears the mottling just happens. Get this,
she uses her hands for application, not tools.
When I obtain the Draw Tite, I am going to try a few sample boards for
comparison and will post them when I do. Hopefully this week I will have it
finished and ready for review before I decide what to do with my walls.
:-)
KM
*PLEASE NOTE*
Image of safari border and brownbagging method by
Bonnye of Brown Bag Walls.
The "mottling" LOOKS like sponging...but it must be torn papers. It's really hard to see the seams. Let me know how that project works out. I have a room with old panelling that I would like to update.
Oh, and she raves about covering paneling. She mentioned the seams don't
even show, which interests my mother.
I'll be sure to update and maybe this will be a method we can try.
As for the mottling, I, too am confused as to how it is achieved. I don't
understand how the combination mottles it, because the paper is put on,
then the Draw Tite on top of the paper. I wonder if the Draw Tite shows as
the dark sections, and the places where the brown bag alone is on the surface
of the wall is the light stuff.
Today's update. Found Easy Mask Red Rosin Paper
by Loparex. Not quite 500 square feet for eleven dollars and some
change. Product seems to have been sitting on the shelf for quite
some time, so it may be a rare item which is seldom used these days?
Today I received the infamous Draw Tite. Wow. Why
is this stuff not available all over the place?
Bug your local Sherwin Williams if they do not have it.
Tell them to order it.
Okay, so the mottling effect. I am here to vouch for everything
Bonnye said, it does indeed mottle on it's own, and quickly, too!
In my opinion, it is indeed a combination of the products used,
but not so much chemical reaction as chemical union. The paper
absorbs the GH-34 in patches, it would seem, and when applied to
a wall previously treated (painted with) Draw-Tite, certain sections
appear lighter, some darker.
Not one to be satisfied with what someone else said, I tested a
few things on a door I will be doing over, so it was the guinea pig
for the process.
Using standard paste, I tore the paper up, pasted the door and
stuck the paper on. It looks like I stuck the paper on. No mottling,
no effect, just walls with brown paper on it.
Then on the same door, I put a coat of Draw Tite on, then let it
dry. It did not take long, dry to the touch is fine. I then tore the paper,
spread the GH-34 on the paper, and folded them in half. I only had
about 12 pieces done for the test, but as you can see, it worked!
While the test is just a mess of paper stuck to the door and
not necessarily indicative of the actual paper shapes I would
use, this is the true result of the test:
On the left, you can see the GH-34 paste, Draw Tite and paper
truly works together well.
On the right, GH-57 standard paste, no Draw Tite, and the right paper.
It's hard to see the comparison in the thumbnail image, but if
you view the larger shot, you can see how amazing this stuff is.
By the way, I had to order my Draw Tite online. I only wish I had
contacted Scotch Paints first. They told me the Draw Tite is available
in Broken Arrow, I tried everywhere but there.
I've learned that if you allow the initial papering to
dry too long, it loses the mottling effect. So, to backtrack
what I've said thus far, after you put the paper on, go
right over it with the Draw Tite again. However, if you
want it light, allow it to dry.
It is too late to get a decent photo tonight, but there
is a stark difference between the section I allowed to dry
and the section with Draw Tite on immediately after
paper application.
The paper I applied, let dried and coated with Draw Tite is bland and light.
The paper I applied and immediately followed with DT is mottled.
As yet another test, I am going to try allowing the wallpaper to soak in
longer before applying, as well as putting some up immediately after
application.
I truly believe the mottling has to do with paper absorption of the paste,
then the DT locks it in.
As I mentioned all this on another thread, I'll just do the
old copy and paste trick:
________________________________________________________
Right now I'm sitting here after taking a break from applying the Brownbagging
method to our bedroom walls. We have a huge bedroom which I painted white
years ago because I didn't know what to do with it. The problem lies in the quality
of the walls. Bumpy, uneven, ugly, textured here but not there, etc.
The idea came from Bonnye Manning (spelled Bonnye, not Bonney)
of Brownbagwalls.com
[HYPERLINK@www.brownbagwalls.com]
Initially, I was excited about the mottling effect, which did show up when
I used the correct combination of products, but as it dried, I lost the look.
There still is mottling, but not nearly what I had hoped for.
Certainly I'm not giving up on the method, as many have done it with
great success. I could be doing something different, so I'm going to talk
to Bonnye first to see if she has any ideas why it is not mottling properly.
Yes, the look is unique and I'm not sorry I did it. Anything is better than
nothing when it comes to this house, LOL.
The products I used are contractor's paper, Draw Tite and Roman's Golden
Harvest GH-34 wallpaper paste. Contractor's paper comes in a giant roll
and does not have printing on it, which is often a concern when using standard
brown bags. The ink for the store's advertisement could bleed through.
