Decorating walls with fabric.

Very strange, right? Walls, decorate with fabric... I read Nina Campbell's books and very often in her interiors I see mentions of fabric on the walls. This interested me very much. Here's what I found...

In order to cover the walls with fabric yourself, you need to remember and follow a few simple rules.

Not just any fabric will suit you, but only one that is guaranteed not to fade in the sun, will “breathe”, and, in addition, will be durable enough to withstand everyday household exposure;
- work on upholstery of walls with fabric begins with preparing the fabric itself, which is cut into strips of the required length and width, each of which is folded along the edges on a machine;

If you find a fabric whose width is equal to the height of your walls, then you can use it to cover the entire perimeter of the room with one strip, which will save you from any seams;

Only after this can you begin to build the frame, which is attached to the walls with screws or glue; already on it you strengthen a layer of plywood or drywall, onto which a layer of thin foam rubber is glued;

Before stretching, the fabric is treated with a special water- and dust-repellent solution (you can find out more about it in your nearest building materials store);

Seams of individual strips at upholstering walls with fabric with your own hands closed with slats painted to match the color of the upholstery or covered with the same fabric.

You must buy wall upholstery fabric with a reserve so that you always have a reserve for the restoration of leaky or torn areas;

In the future, you can remove stains on fabric using soap and powder solutions and warm water.

Wall upholstery with fabric

Fabric drapery is currently used to decorate rooms in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Matter helps to better identify and emphasize the depth of space. This can be done using the play of light and shadow in the folds of draperies or by emphasizing the difference in textures. Nowadays, combinations of fabrics with contrasting textures - matte and shiny - are in fashion. Due to this, light is reflected differently from the walls, interesting effects arise, and familiar rooms are transformed. Draped walls, unlike those covered with wallpaper, diffuse light differently. The rays are reflected more chaotically, so glare and halos do not form on the surface (the only exception is fabrics with lurex). The perception of walls becomes independent of the intensity and angle of incidence of light. Heavy fabrics with barely noticeable folds will create a feeling of mystery, warmth and will somewhat open up the space of the room.

Natural textiles do not interfere with the circulation of air and moisture, making the walls of the room “breathe”. This is the most environmentally friendly coating available. The touch of the fabric pile is pleasant. It creates a feeling of comfort and warmth. Fabric-covered walls help you relax. Noise insulation eliminates unnecessary sounds. The appearance of the fabric is much more decorative than that of all types of wallpaper and relief plasters. As a result of all this, your apartment will become noticeably more comfortable and beautiful. You can purchase cloth impregnated with antiseptics. Then it will not harbor mold or any insects.

Damask fabrics will add luxury to the interior. Walls decorated with velvet will make the room more cozy, and tulle will help create an environment full of glamor. If you want to give the room a romantic look, drape the ceiling in the form of a tent or sail. But in addition to its decorative function, fabric drapery also performs a utilitarian one: under the material you can easily hide various communications. With the help of fabrics you can emphasize the most significant parts of the room or create its zoning. Modern styles They require creativity from drapery, while classic ones are focused on the centuries-old traditions of using fabrics to decorate a home.

Fabric began to be used for wall decoration back in ancient times. Carpets were used in Babylon and Assyria, Ancient Rome- silk, in medieval Europe- tapestries. In rich houses of the 18th-19th centuries, they used expensive materials: silk, velvet, brocade. In poorer dwellings, the walls were mostly lined with chintz. With the invention of wallpaper, fabrics faded into the background, but no material will give walls more beauty than fabric.

Currently, there are a number of textile-based synthetic coatings. They are made on a paper or non-woven base, and the top is coated with dirt- and water-repellent compounds. Fabric - environmentally friendly pure material, which allows the walls to “breathe”. In addition, the material is treated with antistatic agents, so it does not attract dust.

