Walls comprise a significant surface area in most rooms. The wall coverings set the tone and background for a room. This factor motivates many homeowners to select a wall covering that goes beyond the traditional painted drywall or wallpaper and adds character and flair to a room. Some of the more popular options to think about include wainscoting, ceramic tile, starch fabric or veneer plaster.
Wainscoting
A popular choice for dining rooms, wainscoting consists of a panel that usually covers about one-third the length up a wall. The treatment of solid wood, flat or raised panels of different sizes and designs, have matching vertical and horizontal boards around the perimeter. A horizontal trim called a chair rail caps the panel. Increasingly, homeowners have wainscoting installed along staircases, in dens as surrounds for surrounding breakfast nooks. The range of locations depends on the creativity of the homeowner.
Manufacturers recently have started producing a new design that employs a raised panel made of composite wood base or wheat board with a thin veneer surface. The choices for finish include maple, cherry or oak. The covering offers durability and does not contract or expand due to humidity. Other types of wainscoting systems use a combination of solid wood and plywood-raised panels with hardwood veneers such as oak, cherry and walnut.
Ceramic Tile
Generally installed in bathroom showers, around tubs and as kitchen back splashes, ceramic tile has become a popular choice for other areas of the home. Going beyond the standard glazed or unglazed look, tile choices now include aged, hand-painted, deep-textured or rugged appearances in a variety of sizes and shapes. Installers may apply ceramic tile over a variety of substrates such as drywall, cement backer board, masonry or mortar beds. However, areas prone to moisture require a waterproof base. One key to a great presentation entails having uniformed horizontal grout lines from wall to wall. Installers have more leeway with vertical grout lines and can treat each wall separately. This allows some wiggle room for the tile layout.
Starch Fabric
Starch fabric wall coverings offer homeowners many options from which to choose in terms of colors, patterns or textures. Generally, the installation is similar to wallpapering a surface, but instead of wallpaper and adhesive, the basic materials consist of fabric and starch. The starch makes the fabric easy to remove and reusable. Depending on preference, the fabric can get costly. Purchase the materials from a discount store or find a clearance sale. Use materials like ginghams, chintzes or polished cottons.
Veneer Plaster
Depending on the location, this treatment costs about 50 percent more than the coverage for a similar area composed of drywall. However, a veneer plaster finish has durability, a higher quality and an exquisite appearance compared to drywall. In addition, homeowners do not have to dread visible seams or popped nails ruining the wall's appearance. A temperature of 55 to 60 degrees makes an ideal temperature for the plaster application. First, plasterers cover the joints and corner beads. Next, they apply the plaster over a special gypsum base. The plasterers have about 30 minutes to work with the material. The plaster starts to harden in 45 minutes to a hour. The results will be a smooth finish, free of imperfections and paint-ready in about 48 hours.
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