The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Interior Decorating

Flush switches are easy to tackle as the securing ring may be unscrewed and wall plate removed. As a safety precaution the current supply should be switched off while switches of this kind are being dealt with.

Papering the Ceiling. The amateur will find it extremely difficult to make a good job of his first attempt at papering the ceiling, and it is best not to tackle this job until some skill has been acquired through practice in hanging paper on walls. This does not mean that this job is impossible for the amateur to do. It means simply that when hanging paper on the ceiling the force of gravity is a liability and not an asset as when hanging paper on walls.

As a general rule the seams in papering ceilings should be at right angles to the main source of light which will make them less noticeable. A guide line should be marked on the ceiling to determine the position of the first strip. The lengths of strips of paper used for a ceiling are longer than those used for hanging on a wall and to facilitate handling the long rolls, the paper should be pasted and folded con- certina fashion as illustrated in Fig. 20.

When papering a ceiling it is necessary to erect some form of scaffolding to be able to move without obstruction along the length of the strip. This may be done as previously described by supporting a plank on the treads of two pairs of steps or a pair of steps and table may be used to support the planks. The decorator should stand in a position so that the top of his head ib about 6 ins. from the ceiling. One end of the paper should be unfolded and the edge should be brushed to the marked line. With this done all the width of that end of the paper should be brushed smoothly to the ceiling and the full length of paper unfolded and brushed along this length. With this done the ends of the strip should be trimmed by marking a crease line with the scissors in the usual way.

Relief Wallpaper. Embossed wallpapers are divided into two groups which are described as high and low reliefs according to the indentation of the surface pattern. The low relief papers are sold in the form of rolls the same as ordinary wallpapers. The high relief materials are supplied in tabloid form. These heavy papers require special treatments and manufacturers of these materials supply detailed instructions for application. Also manufacturers will advise on the best kind of adhesive to use.