Most often, jacquard fabric is used for wall upholstery. The pattern on pile fabric is created by differences in the length of the fibers. This coating is pleasant to the touch and has good heat and sound insulation. Jacquard is produced in rolls 2.8, 2.9 and 3.1 m wide and up to 50 m long. The peculiarity of decoration is that the fabric is stretched without cutting, thus obtaining monolithic coating with one single seam. After the fabric is installed, cut out holes for door and window openings. The jacquard covering is produced without padding polyester or foam rubber, which quickly begins to crumble and peel off from the natural material. The single-seam design eliminates color differences between individual sections of the wall (as often happens with wallpaper from different series). In addition, the fabric covering correct fastening will never peel off, maintaining original appearance throughout all years of service. When dyeing fabrics, special pigments are used that do not fade in the sun. Special impregnation will protect the coating from swelling when high humidity. After finishing the upholstery work, the seam is sealed with a strip of fabric. The fabric can only be glued with special glue, which is sold along with the coating. But it is better not to try to glue a single-seam coating on your own; it is more advisable to seek the help of professionals.

It should be remembered that when attaching fabric using a single-seam method, it is necessary to ensure that the angle from which the drapery begins is strictly 90°. Otherwise, the ends of the roll will not converge in one plane.

But most often the fabric covering is two-layer: on the back side of the material there is a foam backing. Its thickness is small, only 2.5 - 3.5 mm. But thanks to this layer the coating receives high degree heat and sound insulation. If the coating is made on a porous base, then a layer of synthetic film is laid between the fabric and the base, protecting the material from glue that may protrude from the substrate, and the base from moisture. Such fabric is attached either in separate sheets or in a seamless way, it all depends on how it is more convenient for you to carry out the work. The length of one roll can reach up to 100 m, but for upholstering an ordinary room, a 25-30 meter roll is quite enough.

Fabric coverings for walls can be either homogeneous (natural, artificial) or mixed (added to natural fabrics). artificial fibers) . The most commonly used natural fibers are silk, sesal, cotton, linen and jute. The peculiarity of this material is the presence of nodules. This is a consequence of the fact that natural fibers rather short (usually 5-10 cm, the length of synthetic threads can reach 8-10 km), when they are connected, thickenings are obtained. Knots are one of the signs of natural fabrics. When choosing natural fabric, you need to remember that it stretches much worse than synthetic fabric, and you will get the perfect flat surface impossible with such a coating.

Artificial (viscose, acetate) and synthetic (polyacrylic, polyester, polyamide) do not allow air to pass through easily. Therefore, such fibers are crimped and then twisted into threads.

Many manufacturers of synthetic and mixed fibers cut the threads shorter to imitate natural fabric. Thus, nodules appear on the fabric, just like on natural materials. The cost of natural linen is much higher, so the choice is small. Purely synthetic fabrics are also rarely used. In the vast majority of fabrics for wall upholstery, they are produced mixed and treated with special compounds.

A special layer is usually applied to the surface of the fabric covering to protect it from contamination. Such materials do not attract dust and do not fade in the sun. In addition, many fabrics are coated with moisture-repellent compounds. Water simply rolls off such material, leaving no traces and not being absorbed. To remove dust, the walls are vacuumed (at least once a year), and the fabric covering is cleaned with an organic solvent every two years. If a dirty stain does form on the fabric, it can be removed using a mixture of gasoline and chalk. To do this, the mixture is applied to the stain, and then after 30 - 40 minutes it is removed and the fabric is wiped dry (with a soft cloth or brush). If the material can be moistened with water, then ordinary stain removers are used to remove dirt. During spring cleaning the upholstery is carefully removed, each panel is numbered (if the upholstery was not done using a seamless method), washed, ironed and reattached to the walls.

When gluing fabrics, it is not the material that is coated with glue, but the wall. A layer of a special composition is applied to its surface, then the canvas is pressed tightly against the wall and smoothed with your hands. When gluing fabric, the composition is applied in strips 15 - 20 cm wide. The walls are coated with glue around the perimeter of the room, around doors and window openings and sockets. The fabric is then pressed to these places. In order for the material to stretch, it is advisable to make the wall slightly concave. To prevent the fabric from settling after drying, it is fixed along the line of the baseboard and cornice using wooden planks. The nails are driven in at intervals of 7 - 10 cm. To minimize shrinkage, the fabric is wetted with water before stretching, dried and ironed properly. During gluing, each section of the fabric must be properly smoothed. The result should be a perfectly flat surface.

