Spotlight Magazine for North Mansfield March 2015 Spotlight Magazine for Mansfield North, March 2015 | Page 26

Spotlight Magazine

G

The Art Of Wallpaper

o along to any DIY store or specialist
decorating shop and you will see lots
of different types of wall coverings, but
how did they originate?

The first type of paper was introduced in
Egypt around 4000 BC and was called
papyrus. It was from about 200 BC that the
Chinese started to put glued rice paper
onto their walls, and around 105AD that
they began to make paper from textile
waste.
Knowledge spread from the Chinese to
the Middle East via prisoners in the eighth
century. It took until the twelfth century for
papermaking to reach Europe.
English manufacturing methods became
world famous, and in the eighteenth
century wallpapers from London
workshops were highly sought after. Initially,
hand painted papers imitated architectural
details or materials like marble and stucco,
but eventually other patterns emerged.
The 1920’s are known as the Golden Age
of Wallpaper as some 400 million rolls were
sold during that period. The industry was
revolutionized after WW2 when plastic
resins were added to make wallpapers
stain resistant, washable, and more
durable.

over dark paint or wallpaper. It won’t be
as noticeable if the wallpaper fails to align
exactly at the top.
4. Use a special plumb bob to get paper
straight.
5. Your first strip should be about