# Untrimmed Wallpaper



## finishesbykevyn

Is anyone familiar with Flat Vernacular digitally printed paper?
Any tips on table trimming this product or installing this particular product in general..Cheers.


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## daArch

finishesbykevyn said:


> Is anyone familiar with Flat Vernacular digitally printed paper?
> Any tips on table trimming this product or installing this particular product in general..Cheers.


Not that one in particular, but I've trimmed many different types of paper.
I see from their website that Flat Vernacular is a "boutique" paper out of Brooklyn. And they make different papers - coated papers, mylar, and vinyl.

Which paper type is it? 

I see they recommend 880, which may not be the best for all their papers, and wheat paste for the coated papers, which would not be my preference on a liner. 

But anyway, find out which type of paper it is and if possible ask what type of inks are being used. There is a printer somewhere in NY that uses "clay based" inks that seem to present a whole new set of parameters with many of the boutique papers.

BTW, if you are not REAL experienced with boutique papers, I would advise to pass on it.


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## finishesbykevyn

Hey Daarch
Thanks for the speedy reply. The product is the Flora-Soft Focus.
Its only one 8' feature wall with nothing to trim around. 
Ive hung a bit of paper and admit it has its challenges. Probably wouldnt tackle a whole room with this stuff but thinking i can handle a feature wall. 
As wallpaper is coming back around here and NOBODY is hanging it..Im really trying to get my feet wet here..
Could always change my mind after this.haha..


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## daArch

finishesbykevyn said:


> Hey Daarch
> Thanks for the speedy reply. The product is the Flora-Soft Focus.
> Its only one 8' feature wall with nothing to trim around.
> Ive hung a bit of paper and admit it has its challenges. Probably wouldnt tackle a whole room with this stuff but thinking i can handle a feature wall.
> As wallpaper is coming back around here and NOBODY is hanging it..Im really trying to get my feet wet here..
> Could always change my mind after this.haha..


Not much info on their site as to what the hell it is



> Soft Focus is a digitally printed wallpaper. It is also washable, strippable, unpasted, and Class A fire rated.



If you could find out what the substrate is (regular pulp paper, non-woven, vinyl, paper backed mylar, etc) AND what they are using for inks, I may be able to determine if I have had experience with a similar product.

These boutiques are infamous for knowing very little about wallpaper and just cranking out crap and expecting the professional installer to figure it out on site. Me? I always liked being prepared with the correct paste and tools to do the job correctly. (silly me)


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## finishesbykevyn

Agreed. They dont give you much to work with. Im gonna email him...again..!


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## daArch

DUMB THUMB double post, move ahead, nothing to read here


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## daArch

finishesbykevyn said:


> Agreed. They dont give you much to work with. Im gonna email him...again..!



I would call, sometimes emails don't get answered correctly, and remember, they're from Brooklyn, I doubt they can read "Newfoundlandesse". 

I always call the manufacturer and when they don't answer the question I asked, I'm right there to guide them back on track. And if they obviously are clueless, I can express my opinion as why they should not be in the wallpaper business. 

If it sounds like I have very little faith in these boutiques, that's onlt fhrough experience. ALTHOUGH some are very helpful and willing to learn what they don't know.


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## finishesbykevyn

Hah. Awsome. I can appreciate your honesty Daarch. Seriously right.! Let you know how I make out...


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## finishesbykevyn

So with little information, I used just an all purpose clear paste from Dynamic.
It recommended a liner, but I daringly refused. Probably would have made my life easier as the paper had limited slide once on the wall. 
all in all, besides the fact that my designer shorted me about 12 inches on the paper and the resident dog pissed on my dropsheets, it turned out pretty good!
Had to Frankenstein the lower right corner, which blended in pretty good..
Do you often use liners Daarch?


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## daArch

Glad you were satisfied (enough) with the installation.

I'm not sure I know what "Dynamic" paste is. Who makes it? 

How did you end up trimming the paper? Did you find the expansion when wetting out was even?

If the manufacturer recommends a liner, I ask the HO to read my article, Why a Liner, about the benefits of a liner and to make the decision and accept all responsibility for anything that could have been corrected by use of a liner. 

BTW, a liner will reduce the amount of slip n slide of a pattern, which for many of us is a good thing. I like to lay a paper down where I want it and have it stay.


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## chrisn

probably meant dynamite


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## finishesbykevyn

Dynamic is one of those "We make everything" companies. Brushes, Sanding blocks, etc. Canadian i believe. Theyre slowly gaining a monopoly on the industry up here.
In fact it was the only paste available, as it is not easy to get what you want in Newfoundland. That being said, ive not really had any issue with it. 
Good blog on the liner. My small issue was that once on the wall, trying to move the paper into position was quite difficult without almost creasing,wrinkling tearing the paper as it was veerrry delicate stuff..
I trimmed it on my table with a 3ft.straight edge and olfa with black snapoff blades. Just lined up the arrows and double checked it with my pattern. 
Wet it on the table and booked it in a plastic bag for about 5 min each. 
Rather painless really. If i had to wrap any corners, i could see that paper giving some grief..
They also stamped something on the backing that was smearing once wet. Dumb asses.


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## finishesbykevyn

Never using a liner myself, I imagine that it would be hung similar to the paper but much quicker?? Exuse me if i sound quite naive on this subject as ive been kind of forced into a crash course on this..
I think there is only one other guy in town that is hanging paper so im trying to capatalize on it.. as im already doing the painting for alot of designers in town..


