Odds and Ends

Not since the late 80's have I wallpapered an entire room. This one had been papered and when we stripped the old paper there was a lot of damage on the walls so the customer decided to do the whole room.

It was a huge improvement over the old, dingy, tired, and faded paper from the past.  

This was a makeover where the customer wanted to do the minimum of preparation for the new wallpaper. We covered a multitude of sins that day.

Back to a dramatic black wallcovering. This pattern made a very bold statement in this master bedroom.

This was a curved stairwell and the wallpaper was Anaglypta, a paintable wallcovering.

The height at any given step was 9' so I had to drag my mini scaffold up and down, back and forth about 50 times by the time I got to the bottom of the stairs.

The curve was consistent all the way down, a rarity, so I never lost pattern or a tight seam the whole way. I never got to see the finished product. I wonder how she painted this texture down along the carpet where we tucked it deep below the nap.

At least our part was done well and properly. I was thankful that I did not have to paint it too. I always love the variety in my work but some things that I have done lots of, I do not like to do anymore.

First Blooms of Spring 2017

There was the briefest of breaks in the cold spring weather on Sunday afternoon and we walked to the park which is nearest to our home. The Cherry Blossoms were just starting and a new variety of Tulips was just coming into its own.

During the winter months I am totally uninspired to even think about photography, but the minute I see a blossom, I am charging up the camera battery and heading out to capture some colour after many months of nothing but grey.

Standing under a Cherry Tree in full bloom is a delight like few other things in nature. This year there is not as much pink in the blossoms, but they are heavy and prolific on the branches. I guess we have a year of quantity over quality.

Maybe My Last Paint Job

I have turned the painting end of my business over to my partner and son and realised that this is the probably the last paint job I did. There is only one more coming up, but that is to paint a set of kitchen cabinets.

This was a two bedroom condo in Pitt Meadows. The young couple worked very hard, on their days off, to move as much as they could out of the little cramped rooms. Their colour choices were unique, but then I did not mind going out with a bit of a bang.

An Artful Floral

I really appreciate the variety in my work, not only the areas that I work in and the people I work for, but the beautiful patterns and materials that are coming out of the industry today. This paper is most beautiful to look at and to touch. The background is a crinkle paint look and the flowers are very artistic. The pattern match was a staggered drop match making the pattern so random on the wall that it was difficult to see any repetition at all, and that is rare.

This was the first job I did after a two week bout of the flu. I felt very weak and shaky but managed to get it done.

The vanity was an old salvaged dresser that was painted and plumbed. It was gorgeous, but not easy to get around as it was permanently fastened to the wall. The old fashioned vintage look was definitely achieved in this powder room make-over.

Reptilian

This snake skin, or alligator skin, comes in rolls and some people like it put on the walls of their bedroom. It is realistic but I do not care for the repetitious pattern which is evident as you step back to take a look. A longer repeat, or more random pattern would have been better, but I do it give it a thumbs up for the look and feel of animal skin. (If you like that sort of thing)

Black Grass Cloth

An interior designer from Abbotsford asked me if I would drive to South Surrey to do a small job because she could not find an installer for her client's very expensive black grass cloth. I did not care much for the design of the house but the wallpaper was very nice.

I started in the center of the wall so that the panels and seams would be equidistant from the corners. Grass cloth is a very panelled look so the placement of the seams is critical.

Not many people are brave enough to tackle grass cloth. It is tricky and very expensive. I learned to hang it in the 80's when west coast design houses with vaulted ceilings, cedar, and exposed beams were popular, all surrounded by various shades of grass cloth.

I developed a technique that is unique and works very well.

A close up shot.

It is difficult to cut and is very hard on knife blades. It is also not fun to strip. I hope they liked it and were prepared to keep it for a long time. If we could have come back the next day to take a photo when it was dry, the distinct panel look would be quite a bit less.

Something Unusual

We have done a few jobs at Harrison Hot Springs in the last few months. It is too far to drive out to check the job before taking it on so I am often surprised. This was an unusual paper but nice to work with. The problem was, there was not enough, and because the client bought the paper many months previously, the right dye lot was no longer available. I ended up splicing a lot of small pieces into the last corner, not something I like to do. But, the client could not see the splices so it was OK. It just took a lot more time.

Fun and Satisfying

I was looking forward to hanging this mural and it did not disappoint. I have hung this style and brand before so knew what I was up against before even starting. The trick here was to centre the Brooklyn Bridge from top to bottom without taking off anything that was important to the balance of the photo.

There were 10 panels and as I have stated before on one of my other work posts, starting right, plumb and square, is absolutely critical.

Getting organised and set up takes almost as much time as actually installing the photomural.

It was going well and I was having so much fun.

The client was 'over the moon' about the whole thing and that always makes my day. This was also an interesting project because it is in phase 2 of the Condominium project which we are moving into in 15 months. I could live with one of these in my unit.