The fabric does not need to be glued, but simply nailed to the wall. In this case, the material is fastened in the corners with tar paper nails, and in the middle of the walls with nails with decorative heads. The lower edge of the fabric is secured with a plinth, and the upper edge is wooden plank, which after completion of work is masked with a decorative cornice. This method of fastening is suitable for any material, and it is almost impossible to spoil it.

Wall upholstery begins with preparatory work. First measure the width of the fabric between the edges, then exact height walls from the floor or baseboard to the ceiling line and window sills, from the ceiling to the door lintel.

The amount of fabric you will need to upholster a room can be calculated as follows. The height of the panel is equal to the height of the walls plus 6 cm (to fit under the top and bottom strips), the width is the width of the panel minus 3 cm (for the side seams). Let's look at an example of how such a calculation is carried out. Let's take the most common ceiling heights: 2.2, 2.5 and 2.7 m. The length of the wall is 4 m. Usually the fabric is produced in rolls 1.5 m wide, the useful value will be 1.47 m. For the first case, the height of the panel should be 2.26 m, for the second - 2.56 m, for the third - 2.76 m. Thus, to upholster one wall, you will need 6.8, 7.7 and 8.3 m of fabric. This will leave a small scrap that can be used to upholster the space above the door on another wall. If you plan to cover the walls with a patterned fabric rather than a plain one, then experts recommend purchasing 10-15% more of it and maintaining the uniformity of the pattern. If the pattern is large, then make a larger reserve for the consumption to fit it: 20 - 25%. Calculating according to this scheme required quantity fabrics, you can go to the store.

You need to connect the cut panels as follows. Sections of fabric are basted or fastened with sewing pins, and then stitched down onto sewing machine. It is necessary to ensure that the seams are even and not bunched up. The edge of the fabric should become invisible. After all the panels are sewn, iron them. Choose the temperature that is suitable for the type of fabric you have chosen (usually there is a special mark on the iron; the fabric may also have a corresponding label). You need to iron the seams especially carefully. After such preparation, attach the sewn panels to the wall and check whether all dimensions are correct.

After fitting, you can start upholstery. First, the material is secured with upholstery nails along the upper section. Adjust the tension level of the fabric offhand. Then, using a plumb line, you need to check how correctly the panel is positioned and whether verticality is maintained. To do this, the tool is applied to the seam between the panels. Next, check how well the fabric is stretched and secure it with nails along the bottom section and sides.

In the corners of the walls, nail shaped slats, the length of which will be equal to the height of the walls. The slats are a quarter-circle segment and serve to provide the necessary tension to the fabric. Cover the top and bottom strips, as well as the corner slats, with scraps of fabric or decorative baguettes. These elements can be attached using special glue.

In the case where there is a socket on the upholstered wall, you can do it in two ways. If the socket or switch is built into the wall, then while cutting the panels, cut a hole in the right place that exactly matches the size of the socket. IN in this case measurements must be carried out very carefully, since, unlike wallpaper, the remaining free space around the device will be almost impossible to disguise. If the switch (or socket) is removable, then you need to unscrew it and remove it from the wall. This can only be done after you have turned off the power to the house by turning off the plugs. After this, place the fabric on the wall and mark the contours of the future hole with chalk. Then it must be carefully cut out. Fix the socket or switch only after finishing the upholstery work.

In order to improve sound and heat insulation, a felt lining can be nailed under the fabric. It is attached in the same way as any other matter. The distance from the ceiling, floor, doors, windows, sockets and switches to the edge of the felt lining should be 1-2 cm.

There are more complex technology upholstery of rooms with fabric. If in the previous version the fastening was done under the slats, then with this method the material is stuffed onto the slats. This will ensure proper ventilation space between the fabric and the wall and protect the material from excess moisture.

To strengthen the fabric using this method, first select the strips. Their width should be 5 - 7 cm, thickness - 1 cm. Attach the slats to the wall using nails or screws. Pre-in concrete or brick wall it is necessary to drill holes for the screws. The planks are attached horizontally (at the floor, ceiling, door lintels and window openings) and vertically (in the corners and at intervals of 50 - 60 cm over the entire surface of the wall). Leave a distance of 2 - 3 mm between the top strip and the ceiling and between the bottom strip and the floor so that you can fold the fabric and hide its edges.