Also, Bonnye suggests trying the same method with a product called Red
Rosin paper, which I found in the roofing department of a small town hardware
store. The bigger stores just looked at me as though I had two heads when
I asked for it.
I'm happy with the look and am anxious to try the Red Rosin as well.
I just talked to Bonnye on the phone, and we figured out what
I was doing wrong. I'm trying to hard, squishing too hard, trying
to smear it onto the walls too firmly.
Using my hands to apply the paste works quite well, and is fun, too.
My problem was failing to use a small plastic spatula / scraper thing
to put the paper on. By using my hands, I was squishing the paper too
firmly to the walls. A simple 5-6 swipes with the tool will work perfectly,
allowing the air to make the mottling look. Air bubbles will go away, so
there is no need to worry about them, which is what I was doing wrong.
We also discussed doing the ceiling, but it wasn't until Bonnye mentioned
using a gold glaze that I became excited about the idea.
Heading for town tomorrow for more supplies. This is so much fun! I will
post pictures when I'm all done.
Even for someone not doing the brownbagging method, I
just love this sealer. It also acts as a primer. I've used other
brands, but I prefer the Draw Tite twenty times over.
Here is the label to make it easier in case anyone wishes to
locate it in your area:
Just drove round trip of 81.3 miles to buy two gallons.
The difference between ordering it from [HYPERLINK@www.safeandsimple.com]
versus driving to Broken Arrow and back to get it?
Drumroll please?
Pa-rum-de-dum-de-dum-dum-dum.
A whopping .47 cents cheaper to drive to the store & buy it.
However, it took a couple hours out of my day, and my day is
worth a heck of a lot more than .47 cents.
I think I'll just order it online from now on. Ridiculous.
Is he driving 80 miles to buy things you could get online instead? It's definitely not worth that far of a drive to save a few pennies! Looking forward to seeing your room when you're done!
Okay, a little peek at my progress. The thumnail image is
not for reference, because you can't see the comparison, so
you'll have to click to get the big shot. Hope this works. Here goes.
Please note the following. This wall treatment is not for everyone.
It works well for us because our walls are horrid. Some would say
it was dark, but you really must see it in person to appreciate it. Now
that I have learned so much about the technique, I cannot wait to
complete it and start other rooms with different ideas on the same
technique.
I'm not finished with it, but rather wanted to give a peek at the progress.
Still tossing around the idea of doing the ceiling, which is much easier
and more fun than it sounds. After all is said and done, I'm considering a
gentle sponge applied glaze in gold, which I hope will bring out little shimmery
highlights. Maybe only on the ceiling.
Debating a curtain change. Behind the headboard is a window to a
room which serves as a combination greenhouse / storage / doggie
room, so I'm thinking of making the window a faux stained glass design
to hide what you can see through the window. Not that it is messy, it's
just not what you expect to see out a bedroom window. It was once the
outdoors. Haven't yet put the topper back up, nor am I even finished with
the wall by the bed, but I wanted the room cleaned back up for now because
we are going out all day and I hate coming home to disarray. The sheers
are a pretty fabric that shimmers with velvet textured leaves / vines. Very pretty
if you could see them better.
I will try to get an image of it at night, because the photo cannot do it
justice. It is so warm and romantic! Yeah, just what hubby needs in a room
by himself, ha ha!
Yes, the little table is a set of speakers for now. I'm trying to find a nice little
skinny table of iron or metal to place next to the bed.
The line in the middle of the image is a pull chain for the ceiling fan and the
window to the right is actually a large window. Hubby insists on getting his
jammies on in front of his lighted closet, but I insist the neighbors and passersby
can see him in all his glory, so I put a folding screen with rice paper in front
of the window.
Nothing like driving by someone's house at night, looking into the windows
and spotting a big guy in the nude for all to see, eh?
In the corner is a rain lamp, which I have admired since I was a kid. Thanks to
a yard sale and a few guys around the house with a bit of electrical know-how,
she is working and raining. It is so pretty when running.
Oh, ec, it is so much fun. You can get this stuff all over your
good clothes (don't ask) and it comes off when soaking in
warm water.
It is a drop and go project, too. I can do a small section, a large
section, you can literally stop at any time and pick up at any
time, but cannot see where you stopped and started. I am truly
having a blast doing this room. The end of the project will be
fun because I will be able to stand back and smile when I see
this room, and can't wait to start new things!
Thanks for your compliments, even hubby likes it!
Of course, he would not care what I did to the room, as long
as there is a bed and a television.
