Our guest bedroom has a strange wall feature. I think there used to be a sliding door in this wall and the previous owner has closed up this wall by mounting a piece of MDF board directly on the wall. I’m not sure there is a gaping hole behind that board, but I don’t have any other explanation for this MDF board. Needless to say, this MDF really impedes the design. It’s not even centered along the wall!
Unwilling to add more construction work to the house by tearing out the MDF - and super afraid of what to find behind that board - we tried to make it work in the room. I saw an awesome design tip on The Nate Berkus Show (when it was still on air) that I had to try. He showed us a way to hang temporary fabric wallcovering. It seemed the perfect place to try out this decor tip so I could easily try out different looks without the commitment.
Supply List
• Fabric - light to medium weights work best; no sheers
• Utility knife
• Scissors
• Paint roller
• Paint tray
• Plastic putty knife
• Liquid starch
- Or make your own liquid starch-
• Cornstarch
• Water
• This recipe
Step-by-Step
Step 1
Clean the wall and patch up any holes.
Step 2
Measure your wall and determine how much fabric you’ll need. Don’t forget to measure the width of the fabric. Buy extra fabric for pattern repeat.
Step 3
Generously roll on liquid starch on the bare wall. It’s best to apply enough starch for one width of fabric at a time because the starch will dry quickly.
Step 4
Hang the fabric making sure to press out air bubbles as you go. Use the putty knife to smooth out the fabric. A plastic putty knife is best so it doesn’t snag the fabric. Immediately roll on more liquid starch to seal the fabric in place.
TIP: This project goes much smoother with two people on the job. It will be nearly impossible to hold up the fabric AND roll on the liquid starch by yourself.
Step 5
Let the starch dry a little bit before trimming off any excess fabric with a utility knife. If there are any corners that didn’t glue down well, apply more liquid starch as needed.
This wallcovering is temporary so you can remove it easily without damaging the wall. It would make a great project for rental homes or anywhere you don’t want to commit to the design. Honestly, I expected the fabric to start peeling away from the wall within six months, but we hung this 3 years ago and it still hangs!
I’m glad I used liquid starch to hang up this fabric. I’m already reconsidering a new look for the guest room.
Can you imagine the possibilities of this project? Which room would you love to have covered in fabric? Which fabric would you use?
PROJECT SUMMARY:
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Total Cost: We went the route of using the cornstarch solution. Aside from the cost of fabric, which will differ for everyone, it cost us mere pennies for this quick update.
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Total Time: This small part of the wall took us an hour from start to finish.
I’ve linked up this project at these parties here.
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