Upholstery begins from any corner of the room, from the ceiling. You can fasten the fabric with shoe nails or furniture clips. Sewn and well-ironed panels are stuffed rough to the top bar. In this case, it is necessary to leave 2 - 3 cm loose, so that you can then bend it under the bar. Pull the fabric quite tightly, but be careful not to risk tearing it. Then check the verticality of the matter using a plumb line. Check again how the fabric is lying correctly and nail it at the top and bottom. Leave 2 - 3 cm to go under the bottom rail. If a crease suddenly appears, carefully unhook the fabric and pull it to the side. Wrinkles should disappear. Do not make the distance between fasteners too large or too small. The optimal gap is 5-10 cm. After all the walls are upholstered, use a screwdriver to tuck the remaining strips of material under the lower and upper strips.

If you upholster furniture (armchairs, chairs, sofas, ottomans) with the same fabric that was used to decorate the walls, the room will acquire additional volume. And the combination of fabric and stucco will make the interior of the room luxurious, giving it the appearance of an apartment in a royal palace.

Another upholstery method is the carriage tie. This method got its name because the carriages of high-ranking officials were previously decorated this way. The material used is leather or thick fabric. Carriage ties are not recommended for delicate fabrics such as silk or taffeta. The principle of upholstery is as follows. A layer of soft sound and heat insulating material is glued to the wall (latex or polyurethane foam can also be used). Then on a sheet of paper you need to sketch and calculate required quantity material. The length of the panels should be such that the fabric extends slightly under the baseboard, and the top cut is 2 - 3 cm below the junction of the walls and ceiling. The carriage screed can form patterns on the walls in the form of diamonds or squares. It depends on the direction of the fastening strips: diagonally or vertically and horizontally. Fastening strips can be made from the same material as for the main background, or use contrasting colors or textures. After the number of fastening strips has been calculated (it depends on the height of the walls, frequency and direction of fastening), they begin marking the material. Marks are applied to the surface of the fabric or leather in the places where nails are supposed to be driven in. It should be remembered that this must be calculated very accurately: you will not be able to remove punctures from the surface of the fabric. After all the marking work has been completed, you can begin upholstering the walls. It's best to do this together. To make work easier, the upper edge of the panel can be glued to the wall. Then fastening lines are placed on the fabric and nails are driven in at the marked places. To make the upholstery look more impressive, use nails with decorative heads. As a result, you should end up with a wall with slightly convex diamonds or squares. The degree of relief depends on the amount of soundproofing material glued to the wall.

To give the room a stylistic finish, upholster it with the same material and upholstered furniture. It is best to use the carriage screed method for this.

Another way to attach fabrics is to a flexible polyvinyl chloride profile. This method is good because the plastic frame makes it possible to mount a frame of any shape. Behind it you can hide various pipes, radiators, corners. The profile is capable of holding any fabric (silk, velvet, cotton, jacquard, polyester) and even leather. The cost of such a frame is quite high, but it is worth it.

If you decide to attach the fabric to a PVC profile, then polyester fabric is best suited for drapery. Canvases of material are produced in widths from 3 to 5 m; the height of the canvas should be slightly greater than the height of the walls. Polyester fabric underneath high pressure impregnated with polyurethane, which gives the material additional density and strength. The texture of polyester fiber is similar to the texture of canvas. You can draw on such a surface acrylic paints. The canvas inserted into the polyvinyl chloride frame does not sag. The fabric does not fade in the sun or crack (unlike many other synthetic materials). In addition, the coating does not attract dust, and it can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner. Polyester fabric has good sound insulation, which helps reduce the level of noise pollution in the apartment. The material has two disadvantages: high cost and complexity of assembling the structure (it will not be very easy for you to thread the fabric into the frame yourself). A frame mount is almost indispensable if you want to drape a niche, opening or ledge.