Your website is terrific and your bedroom looks fabulous. I still have some cottage cheese ceilings remaining in my house and I had brown bagging with with white glaze in mind so I don't have to do a perfect drywall repair job once I scrape the nasty texture off. The information on your site will save me a lot of grief, aggravation and testing. Thanks for sharing such helpful information.
This looks so cool! I was thinking of painting our bedroom a cocoa-y brownish color, but I think I'm going to try this instead!!! Thanks so much for all the info (and being a guinea pig!)
Many thanks! I just received a five gallon bucket of Draw-Tite, so I've
been working on the bedroom. I'm anxious to get it completed so I
can show proper before and after pictures.
Now that I have done this in the bedroom, I truly believe I'm heading
down the hall with it, though instead of brown paper, I'll sponge it or something,
so the walls will have the coverage (all of our walls are icky) but I am not
tied to brown. :-)
My son, while laying on the bed with all the lights on the other night,
looked up at the ceiling and said "Peanut Brittle. That is what it looks like."
I'm gearing up to paint bedrooms now that the kids are back in school, so I've been cruising the paint forum. My 10 year old daughter wants her room to be a robin's egg blue, lime green and white. Geesh. I'll post pix of that when it's finished...if I can bear to look at it. :)
Wuvie, do you know if you can use something like colored construction paper or do you think the dye would bleed? I think it probably would...
You know, the paper is much like construction paper, and the
Red Rosin paper, I swear it is just a gigantic roll of the same.
You might try the construction paper on a section you could easily
do over. The advantage to using Draw Tite as a primer is that if you
change your mind, the paper is MUCH easier to remove. I wish I had
some construction paper, I would give my walls a try & let you know.
Maybe I'll get some tomorrow. :-)
Sadly, I'm heading for bed now, but I look forward to talking more
with you.
Well, goodnight...I'm headed that way in a few minutes. I have tons of construction paper laying around, maybe I'll see if I can find some DrawTite tomorrow. I'll give it a whirl!
Draw-Tite can be a real bugger to find. Most Sherwin Williams
stores carry it or will order it for you. While you may gasp at the
price, remember, it serves as both a primer and a sealer and
you are not limited to it's use. It is easy to use with water wash-up.
Most home improvement stores will look at you as though you were
from Mars when you ask for it. The reason? Draw-Tite is made by
a small company that cannot compete with the giant mass production
companies. Draw-Tite shows up on the shelves and the competition
starts to panic, so use your imagination to figure out the politics.
I see. I think I'll give my local sherwin-williams a call! They open in about 2 minutes. I'm really curious to see how this technique looks with construction paper. I'm going to try it out in my husband's workshop. It's so ugly out there that even if this is the most horrid thing I've ever done, it will look better!!!
When you try the construction paper, or even the contractor's paper,
remember the length of time the paper sits booked makes a big
difference on the wall.
For example, if I paste and book more than 20 pieces at a time and
don't get it up on the wall in a somewhat timely fashion, the paper absorbs
all of the paste and you are left with a big solid mass of the same color,
less the mottling effect. Too soon and you don't get it, either. It's sort of a
happy medium that I discovered only after doing so much of it in our bedroom,
which is 23' 3" wide x 15' 6".
You might try several different pieces in the same area to get an idea of
booking time. I am just guessing that construction paper may be a bit more
absorbent and will require less booking time than the contractor's paper;
which seems much more durable than construction paper.
One other tip, the paste really does make a difference. I tried using GH-57
instead of GH-34 and did not get the mottled effect.
The Draw Tite company will tell you where you
can locate their products, but they are in California,
so it will be a while before they open.
I'll be more than happy to call them for you & post
the info. here if you don't want to make that long distance
call. Our line is on one of those all-you-can-dial for one
price plans, so it's no problem.
If you wish to call, the number is 310-329-1259. Just
ask them if they can provide the closest source of
Draw-Tite in your area. Be sure to specify the clear,
no run formula.
Also, S.W. will order it for you, no extra charge. When
I ordered mine & picked it up in person, I asked if I
could have more. He said the order was 20 gallons and
my order was but two. Eighteen gallons of the stuff were
already sold. It's good stuff, and the local wallpaper folks
know it. :-)
I've been following this thread and it looks great Karen Marie!
I had to post now though, because you said your bedroom was 1000 sq.ft.?? 30 feet by 30 feet would be 900 sq ft and your bedroom is that large? Good grief...our first house was 1080 sq ft! I couldn't imagine a bedroom being almost as big as that house!
Hmm. Now I'm wondering if I goofed up somewhere. Let
me double check.
The master bedroom in our home is 23' 3" wide x 15' 6"
long with 8' ceilings, 8' 5" in the middle.
