Tinting Wallpaper: A Quick and Easy New Look for Your Home

Tinting wallpaper is the easiest way to refresh the look of a wallpapered room without resorting to scraping, steaming, or texturing. In one or two coats, you can create anything from a subtle change to a dramatic alteration. A fresh wash of color will spruce up your kitchen or living room without requiring that you rent a steamer, add three coats of primer, or learn about joint compound. To tint wallpaper, you need a few things. Start with equal parts latex paint and acrylic glaze and a pail with a lid in which you can mix and store them. Get two or three large, quality cellulose sponges or a paint roller with extra short-nap sleeves. Pick up half a dozen lint-free cloths and some latex or nitrile gloves while you're out.

Add acrylic glaze to latex paint to keep it from drying quickly and extend your working time. Start with a mixture of about half glaze and half tint. You can adjust the level of each after you test how it looks when it dries.

Test your paint/glaze mix on a scrap of the wallpaper, if you have one, to see if the paper you're working with will absorb the tint. You need to test the wallpaper tint on the wall, as well, but you will find save time finding out that you can't paint a particular paper before you start moving furniture.

Find a hidden area-a spot behind a couch, entertainment center, or other good-sized piece of furniture allows a larger testing area-and apply your glaze to an area about six inches square, or however large it must be to cover all of the colors used in the pattern. If possible, test an area over a seam.

Take a large, damp cellulose sponge and dip it into your tint. Gently wring out the excess glaze and apply it as if you were simply washing the wallpaper. Watch out for drips and runs, which usually mean you are using too much pressure or did not squeeze out enough of your mixture. Stroke the sponge firmly over any escaping drops and smooth them into the paper.

You can use a roller for tinting wallpaper, but be sure to keep plenty of newspaper handy to roll off excess paint before you apply it to the wall. This method saves time but it wastes glaze. It's best used if you have a very large room or wish to heavily tint your wallpaper.

Once you've applied your tint, you may wish to blot it with the lint-free cloths to absorb excess glaze or to highlight raised areas. You can also roll the cloths and use them to create various effects. Practice this on scraps or cardboard, first, so that you know how much pressure to use and how tight to roll your cloths.

Let the wallpaper dry for at least two hours. Remember to tightly cover the pail while you're waiting, and to thoroughly rinse the sponge, roller, cloths, and anything else that needs it. Dried paint will not leave an attractive finish the next time you use them.

The test spot will show you whether the paper absorbs well, how light or dark your mixture will look when dry, and whether you'll need to seal the wallpaper before you tint it. If the paper lifts from the wall or if the inks run or bleed through your glaze, you will need to seal it before continuing.

If the tint dries too dark, add more glaze to your paint to thin it out. If it's too light, add more paint. Prepare the paper in another section of you test area as needed and test again. Now you know why you needed a large test area.

It takes some practice, but tinting wallpaper offers an easy and inexpensive way to change the look of your home. Your wallpaper will be unique and customized to fit your furniture and your style. Best of all, you don't have to get it off of the wall.