In-Store Computers Can Ease Wallpaper Selection

Whoa. If you thought choosing just the right sofa, coffee table or occasional chair was a hassle, when was the last time you looked at wallpaper and borders?

Those two decorating categories seem to multiple faster than rabbits locked in a pen.

Every week I get information on a new introduction or three or four or 10. It’s kind of like riding a merry-goround that never stops.

Here, from the Wallcoverings Association, a national trade organization of wallpaper and border manufacturers, are some pointers on how to search through that heaping maze of paper and borders.

First, should you run across a store that has its selection of papers and borders computerized, don’t hesitate. Take advantage. If you don’t know zilch about a computer, ask.

There should be a clerk just dying to help. Making a sale still does matter.

Looking at selections on a computer can help cut that sinking feeling you might get when confronted with all those books - same selections, less paperwork.

Where sample books play a major role is in giving you the chance to actually see and touch the papers and borders you’re interested in. Since a store’s fluorescent lights tend to blue colors (making a rose shade take on an orange aspect, for instance), it’s best to check samples outdoors to see a pattern’s true colors.

And, when you’re going through those books, don’t be afraid to fold back the pages to reveal coordinating patterns and borders. The books are set up for mixing and matching.

On the back of each sample, look for characteristics such as scrubbable, washable, strippable, peelable or prepasted. They’ll give you an idea of what might go best where.

For example, scrubbable papers are ideal for children’s rooms and kitchens because they can be cleaned with a soft brush and mild detergent. Washable papers, which can be cleaned with a sponge, mild soap and water, are appropriate for living rooms, hallways and other hightraffic areas.

Strippable papers are handy for a rented apartment or home.

Borders have become downright revolutionary. Some, with intricate silhouettes such as swags, come dyecut, eliminating the hours it would take to hand-trim them with scissors.

Borders also are available with corner pieces, saving the mitering step.