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.

Something Different

Like paint colours, there are trends, and most people gravitate toward certain colours and patterns because they saw them in a decorating book or on a TV home renovation show. What I enjoy most, is hanging something that is unusual. This pattern qualified.

There was no pattern match on the seam so hanging it randomly made for quickness, ease, and efficiency.

A job like this completed in under 2 hours and is a lot of fun.

Unusually Retro

With the growing trend toward more wallpaper being used in homes today, one thing has become apparent. The old days of papering the whole house or a whole room are gone. Blocking, using paper on one wall as a feature, is the norm, or, if a whole room is done, it is usually the powder room. So I was surprised when this customer wanted her whole bedroom done. But not only was the whole room done, but the old fashioned 5/3 split and a retro paper was also requested. I felt like I was back in the 80's.

But, she loved it and that is what matters. Decorating should be what you want and what you like. It is a very individual thing, unless you are doing it for re-sale, in which case, the latest trend would be in your favour.

Black Grass

Grass cloth is a very specialised and expensive wallcovering and I learned to hang it in the 80's when the west coast designed homes were popular, the ones with vaulted ceilings, natural cedar walls and lots of grass cloth. There was a learning curve and it took me many tries and mistakes to eventually develop my own technique and today I do not feel intimidated by it. It is a rough and tough product, hard on the tools and very difficult to trim and cut, particularly around electrical outlets. The small feature wall in this cosmetology clinic had around 20 such outlets. Besides that challenge, the Dr. wanted us to cover the post in the middle of the wall, and grass cloth does not 'go around the corners' due to its horizontal natural fibers and its great stiffness.

But, with a great amount of patience and perseverance, we were able to complete the job on budget. I must say that it is quite striking as you walk in the front door. Considering we hung the grass cloth over existing vinyl wallpaper, which we had to prime first, it turned out quite well. In retrospect, I should have bartered for some plastic surgery.

Custon Home in Mission

This particular pattern has been very popular, and here we are doing a wall in a custom built home in Mission. This is a beautiful product to work with and a job like this takes less than two hours from set up to clean up.

The one challenge here is that there is a window to go around, which in itself is not at all difficult, but to get the pattern to match at the other end of the window is always a hit and miss situation. The slightest variance will result in an open or overlapped seam and or a mismatched pattern.

We did good on this one. I have done at least 5 of these feature walls for this builder. The downside is that he takes forever to pay.

Walking the Plank

It is always a solid vote of confidence when a reputable builder hires you for one of the  homes he is constructing, and then later gets you to come and work in his own home. I was not going to do any more stairwells, but this one was not that difficult to access, especially after he dismantled the end rail on the upper landing.

It is a bit tense working on a suspended plank, at my age, but I do not do anything that I do not feel safe doing. This was a nice textured paintable wallpaper, and though I did not see the finished product, it looked good even without the designer colour on it.

Attention to Detail

"I fired the last guy who tried to hang my wallpaper. Do you think you can do better?"

With that comment from the caller, I was a bit intimidated but decided to at least take a look at what was "not good enough" and determine if I could do better. He had stripped most of the wallpaper by the time I had driven out to Chilliwack, but left a few areas for me to see, and discover for myself how bad the job was. Besides the evidence on the wall, he had a collection of 20 or more close up photographs of the offending seams and cuts. I walked in the front door and was impressed by the ornateness and  quality of the home, and the youth of the owner. He had developed a very successful IT company and had then sold it for an astronomical amount of money. It showed in the expensive taste of the new home.

As you can see by the photos, there were many ornate trims and crowns to cut around and this is where the previous paper hanger failed miserably. I knew I could do better, but after accepting the job and starting, I discovered on my very first piece why the previous guy had so much trouble. The paper would not cut but just bunch up under the knife and tear, more than anything. The sharpest blade will not cut the wet pulpy paper with so very little wear layer on the surface.

I called him over after the first piece, which involved a cut around one of those doors, and he was so impressed he let me continue. My problem now was the cost to me. I had estimated for a certain amount of time at a certain rate but ended up spending more than twice as much time. It was nerve wracking and tense work, but he reassured me his goal was a good job and not a cheap price. That helped me to relax and the next day we completed the task and were paid well for our efforts.  

It is not unusual for the more expensive wall coverings to be the poorest in quality. Often, a designer puts his name to a product and the price shoots up, when the consumer assumes the high price will give him some quality.

But, if "the look" is achieved and the area does not have high or rough traffic, it works.