Converted to inches, that would be 279" x 186" = 51,894 inches.
Divide by 144 = 360.38.
Holy cow, what on earth did I do to come up with a thousand
square feet? Oh my gosh, I don't know what I was calculating
that day, much less drinking to not notice that one. Good thing
I wasn't selling anything.
(Still laughing at myself)
Thanks for the notice, I would never have. (slaps self in head)
I was wondering what size a house you lived in to have a 1000 sq ft bedroom! Either that or you don't have much of anything else in the way of rooms in there...lol.
Well, he has an old motor home for camping, doesn't he?
LOL. Just kidding. Hubby gets the master bedroom while
I get the spare. That works well because I can unleash my
creativity on the walls in my room, while his is the room
everyone sees as they walk down the hall.
Karen Marie,
I LOVE the mottling and the total effect, I just wish it were possible to get it in a more lighter color. My rooms are so small that finishing the walls that dark would not be a good idea. Who knows... I'm still thinking of it!
Pat
Pat, I've never been in the camp that a dark color makes a room smaller. I've painted an 6x12 bathroom, white, light blue, a deep sand color, then finally a deep lavender. It never looked any difference in size. It's your lighting that creates the rooms and gives it balance. If your room has poor lighting (and I don't mean just sunlight), then the room, no matter what size it is or what color it is, is going to feel darker. If the light is brighter, no matter the color, it's not going to feel small. I also painted a small bedroom navy. It wasn't any smaller than it was when it was white, yellow, sage green to navy. Lighting is always going to be the key.
Thanks terryr... and my lighting SUCKS!!! Taking care of the lighting issue is on the to do list. My husband works about 56 hours a week and goes to school so if I can't handle it, it won't get done for a LONG time! Changing light fixtures is not one of my skills. We get by with lots of additional floor lamps but it's still not enough.
I wonder if they make that "brown paper" in a white. I could try to add color to the glue and see what happens in the soaking coat, and top coat...
Pat
I wouldn't think you'd get the same mottling effect that you do with brown paper. A friends husband perhaps to change out the fixture? Your dad? Your brother? The nice man next door? An electrician? Changing the fixture is easy. Directions are simple, just make sure to turn off the juice at the box and you're set. If I can do it, I think you can! Get a girlfriend to help...that always makes it fun.
I think at one point you said that the square footage of the walls was 900+ sq. ft., not the floor space. And I would think that the area to be covered would be an important number to calculate so you'd @ least have an idea of roughly how much paper you'll need. Understandably, it'd be harder to estimate how much of the paste & Draw Tite you're likely to use.
Many thanks. The lady who came up with this method, Bonnye Manning,
mentions a rough estimate is twice as much wallpaper paste as Draw-Tite
will be needed. Keep in mind, the Draw-Tite is a primer, then you paper,
then you Draw-Tite again as the sealer.
I've used nine gallons of wallpaper paste thus far, but will need more before
I finish. So I'm guessing although I will have leftover of both, I'll use eleven
gallons of paste; which is put on heavy.
And for the wallpaper factor, I've gotta say, I accidentally put up a small
section I forgot to seal right away, so it dried flat and ugly. I decided to remove
the paper and do the section again. I used a spray bottle with warm water on
the paper and it slid like butter off the walls. This Draw-Tite stuff, wow! If I
were putting wallpaper anywhere, I would use this stuff, especially if you think
you may change your mind. No scrubbing, no scraping, no tools needed, all
those gadgets sold to remove it. Fuhgettaboudit. LOL.
I am dying to try this over the weekend. I know the Draw Tite is hard to find but where did you buy the brown paper and and the GH-34 Paste.
Let me get this straight. It's draw tite on the wall, paste on the paper without smushing all the air, then before it can dry draw tite on the paper again right?
I am dying laughing I called the CA number you gave me for Draw Tite -
I said I am trying to locate a product you carry... he just laughed and said let me guess - Draw Tite!
He was so funny.
He did not have any retailers in my area so he just said he could send it to me and would proably be cheaper than any retailer so mine is on the way. I can't wait to try this and send my results.
Isn't that a hoot? He said the same thing when I called. He told me
where to find what I wanted. I asked how he knew what I was even
talking about, and he said it is what everyone calls about.
I'll post it here in case anyone else has popcorn ceilings:
Yes, by all means, you can do it over a popcorn ceiling, but
if it is too poky and sticking out in sharp pieces, you might
want to knock off some of it. If it sticks out or can be knocked
off with your fingers, I would suggest using something to scrape
it off, but sadly, that will be a good mess to vacuum.
