Last week I hung some vinyl wallcovering in a powder bathroom that was a slightly tight space.

The room was 9′ tall but only 3′ wide making it a bit of a dilemma when trying to reach over a cabinet. My short ladder was not tall enough but I could open it fully in the room. The 6′ ladder was the perfect height but I could not open it up to get up onto it. I also needed to get the ladder over the commode so I would be closer to the wall over the back cabinet. To add to this, the sink was a free standing one which means I had to get up under it and cut the paper all around the pipes and plumbing, making sure it looked as though I had not done that! Wrapping the window with a vinyl material would be the least of my problems in here.

Unlike the vinyl used for commercial jobs, this material was half the width at 27″ wide and a double roll bolt can cover anywhere from 52 square feet to 60 square feet on average. Commercial vinyls are ordered by the linear yards.

It was a gorgeous silver color and I was anxious to see the room completed. The rustic floor tiles appeared to be slate and was a mixture of rust, browns and grays.

In the end, I managed to squeeze myself onto a semi-closed 6′ ladder and made sure I still had room not to hit the walls with my tool pouch.

I  got the room completed in a short amount of time. I think it came out beautiful.

This couple knows how to pick paper that will go with just about any decor!

Old paper was removed before the new material is installed. Back is taken off commode.

Of course I had to have a bit of a problem! It just would not be a day in my wallpapering life without some sort of distraction. This is how a bolt of it looked when I opened it. It was manageable only because the material had no pattern that had to be matched.

These photos do not accurately show the beautiful ‘silvery’ finish on this vinyl. It was really a lovely look.

…and UNDER the sink. My favorite place besides behind and under the commode 🙂

I am addressing this post mainly to people who do not hang wallpaper (wallcoverings) for a living. Included are the pictures of a job I completed recently. It’s a pretty straightforward and simple commercial installation making it easier for me to explain. Those who are professional installers do not need any explanations, the photos would speak for themselves.

This 54″ (4′ 6″) wide vinyl had a striped pattern which is not very well seen until you get close up to the walls. Strips of 54″ vinyl are overlapped and then double cut to assure a seam that does not show. When a pattern is involved, double cutting can be a bit more tricky. The double cutting through two layers of heavy, thick vinyl (and not cutting into the sheetrock below) requires experience.

Commercial installations are more difficult than most residential jobs due to the size and weight of the material. Imagine pasting, then holding out a piece of heavy weight vinyl material that is four and a half feet wide and full of heavy, sticky adhesive. Now imagine walking with it up a ladder to a 9′ (or higher) ceiling. At that point you have to stick the top on the wall and open up the bottom of the piece where you have stuck it to itself, all the while attempting to place it in the correct position on a wall. Or better yet, while wrapping it around a four-sided post!

Commercial vinyls require a special, very thick adhesive to be applied without any thinning. This makes it harder to roll onto the wallcovering. The bolts of material come by the yard and can be very big ~ which translates into ‘very heavy’. It helps to have a few muscles so you can maneuver the bolt around. If you don’t, you soon will!

Some of this particular bolt had defects I had to deal with. Each sheet covers more area than a standard bolt of residential wallcovering, but as you can see commercial vinyl is usually much slower going up for the reasons mentioned in this post.

I had to work on the elevator area when no employees were in the building using them.

Having said all of this, It was really an enjoyable job. The difficulties mentioned here are not difficulties to an experienced wallcovering installer, it’s part of our job and all in a day’s work; just like certain things in any other job would seem difficult or impossible for someone not in that field of work. I had a wide open area to work in, I could work at my own pace and there were very few people to work around, making my day quiet and peaceful.

At the end of every job, I can look back at what I have completed and be proud of a job well done. And ‘done’ is an important word. How many people have jobs where they are never ‘done’?  A cashier does the same thing everyday but never sees anything at the end of the day; there is no finished product. I get to go home knowing I accomplished something. Each job is unique and satisfying on its own. I love the artistic, creative, and hands on aspects of my job and I never get bored.

Before photos.

The big screen TV was removed. I did have to cut around what you see on the wall above.

There was a little problem with part of the paper…I don’t think this stripe belonged on it  🙂

A couple of posts got wrapped. (above)

All done with this area.