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## daArch

finishesbykevyn said:


> Dynamic is one of those "We make everything" companies. Brushes, Sanding blocks, etc. Canadian i believe. Theyre slowly gaining a monopoly on the industry up here.
> In fact it was the only paste available, as it is not easy to get what you want in Newfoundland. That being said, ive not really had any issue with it.
> Good blog on the liner. My small issue was that once on the wall, trying to move the paper into position was quite difficult without almost creasing,wrinkling tearing the paper as it was veerrry delicate stuff..
> I trimmed it on my table with a 3ft.straight edge and olfa with black snapoff blades. Just lined up the arrows and double checked it with my pattern.
> Wet it on the table and booked it in a plastic bag for about 5 min each.
> Rather painless really. If i had to wrap any corners, i could see that paper giving some grief..
> They also stamped something on the backing that was smearing once wet. Dumb asses.


I can understand your predicament of having limited choices, but unfortunately, no one paste fits all. 

BLOG??? I'm not trendy enough to be bloggin. That is a straightforward old fashioned article that I researched, interviewed other hangers and manufacturers, edited, and honed. Not a stream-of-thought toilet tissue internet "blog" :whistling2: :no:

Try to hang so you do not have to position the paper after it is all on the wall. I sorta lay the seams without setting the rest of the paper. I loosely tack up the top and then lay the seam where it belongs - butted and matched. I then sweep out the rest of the strip. Variations of this is how most of the hangers I've worked with do it. Although, many will do this in sections, top, middle, bottom. But anyway, it gets away from needing to "slip" the whole strip or large sections into position


I would advise buying a six foot wallpaper straightedge and trimming with single edge razor blades. The snap-offs are difficult to keep ABSOLUTELY perpendicular. Also, I don't know what you are using for a table, but if it's inappropriate, the blade can start tracking with the grain or previous cuts. I know one hanger that uses a sheet of plate glass. A real PITA and too hard a surface for my liking, but it does help very accurate trims. Most hangers use basswood boards because of the fine straight grain. 



finishesbykevyn said:


> Never using a liner myself, I imagine that it would be hung similar to the paper but much quicker?? Exuse me if i sound quite naive on this subject as ive been kind of forced into a crash course on this..
> I think there is only one other guy in town that is hanging paper so im trying to capatalize on it.. as im already doing the painting for alot of designers in town..


Liner is almost fun to hang. Most manufacturers recommend "cross lining", or "railroading" or in layman's terms, running the strips horizontally. I used to hang vertically until a very large room where it was impossible to engineer so the seams of liner (30" wide) never fell within an inch of the finish paper (21" wide). After that job I railroaded. There are a few tricks to lining that would be next to impossible to convey clearly here. 

If you need to teach yourself everything, I would advise learning on less expensive, less finicky papers  :yes: Maybe have the other guy help you on a couple of installs and pick up some of his GOOD habits

good luck with it all


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## finishesbykevyn

daArch said:


> I can understand your predicament of having limited choices, but unfortunately, no one paste fits all.
> 
> BLOG??? I'm not trendy enough to be bloggin. That is a straightforward old fashioned article that I researched, interviewed other hangers and manufacturers, edited, and honed. Not a stream-of-thought toilet tissue internet "blog" :whistling2: :no:
> 
> Try to hang so you do not have to position the paper after it is all on the wall. I sorta lay the seams without setting the rest of the paper. I loosely tack up the top and then lay the seam where it belongs - butted and matched. I then sweep out the rest of the strip. Variations of this is how most of the hangers I've worked with do it. Although, many will do this in sections, top, middle, bottom. But anyway, it gets away from needing to "slip" the whole strip or large sections into position
> 
> 
> I would advise buying a six foot wallpaper straightedge and trimming with single edge razor blades. The snap-offs are difficult to keep ABSOLUTELY perpendicular. Also, I don't know what you are using for a table, but if it's inappropriate, the blade can start tracking with the grain or previous cuts. I know one hanger that uses a sheet of plate glass. A real PITA and too hard a surface for my liking, but it does help very accurate trims. Most hangers use basswood boards because of the fine straight grain.
> 
> 
> 
> Liner is almost fun to hang. Most manufacturers recommend "cross lining", or "railroading" or in layman's terms, running the strips horizontally. I used to hang vertically until a very large room where it was impossible to engineer so the seams of liner (30" wide) never fell within an inch of the finish paper (21" wide). After that job I railroaded. There are a few tricks to lining that would be next to impossible to convey clearly here.
> 
> If you need to teach yourself everything, I would advise learning on less expensive, less finicky papers  :yes: Maybe have the other guy help you on a couple of installs and pick up some of his GOOD habits
> 
> good luck with it all



Some priceless tips Daarch. Much appreciated. My table right now is actually 2 saw horses with 8 ft. sheets of laminated MDF on top haha. Which actually probably helped me keep the lines straight i guess. haha. I think..
Definitely want to find a longer straight edge though..! A few days with "The other guy" is probably not a bad idea either. Cheers. Thanks again.


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## chrisn

chrisn said:


> probably meant dynamite


or not:no:


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## daArch

finishesbykevyn said:


> Some priceless tips Daarch. Much appreciated. My table right now is actually 2 saw horses with 8 ft. sheets of laminated MDF on top haha. Which actually probably helped me keep the lines straight i guess. haha. I think..
> Definitely want to find a longer straight edge though..! A few days with "The other guy" is probably not a bad idea either. Cheers. Thanks again.


As I've said many times, I am a HORRIBLE teacher. But I am more than willing to write a few tips for you when you have a question.

It's a long process to learn the trade, and there are a few here who have paid their dues who are willing to help you along via the written word.

Don't be a stranger


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## chrisn

daArch said:


> As I've said many times, I am a HORRIBLE teacher. But I am more than willing to write a few tips for you when you have a question.
> 
> It's a long process to learn the trade, and there are a few here who have paid their dues who are willing to help you along via the written word.
> 
> Don't be a stranger


I have been at it almost 30 years and hardly learned anything


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## wcaz

ditto


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