As long as you roll a good coat of Draw Tite over it, the
paper adhesion should not be a problem. Our walls have
that same stuff on them, I just put it on over the texture and
it came out fine.
Please don't ever hesitate to ask questions, I had a million
when I started and I felt guilty when I wanted to keep asking
Bonnye. Don't be like that, ask, ask, ask me anything you
want to, at any time. I'm happy to help.
I finally got my draw tite and started last night. I have to admit I was so excited to get started I did not RE READ all of your notes. Mine turned out good with a mottled effect but not as noticable as yours. I see now that you say the paste absorbtion has something to do with it. I basically pasted and then put on the wall - I did not give the paper time to absorb the paste. I plan to do another wall tonight and see if that works better. If so the wall that I stared with will definitely end up with a picture on it to cover that up. It really is easy and you were right so much fun.
I am doing a small bathroom with a shower - the top area of my shower is drywall - do you think this would last with all the moisture - I can always skip that section and just paint it brown or another color but I am not sure it would last very long.
Glad you were able to try the technique. You know, it's
funny, some of the sections in the room are very mottled,
some not at all. There is that 'just right' amount of time I
don't seem to be able to pinpoint, but thankfully the room
is large, giving me plenty of practice time.
I'm going to try and do most of the room tonight so Ill take some pictures of what I have so far and post them tomorrow.
It's like you said it's not a look for everyone but if your walls are ruined and would probably need re-drywalled to fix... this is definitely for you.
Our home is not a shack ready to crumble, but given the amount
of work it needs to bring it up to modern standards, we're better
off doing what we can.
While some people would do nothing if they could not do it right,
I'm more the type to make things look better until we can afford
to do it right, which is likely not going to happen. LOL.
Patching drywall and doing skim coats is really easy. I've repaired a lot of the plaster in this old house, and I've had to deal with somebody's idea of "fixing" the walls. His bright idea was to put circles on the walls and the ceilings. Lots of circles. Not just half circles, oh no, he had to do full circles using some sort of cement trowel is what it looked like. My husband helped me sand, but doing the skim coats was almost all me. Multiple coats, walls and ceilings. The walls and ceilings look pretty darn good for being 111 yrs old.
So there is another option. I've done it and if anybody wants to know how, just ask ;)
Well I finished my project. My walls were in terrible shape with 30 year old wallpaper absorbed right into the drywall. There was not getting it off. Painting over was not an option because so much was falling off and ripping. I was planning to pay a person to come re-drywall but then I heard about this.
I only wish I had a before picture.
This looks great. Since I only used about 1/4 of a can of sealant the price for me to do this was about $25.
I believe the GH-34 is about $11 a bucket and the sealer was about $25 a gallon. I bought two gallons and will probably never use it so I would only order one at a time unless you know you will use that much. I did a small bathroom and didnt even use 1/2 a can.
I think this sounds great! I saw where they used this brownbag method on a cement floor also
and it looks like rock or stone I would love to try it. They finished it off with poly. several coats.
I read this entire thread and checked out the pics on your site too Wuvie. I know I'd have a hard time talking DH into this, but it's so cool! I'd love to see it with the red rosin paper. I think the red rosin paper is something they use for underlayment when they put in a wood-laminent floor, but I'm not positive.
I would love this as a floor too...or how about a countertop if sealed extremely well? I painted our countertop and it came out looking great...for about 6 months. I didn't seal it well enough. Is the finish smooth when you're done or does it actually have a texture to it?
Very cool, thanks for sharing all the info and your expertise! :)
Heather
I don't think it would hold up very long on a countertop, that's a very challenging place to do anything. Maybe it would hold up a bit better than paint, but I don't think it's going to be a long-term solution for your counter. And with your paint job--even if you had sealed it properly, painted counters still don't hold up very well in the long-term, that's very much a temporary fix.
I'll agree wholeheartedly with ecrane about the countertop. It would look
fabulous, but only if you didn't use it or put anything on it. :-)
Heathr, I actually considered doing the Red Rosin paper on my bedroom
walls, but in doing a small sample, the paper takes on a pink hue, and
though it may be fine for someone else, pink is not my thing. When we first
bought the house, my room was painted solid pink. I could not whitewash it
fast enough. Ugh!
All of you had better stop talking about doing this treatment on the floor...
you're tempting me! My problem is multiple pets. I'd have to block off sections
while the polyurethane dried, but when it was done, wow, would it ever look
nice!
Bolding this little note hoping someone will see it. In the event I choose
to do the floor, do you suggest any particular adhesive for the paper? I
was thinking of using Draw-Tite, then sealing with a few coats of poly, but
I'm afraid the paper will fully absorb the poly and it will be very dark.
