Do-it-yourself Cinderella story - covering a chest with wood-veneer wallpaper - Brief Article

Sunset, April, 2000 by Ann Bertelsen

Wood-veneer wallpaper plays fairy godmother to an outdated chest

Before you discard that old chest of drawers sitting in your garage, consider updating it--with wallpaper. There are now wall coverings that are surprisingly effective at mimicking a wide variety of finishes. To show off their remarkable verisimilitude, we asked stylist Roberta Maran to restore the chest shown here, purchased for $40 at a Goodwill Industries store. The challenge was to transform the chest, not merely paint it, so that it would be stylish enough to grace a living room or bedroom.

The wood-veneer wallpaper Maran used is available through design showrooms. If you don't have access to a showroom, try using a woven grass-cloth paper that has a natural, textured appearance. Or, for a high-tech look, select one of the metallic wallpapers readily available at wallpaper stores. The idea is to make the wallpaper appear to be an integral part of the chest. A good strategy is to apply paper to the large flat surfaces, such as tops and sides, but not to he legs or other structural elements.

First, remove the old hardware and my unwanted paint or finish. Take out drawers and detach doors. You may want to change other things too; our chest had a plastic drawer inset that we removed. Sand the chest (including legs) with coarse sandpaper, followed y a finer sandpaper, then wipe with a dry, soft cloth.

TIME: A weekend, plus drying

COST: Varies with type of wallpaper

directions

1. Make newspaper templates of the sections of the chest you want covered with wallpaper. Use a paper cutter--with the templates as your guide--to cut the paper precisely. (Note: The cutter needs to be as large as the longest side on your chest; scissors will work for fine papers, but heavier, veneered wallpapers require the precision of a paper cutter. If you don't own a paper cutter, take your templates and the wallpaper to a copy shop for cutting to size.)

2. Use a damp rag or foam brush to apply one coat of wallpaper paste (we used Gibson-Homans Shur-Stik heavy-duty wallcovering adhesive) on all the areas to be covered with paper, then let dry for at least 24 hours. This produces a raised texture for the wallpaper to adhere to.

3. Starting with the smallest surface, such as a drawer, apply a second coat of paste to the chest and a coat to the back of the wallpaper. Affix the wallpaper, working out from the center of the paper to smooth away bubbles. Make sure you properly align the corners, since they will be clearly visible on the finished piece. (Note: If working with a square grid, as on our chest, decide on pattern placement before you begin pasting. It's unlikely that all the squares will align perfectly so you'll have to decide what works best.) Smooth out bubbles and remove excess paste as you proceed.

4. Move on to bigger areas, such as the sides, and do the top last. Bring wallpaper flush to edges for a clean line.

5. Spray with a protective sealant suitable for your surface, sealing legs as well. A satin rather than glossy finish is best for wood and grass-cloth surfaces, so they retain their natural appearance.

6. Attach new hardware when sealant is thoroughly dry.