The easiest way to attach material to the wall is Velcro. To do this, one part of the tape is glued to the wall (usually with “loops”), and the second is sewn onto the fabric (with “hooks”). The fabric can be easily removed from the walls and just as easily reattached.

Fastening to clips is easier than to a frame or upholstery. This method is similar to that used during installation suspended ceilings. Mounted around the perimeter of the room plastic profile. The ends of the canvas are snapped into place at the corners. After checking the correctness of its position, the rest of the fabric is secured. The material is slipped with a spatula under the profile and secured there.

The color and texture of the material should be chosen depending on the purpose and size of the room, interior style, furniture and color scheme the entire apartment. The fabric pattern should be chosen taking into account the fact that part of the time the room will be illuminated artificial source light (this changes the perception of colors, and light falling from above can create the illusion of a change in proportions), the design will be visible over a large area, it should be combined with furniture and paintings or photographs hanging on the walls.

When choosing a fabric, place a piece of it against the wall and, moving back a little, see how it will look. To upholster a large living room, you can use thin, delicate fabrics: taffeta or silk. If the room has a small area, then its walls can be decorated with wool or satin in a small pattern. The same fabric should be used to upholster furniture. Then the room will gain stylistic completeness and will seem more comfortable. Walls upholstered in gray and pearl fabric give beautiful combination with dark cherry, dark blue or olive upholstery.

The fabric hides cracks on the walls well. There is no need to plaster the surface and create cavities for electrical wiring - all this will be masked by the material. If the neighbors above you flooded, then there will be no special problems with the repair: the section of the stained covering is carefully removed from the wall, washed, dried and nailed into place. Don't forget to iron the fabric before upholstering. Moreover, matter is much more durable than wallpaper: it is more difficult to tear, and it gets dirty less. And if there is a cat in the house, then you can choose a more durable fabric for wall upholstery that will not tear under its claws (there is simply no wallpaper that a cat cannot damage). Special care there is no need to take care of the fabric, and, according to psychologists, it gets boring much less often than any other covering. You can reduce the cost of wall cladding by saving on plastering.

A clear advantage of fabric covering is that its colors are more varied than wallpaper, and the texture can be chosen to suit your interior. The disadvantage of the coating is that the material quickly absorbs odors, so you should not use it in kitchens and smoking areas.

When tiling the walls, pay close attention to temperature conditions(not less than 15 °C) and humidity (no more than 80%). In addition, there should be no drafts in the room. Use only the glue specified in the instructions. Otherwise, stains and streaks may appear on the fabric, and the fastening itself will not be strong enough. If the wall is concave in places and this defect cannot be corrected, then choose a fabric without stripes that will emphasize the unevenness of the surface. The plastic fastening elements used to secure the fabric at windows and doors can be covered with the same fabric after completion of the work. This will make the corners less noticeable. It must be remembered that when attaching various lamps and paintings to the wall, the holes left as a result of incorrect marking of the wall for dowels are almost impossible to disguise. Therefore, measure their location as carefully as possible. Before drilling walls, cut the fabric crosswise in the center of the intended hole, and use a dust extractor during work. This will prevent dust from entering the space between the coating and the wall. Sockets and switches are best placed flush.

If you want to decorate the fabric with embroidery, you can order the work from professionals. The drawing can be anything. It all depends only on your desire and financial capabilities. A decorative panel on a draped wall you can highlight the stucco molding that protrudes from under the fabric. This detail will resemble the interiors of palaces.

Draping walls with fabric is one of the most ancient ways of decorating rooms, which was used by architects back in the Middle Ages.

With the help of drapery you can not only decorate the walls, but also hide their unevenness and defects.

Popularity of the method

Recently, designers are increasingly using this decorative technique in modern interiors. This is due to the fact that this method room design has many advantages over others:

Methods for finishing walls with fabric: a - attaching the fabric to the wall, b - checking the verticality of the folds using a plumb line on a cord.

