Wallpapering with Postcards?

[julesapple]

When asked what I'd like for Christmas, I asked for a set of 100 postcards featuring Penguin book covers. I now have two boxes of beautiful postcards as two relatives heard my request.

Having so many, I've decided that the downstairs loo needs decorating and the postcards would look great. As a very bookish family this suits our tastes just fine.

But I need help. What sort of adhesive would I use and would I need to protect the postcards with a varnish of some sort once they're on the wall? If so, what varnish/finish would be recommended?

I've been to B&Q and Homebase today and all the help they could give was just funny looks....

Jules

[mandyballantyne]

That's a great idea!

Could you not go to a art/craft store they could probably give you advice and products.

Good luck and pics please.

Mandy

[Scarlet]

You can get spray varnish in craft shops which would give it a semi waterproof finish.

[julesapple]

I have spray adhesive which is removable if you spray just the one object, but permanent if both surfaces (wall & postcard) are sprayed, so I'm wondering about that.

I did think about spray varnishes, but I'd like to avoid the cards going yellow if I can. The box states that they are acid & lignin free, which may help with discolouration. There is very little direct sunshine in the loo, which may also help.

I've just bought some sheets of inkjet printable cotton fabric and I'm going to select a few favourite postcard images and scan them onto this fabric to make a roman blind to match.

All this could take some time....it took me four years to finish the kitchen.....


Jules

[lizzylemon]

sounds brilliant.

How about just a normal wall paper paste for sticking and protecting. Make the paste thicker than normal to hold them and water down to cover them. It will have all the specific requirements you need for a damp(ish) environment and you will be able to get it all off in the future when you want to redecorate.

Or a normal PVA glue that they use for decoupage or at schools. You can buy great big 5 litre cans of it. It will stick the postcards on once it's a little tacky to the touch and then thin it down to use as a 'glaze' over the top. The only thing to remember is being PVA glue, water will deteriorate it. But you need that to able to take it all off.

I've been talking to a diy specialist about fixing tiles to different types of surfaces and he says that using

[taff]

not adhesive related, but what about sandwiching between perspex or thin board and perspex? Protects from water/condensation and can be cleaned. Fit the sheet to the wall.

[julesapple]

Lizzy, that sounds good. Maybe thicker wallpaper paste to paste them up and a varnish to waterproof. There's no sink in our downstairs loo, so I won't need a splashback - other than to protect from the four guys in our house!! BTW is some of your post missing?

Taff, we recently bought a sheet of perspex - it was £15 and I reckon we'd need about 20 for the loo floor to ceiling......so that's a no go on our tight budget.

A friend has suggested employing decoupage techniques. I know she used old atlases to decorate her son's room - took her months, looked fab (to adult/crafty eyes) and her 15 year old hated it as he was a Goth and wanted black & purple paint with huge stencilled eagles or some such creature.

I can see this being pushed to the front of my to do list, simply because it might be more interesting than just replacing the plain yellow cat-clawed wallpaper in the hallway. I've googled for hours this afternoon and just discovered that the buzz-word is 'repurpose'. There are some amazing ideas out there if you search for repurpose.

Keep the suggestions coming...I think I may have to try one postcard in each technique and see which looks/works best.

Jules

[Hilary B]

The more economica alternative to perspex may be found in some garden centres (or could last year). I think it is known as Multiglass, and it is flexible glass-substitute that comes in 2 thicknesses. The thicker version is about as flexible as a vinyl-type floor covering, the thin one will roll up to the size of kitchen-towel-roll-middle.
The thinner one would be suitable for a front cover (and affordable), and thin MDF (or something similar) as a backing, then you could take the pics with you if you ever move house.....

[julesapple]

This afternoon I came across this;

hallway view towards livingroom with rose | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Now, the picture postcards aren't to my taste, but the overall effect, I think, is fabulous. And the work that went into the project must have been immense. Anyhooo, I contacted Patti in Texas and she told me that wood glue was used to apply the postcards and then they were sealed with a decoupage medium called Mod Podge.

Both of those I can get over here (ModPodge on ebay), so watch this space ......I'll get the DD to take pics of our progress!

Jules

[kirsty b]

Thats a fab idea Jules. Will you post piccies when you have done it? Especially love the roman blind idea, thats genius

I was inspired by downstairs loo being decorated by maps. The edges had been ripped to soften the edges and they were stuck and varnished. Looked fab, want to do it in mine too!

[julesapple]

Thats a fab idea Jules. Will you post piccies when you have done it? Especially love the roman blind idea, thats genius

I was inspired by downstairs loo being decorated by maps. The edges had been ripped to soften the edges and they were stuck and varnished. Looked fab, want to do it in mine too!

We found a 70 year old road atlas of the UK in our attic quite a while back, and I had thought about putting the maps on our younger sons' bedroom walls but it was such a lovely book that I couldn't bring myself to take it apart. Quite amazing to see how tiny the towns were and rad the info in the gazeteer.

We're off to Hay on Wye today - I want some coloured Penguin classics to go in the loo on shelves! Any excus to prowl the bookshops....

Jules

[Hilary B]

I don't think I could bear to use old maps, photos or postcards in that sort of way, but I might scan them into the computer, print copies, and use THOSE on the walls.....
Worth considering for those old maps???? With practice you can take digital photos of documents as good as you would get from a scanner (for things that come in books). Sometimes when we are doing surveys the house owner has important paperwork (plans for the last work done, consent for the ones they haven't got around to yet, etc) and making copies with the digital camera helps with our work.

[julesapple]

Work in Progress

We're getting there. I had to try quite a few different glues/methods, but pasting both surfaces works best and I'm using wood glue. I sent for the Puffin Children's postcards set to go with my Penguin books cards and there were enough horizontal cards to form a border around the ceiling. Sadly, 300 cards will only cover one wall, so I'm going to have to buy more as & when the budget allows.

Jules

[Nicos]

Gosh- I was only wondering yesterday how your idea was progressing!!


..That looks fantastic- what a brill idea- you must be really chuffed with that!!

Thanks for showing us

[julesapple]

I'll be pleased when it's finished. I had a problem with the edges of the cards lifting, but we solved that by pasting both surfaces, but it takes ages just to get one row up. It is definitely a labour of love!

I've come to the conclusion that it's as well we won't spend a lot of time in there, as it's going to be incredibly busy looking in there with 600 postcards...I'll need twice as many as originally thought to finish the room, which is 2½ foot by 7 foot.

One of my sons suggested that we do an I-Spy type quiz and put it on the back of the toilet door for the amusement of occupants!

Jules