Perhaps I should seal the paper with one coat of Draw-Tite first, then hope
there is not a chemical reaction between the Draw-Tite and the polyurethane.
Ah, do a sample, yes?
Initially it was just hubby's room. Then the hall. Then
the dining room. I'm loving this look so much that I'm considering doing the
living room, but the great thing about that room is that the walls are FLAT.
No bumps, no humps, no popcorn.
Once you put the paper up, if you decide you don't like it, paint over it.
Sponge it. Dab different colors with a sponge to marble it. This stuff is
so much fun, at least to me. Once I get started I don't want to stop.
Thanks for all of your posts, this has been so much fun for me!
I'm wishing I was brave enough to try it with a white paper and add with sage color to the glue/adhesive. Alas, I'll probably just buy wallpaper for the one accent wall in the living room.
Oh, I'm with you on playing with colors. The good thing about this stuff,
thanks to the Draw Tite, is that you can try an inconspicuous spot and
if you don't like it, a squirt bottle with hot water will ease it right off.
I type in brown bag floor treatment and search you will get a bunch of sites not all apply. I go to
faux leather floor and paper bag floor which is a forum.
When you say "I put in brown bag floors", do you mean into a search
engine such as Google? Have you used this technique on any flooring
in your home? :-)
If so, I found the following links with mention of doing the floors
in case anyone else is looking.
No, I haven't tried it yet. But have been reading and thinking about it on a cement floor in laundry
room. When I saw this on tv it was in the kitchen of an old home someone had completely redone and I thought then I would like to try this. It looked like stone on the floor. NEAT
Wait a minute. If you can do this on the floors then why not on countertops? Too much daily scrubbing and use of chemicals on a countertop? Other than that I don't see what the difference would be. I'm not going to try this for a counter, I just priced formica and it's very cheap and easy...but I think this would look so awesome.
Okay, now you've done it. I finished the bedroom, the hall and even
went down the hall, finishing another room. All of them complete with
the ceiling in brown bag.
It has changed the look of our home SO much. I cannot wait until
we do something with the living room, and although I am not sure
I want to bring the brown bag into that room, I do know that after reading
this thread and looking at the hall, that the floor in the hall is indeed
waiting for this same treatment.
Heathr, I think the counter would indeed look beautiful, but as you
mentioned, chemicals and such would be the downfall. Now if you could
apply several coats of polyurethane and lived with others who were mindful
of the care for such a countertop, there would not be a problem. I hope you
do give this a try, it would be stunning under several coats of polyurethane.
Setting hot pots and pans, cutting things on the counter with knives, etc.
all considerations. If you cared for the counter, it should look beautiful
for some time. Same goes for the floor. Harsh chemicals would be a no-no,
as would roller skating down the hall and such, LOL.
I only have a small can of poly at this time, but I'll look into which brand of
poly is among the best and do a test run, maybe next weekend. This weekend
is rather reserved for finishing up about eight feet of paper and cleaning house.
I'm off Monday, so maybe I'll run to the hardware store & give it a gander.
:-) Karen Marie
Picture is of the wall in the hall. When finished, I rolled a dab of Draw Tite on
the wall, stuck a skeletonized leaf to the wall, rolled over it and let it dry. I came
back the next day and rolled over the leaf a few more times. Wa-La. There
are about a dozen leaves on the walls in the hall in various spots now. You can
do this with dried leaves as well, they don't have to be skeletonized. The flatter,
the better.
I'm new here. I seen this technique done on one of the HGTV's shows and was searching for how to do it online and found your site. Someone mentioned doing it with different color papers and wanted to make it so it's not so dark or having it be a different color than brown. well I'm not sure if you knew or not but HGTV has videos where you can do this with just paint and tissue paper. [HYPERLINK@www.hgtv.com]
I was thinking of doing the tissue paper technique untill I saw the brownpaper bag technique on HGTV and have been contemplating doing my living room with it.
I am so glad I did the search and found this site, it helps alot on what to use and what not to use. My living room has the old plaster walls with the half circle swirls, we tried using a painting technique with textured paint but I don't care for that look either. I'm thinking the brown paper technique is just what I need to do, the color and look of it are just what I have been looking for.
Does anyone know if you could do this over wall paper? I have wall paper in our dining room and I surely wasn't looking forward to removing it. I want to go with a Tuscan theme in my Dining room and Kitchen and think this texture would be great for it. The wall paper is in great condition and not separating from the walls or anything. I also did not use a primer/sizing on the new wall board before putting the wall paper up so I am thinking it will not come down very easily
I did some research on the "Draw tite- no run" primer/top coat stuff and it said that it is used for just such situations. So I think it might be able to work in my dining room too, so if anyone has any input on it I'd be greatful? I might paint over it with the color I want in there instead of the brown paper bag color. Thinking of going with a golden rod color in those rooms.
