Say Goodbye to Plain White Walls

In the modern home, a picture on the wall is only worth whatever enjoyment can be found in the picture itself. In the old days of drafty stone castles, however, tapestries were hung on the walls to not only look good but keep out the cold in the winter and the heat in the summer. One day I looked at my wall heavily covered with posters and asked myself, "Why not give it a try?"

The best walls to cover are the exterior facing walls as they will cause you the most problem. Anything you can put on the wall will provide a bit of insulation, though, some things provide more than others. Posters and other paper based pictures can stop a little bit of the draft but for the best effect it is best to look into using some kind of fabric. Wall scrolls made of fabric can make your wall look quite attractive, but like posters only block small drafts. Tapestry fabric, large rugs, or even blankets not only provide good protection from drafts but also turn a blank, boring wall into a real room accent. My most attractive wall covering was just plain cotton fabric. It didn't do much to block the cold but it really brought some life into an apartment with plain white walls.

Once you have chosen what you will put up on your walls, the next step is to attach them to the walls by whatever method is appropriate for your material. Scotch tape and tacks might work for posters but you will most likely need a decent set of hooks or nails to hang up a rug or heavy tapestry. I like using a staple gun. I just staple the fabric across the top of the wall and work my way down making sure the fabric lies flat like wallpaper. If I am covering the entire wall, I use fabric with a small print since walls are not as even as they look. Believe me it is almost impossible to have fabric with a large border match up at the corners. As you staple down the sides of the wall, make sure you leave a little extra fabric that overlaps to the connecting wall. After I am done, I just take a box cutter and trim the excess fabric down the sides making sure it is flush with the corner. When you get to a window, I would suggest avoiding covering them up as it would block out a light and the possible moisture build up on the windows could cause problems with mold.

When you get that task completed, stand back and take in your work. If the outcome is something that you can live with, then congratulations you did it. With just a little bit of effort and a small amount of money, you now have made your house just a bit more insulated from the weather with the added benefit of eye-catching pieces of art all over your walls. Now your home will not only be warm, but also if this method is applied to rooms open to visiting guests it can be quite the conversation piece.