A Concrete Idea

The client has an older home that he is re-decorating in an industrial/commercial look. A few years ago, we papered all these walls in red mortared brick, very realistic and looking like an old warehouse. Now the idea was to make it look like a concrete tilt-up building. This upstairs bedroom wall required two 16' wall murals, side by side. The first panel goes in the middle of the wall, very carefully levelled and plumbed.

The reason he is having the walls re-papered is because he had a flood and when the restoration crew pulled the baseboards to put down new floors, they used a crow bar and ruined the brick wallpaper. Unforgiveable! With three panels up, I now begin working to the right until I reach the corner.

Now, working to the left. I join the second mural to the first. The pattern does not line up exactly, but the concrete seams in the graphic are not supposed to be perfect anyway. The panels are 3' x 3' and come un-pasted. They can stretch easily and the challenge here was to wrap the window and deal with the beam and the sloped ceiling.

Done! I was very pleased with the way it turned out. After 8 panels, a mural is likely to go squirrely, but after 16, we were right on the line to the very end. This is not a one man job and I am grateful to my son, who has taken over the painting end of our business, for his two day assistance on this project.  

Then we moved to the lower floor and began the 3 mural long wall, from living area to dining area. I started about 1/3 of the way in and hoped for the best.

Going around a window, the pattern and seams rarely meet after going under and over the opening. I got into some small trouble on the far right corner, but only I know about it. Concrete is very forgiving.

Working to my left, I had another window to go around and was afraid the same thing would happen. I took great pains to plumb and level all pieces, all while wrapping the window returns to give the wall a solid concrete look.

Thankfully, this time it worked better. I cruised to the far corner without trouble.

The overall industrial/commercial look was nicely achieved with these 5 murals and it really does look like concrete.

Two Leaves

My walk today was extra long. My heart was burdened and I thought the workout would clear my head and change my perspective.

I have been plagued with a lot of pain recently and my ability to work has been diminished. I should not find this troubling at my age, but it is. I walked 7 Km. and as I walked, I counted and recalled the homes, along the route that I took, that I had worked in over the years. There were seven, on this little route (mostly through a park) and I began to wonder if what I did, really made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

I know that at the time, my clients were very happy to have the work done and happy to have me do it. Did it make a difference? I suppose temporarily it did.

I eventually needed to sit a while and do some stretches so I could make it back to my home. I was sitting on a high curb, trying to shut out the drone of the heavy traffic while thinking about my life and what I had accomplished and what I could do with the rest of it.

My mind was a muddle as a sudden small gust of wind whipped a leaf from the tree above me, right to my feet. It was unremarkable and then another small gust turned it right side up, and I was struck by the incredible beauty of the gold tinged with brilliant red, the veins and stem, blood red yet outlined in yellow, and the perfect Maple leaf shape.  

Ah, yes. The autumn of life. And as I stared at the leaf, I realised that it had a purpose from the day it sprouted as a bud in the warm spring breezes. It worked hard photosynthesizing sunlight so the tree could be nourished, so it could thrive and grow. Without the leaf, the tree would eventually shrivel, dry up, and die. It hung on tenaciously as it was tossed by storms, pummeled by rain, clawed at by squirrels and birds, and yet it did its job to the end.

And now, it was no longer needed, its value was gone....but wait, it had one more purpose. Its creator, almighty God, in one of his strokes of creative genius, decided that a dying leaf should be brilliant and beautiful, a delight to the eye, singly or by the millions. It was a last chance to show God's glory before returning to the soil to nourish the next living plant.

But I am not brilliant like that leaf! There are those who are, who let their light and beauty shine and everyone can see it and appreciate it. It was uplifting and discouraging at the same time. I felt right then and there that I had no brilliance, nothing left. And as I mulled this thought about in my mind, what did I see but another leaf that was right in front of me the whole time. It was an Oak leaf, with no beauty, no brilliance, only a drab shade of brown, lying on the sidewalk, wet and crushed.

But did that leaf not also have the same purpose and value in its lifetime? Did it not also feed and nourish its own tree, the Oak?  Had I not persevered and worked hard to provide for my family? Had I not done some good for those around me and for mankind on a broader scale. I realised that I had and that my work was just as valuable, if finish with brilliance, or with a bit of pain and dysfunction. I was mistaken to think that only the brilliantly coloured  leaves give glory to God in their dying moments. Every shape, size and colour are a testament to a life of purpose and endurance.

The fresh air invigorated me, the brisk walk eased the pain somewhat, but it was the leaves, fluttering down from the almost bare branches, that inspired me.