Also does the "Draw tite" as a top coat make it so the walls are more scrubbable?
I did the parchment painting technique (from the HGTV video link I posted above) in my bedroom with 3 different shades of purple and it turned out great. and I will probably do that technique in my kitchen and dining room but with the golden rod color, to give it an old world look.
Yes, this method screams Tuscan, you will love it!
I have, and will continue to, wallpaper right over the existing paper.
If you can grab a piece and tear it off, even if some sticks to the wall,
it's better to get the paper off, but not a must.
Peel off what you can, then use a sanding block or something to
smooth down any bumps.
With regard to Draw-Tite as a topcoat being scrubbable, well, I haven't
had to clean any spots, but I will say that a damp cloth should do the
trick. If you have to scrub, you may notice the sealer turning white for a
bit, but that will only be until it dries. Then you can simply roll a dab of
Draw-Tite back over it. If you have such a spot that it needs amending, you
can always slap paste on a piece of paper, slap it on the wall and roll
over it with more sealer. Very easy to fix spots, replace spots. Move a
fixture? Easy patch. Oops, punched a hole in the wall? Easily patched.
thanks wuv. I was thinking the area in the Kitchen/Dining room I would probably have to clean it more often than if in living room or bdroom area that is why I was asking about scrubability.
I am looking forward to giving this a try.
I'll probably do the living room first as it is basically the color I was looking at doing in the living room anyway. I'll see how it goes before tackling the Dining room and Kitchen.
I'm in the process of doing a floor, it may take a bit. The idea is to use
polyurethane so that it will be washable, so we'll see. Many people have
this on their floors and report that it holds up quite well.
I think if you were to use this method in the kitchen, then coat it with
poly, it would look fabulous and be durable enough for cleaning - without
chemicals, of course.
Also, I have this wild thought of the floor being very dark with polyurethane, so
I am going to roll a sealer of Draw-Tite first. I've actually rolled a few pieces with
poly, and boy, are they dark. We'll have to see.
Yes, that is Bozzle's page for Bonnye. They sent me an email
last year asking if they could do mine, as well, which was fine
at the time, but they don't, or won't, do updates. Bonnye has since
changed her page, but Bozzle left it as she wrote it a number
of years ago. I told them I was not done with my page, but they
copied what they wished and that was the end of it.
At the top, in the bright green bar, you'll see my name in white
as well, which takes you to my page. You can barely see it
because it is in white text. However, a lot of the text from the Google
toolbar down is not only not mine, but much does not apply to the
subject matter.
Karen Marie, if you're doing it on a floor, I just want to make sure you're using a floor poly to finish the job and not just a regular poly for furniture. An oil poly would give it a beautiful amber color where a water based poly would just be clear.
wow I didn't know that, cool thanks wuvie. I was telling my hubby about this but he didn't like the idea untill I said it will cover the imperfections and cracks, etc and he asked if we could do the ceiling. I was like ewwwwwww untill I seen your photo ... hmmmmmmmm
From doing a search on the Cabot (who's products I love BTW), it's not made for floors. It's for furniture and such. You need something made specifically for floors. It will say on it that it's a Floor Polyurethane.
Yes, I have used it on top of wallpaper, but before you begin,
try a section. The problem with a lot of wallpaper is that while
you may think it is stuck to the walls, if you seal it, paper over
it and seal again, the Draw-Tite sucks the other paper off the
wall. Ask me about the laundry room section I have to do over again.
Tess, while it is shiny, it isn't super glossy unless you put additional
coats on the wall. You can seal lightly, but the total look is very nice.
When I am completely finished with the living room, I'll be using a few
gallons of sealer with Poly*Flake glitter in it, then roll the ceiling again
for effects. Poly*Flake is super ultra fine glitter, not like kiddy glitter.
The wall paper that is up was not sized so it is "really" stuck to the wall. If I sanded it first including all the seems, do you think that would work? I'm afraid to ask what happened in your laundry room...
I don't think I'd sand...the way that wallpaper becomes unstuck from the wall is if there are little holes in it where moisture from paint or whatever you put on top of it can get through, then you get areas that bubble up and look terrible. Maybe prime over it if you're worried the paper won't stick to it, but I wouldn't sand.
Actually, I did have to sand the border off our living room walls. It refused to come
off, and when it did, left behind a lot of 'still stuck' stuff. After sanding, though, be
sure to coat the walls with extra Draw Tite. In the sections I sanded, I just ran a
coat of DT over it, allowed it to dry, then make sure the surface is very flat and
run another coat over it.
Even though the paper does cover well, you can definitely see imperfections
in the wall in the daylight. I tried covering the border at first, but you can see the
lines. I had to sand down and re-do a few sections. A lesson learned.
:-) KM
Psy, I have a few packages of Poly, but none of them list a website.
I'll see if I can find anything. I found it at Hob Lob - watch for 50% off
sales. :-)
about 5 yrs ago bought a mobile home. all walls were covered in vinal faced sheetrock. i took all the strips off that covered the seams and plastered them,then went to w m and bought rolls of browm craft paper.as i unrolled the paper,i twisted it to get it as wrinkled as possible.coiled it up as i went.i placed a piece of lanolium on my work area and tore off pieces of paper,stacked them up.brushed on golden harvest gh-50 border& viinyl to vinyl adhesive with a 21/2" cheap paint brush to 2 or 3 pieces of paper,scooting the paper in places to accent the wrinkles,run a flat wallpaper smoother over it.i sealed it with a water based polyurathane.then dry brushed buckskin colored paint over it careful to leave lot's of paper showing thru,random.then used a light ,forest green,then a dark brown that did not show a purple tone.(hard to find).paid attention to the wrinkles to accent.left lots of unpainted paper.sealed it again with water based polyuathane. it looks fab. like a forest floor with all the shadows.added beadboard,chair rails & crown moulding.reframed the doors & windows in 1x3 spruce.looks like a house now! doesn't match my pink leather sofa,but don't have to please anyone but me.did find a throw for the sofa that had all the colors.lol sally
Hi everyone, I am a novice with home renovations... I used the brown bag method in a very simple way and got great results. I have a small bathroom that was not finished out and had lots of gaps. I used the brown paper from lowes and tore multiple sheets abot the size of my hand. I crumpled them dipped them in water to inhance the wrinkle affect, after squeezing the excess out i applied them to the wall using simple Titebond clear drying glue. I over lapped so when the paper dried and shrunk it would not leave the background showing. OH my the effect is still so wonderful just to set and look at. I am polyurathaneing it to protect the paper from any humidity. I tried to glaze it with a bronze but found it just ruined the effect. I love this I know there are lots of steps that I did not do that the more experianced decorator described in this thread, but for me I could not be prouder of the final product.
Rookie, I, too, have a small powder room in which I am going to use this process (either going over, if I can, or replacing 80's wallpaper that has splashes of burgundy, mauve and black!). I am interested in any and all variations of this technique, so thanks for the info and picture. For that matter, thanks to everyone else for all the previous details and pictures in this thread - incredibly helpful and most appreciated !!!! :)
I am renovating a farm house and am planning to start in one bedroom this weekend. I've seen it done all over but I haven't found any consistent advice as to adding color. I've seen reds and browns added before the walls were sealed but can't afford too many do-overs. Any advice.
there are so many options as to how to add color that you should make up some samples to try .it's extra work but after looking at them a few days, you can better decide what you like . for example, i used a brown to accent my creases, when it dried, it showed purple instead of brown. ugly!! tried another brown,actually paint that was used to paint concrete blocks on foundation of house,very dark, chocolate.beautiful,no purple. the only thing to remember,is don't cover the paper with solid color,because that will defeat the purpose of the paper. i like dry brushing because it leaves a minimum of color on paper,letting the natural color for the background showing .one thing you can be sure of, the paper will soak up the liquid as soon as it is touched. if you like the look of leather,leave it natural for awhile.also, if you seal it with polyurathane,before adding color, you won't get paint soaked in' it will stay on surface.again, your choice
I had a trial board to try different styles. I painted it a red then a gold both did nothing for me. I also used a copper glaze - it would have been ok but I just preferred the natural look of the paper. It has character, after I polyurathaned it there is a great shine. Good luck.
mine doesn't have a solid shine all over, when you look down the walls,there are patches of suede leather looking areas.it's very satisfing. those are areas where the paper was rougher on the surface. the shine doesn't glare at you either.i think i said before, i used water based polyurathane.it's tougher.also, i didn't worry about wipeing off the excess glue, because the poly covered it also making a watertite surface
If you like this texture for the walls look in the thread in trash to treasure its the "Keepsake box". They used this texture on a box. What great ideas.
I, too, have the various patches on our walls, though it is my
impression that this is due to absorption of the glaze and / or
absorption of the wallpaper paste.
Once I put a final coat of glaze on the ceiling with a bit of gold,
the spots won't show on the ceiling, at least.
I love the look at night and even in the daytime when the
sun shines in the room.