1. Walls covered with fabric have a more stylish, “rich” look.
2. This method of decoration allows you to hide all the shortcomings of the “rough” finish (make wall unevenness invisible, hide wiring).
3. Covering walls with fabric is easy to do with your own hands.
4. The use of textiles allows the walls to “breathe”.
5. No need for perfect preliminary preparation The walls look like they need to be painted.
6. Possible additional protection from noise and low temperatures.
7. This type of finishing can be done in a new room without waiting for it to shrink, since the elasticity of the material will not allow it to deform.
8. Nowadays, a sufficient amount of textiles are produced in various widths, which makes it possible to make the finishing of the room seamless.
9. Work on decorating walls with fabric is characterized by a virtual absence of dirt and debris.

All these advantages, as well as the ability to cover walls with your own hands, make this finishing method increasingly popular.

The textiles used for wall upholstery can be very different. These can be natural materials and synthetics, different in color, texture, pattern and density. The most popular is viscose, which perfectly combines best qualities natural and synthetic material.

By combining textiles of different colors or textures in one room, you can achieve a visual division into functional zones. By decorating the walls with fabric with your own hands, you can give the room the effect of comfort and warmth.

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Basic rules to follow

To carry out this decoration method yourself, such as upholstering walls with textiles, you must follow several rules:

1. For work, you need to use durable material that allows air to pass through and does not fade in the sun, otherwise after some time the wall upholstery will lose its original appearance.
2. The room that is decorated with textiles should not be very hot and humid, as this can lead to stretching of the fabric, and after drying it may become deformed.
3. You should start with pre-treatment material, it must be wet and dried. Most likely, it will shrink a little, so you should measure the fabric only after wet processing. In addition, it is advisable to treat the fabric with dirt-repellent impregnations.
4. If it is possible to decorate the walls with fabric seamlessly, you need to start with absolutely even angle or places where the seam obtained at the junction can be decorated.
5. Ideally, the width of the material should correspond to the height of the walls.
6. Textiles for decorating walls must be purchased in reserve, since this is still a short-lived material and, most likely, restoration work will be required after some time.
7. The adhesive is applied to the wall, not to the material.
8. Wall mounting points can be covered ceiling plinth or decorative strip.

There are three options for decorating walls with textiles. This may seem complicated at first glance, but in fact it is much simpler than ordinary wallpapering of walls.

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Fastening the material with glue

This method requires accuracy and a little experience. For this type of work, the walls need to be prepared very well. They must be absolutely smooth and dry. It is best if the only joints are the joints of the pieces of material in the corners. If this is not possible, then you need to cut out pieces of fabric of the required size in advance. As a rule, glue is applied only along the edges. First, a 10 cm wide strip is applied to the left edge of the wall, the material is applied and smoothed with a roller. Then glued top side and only after complete drying the remaining two sides are attached. During the registration process, you need to remember some subtleties:

1. The fabric on the wall should not be stretched, because the glue used for this work can change its shape even after heating. This may cause the fabric to wrinkle.
2. You need to use a little more glue around the edges. This is necessary in order to secure the fibers of the edge of the fabric, which may begin to unravel over time.
3. Watch carefully for any air bubbles to form. You can fight them with small punctures with a needle and repeated ironing of the fabric in this place.

There is nothing more beautiful and original than decorating walls with fabric. The elegance of the room is simply mesmerizing.
Despite the large number of modern finishing materials, fabric has recently become very popular.

In order to make it using fabric, you can use any type and texture of it.
The following have become quite popular:

• Chintz.
• Silk.
• Drap.
• Tapestry.
• Velours.
• Velvet.

Specifications:

• If you have doubts about the proposed options, then you can use ordinary furniture fabric, which, in principle, is intended for any finishing work. She is not afraid of moisture.
• It is very easy and simple to work with suede, velor and other dense fabric. These types are easy to glue.
  Cotton and viscose are easy to stretch the fabric. In order to drape on the walls, it is best to use very light fabrics that have a high density.

Advice. As practice has shown, it is best to use synthetic fabrics in finishing work, since they are more easily affected than natural ones.

Note. It is also worth considering that the price for this type of finishing in some cases may be higher than when using wallpaper.

Methods of finishing with fabric

At the moment, there are several options for finishing work using fabric.
Namely:

• Pasting.
• Drapery.

The technology of each such process is individual.

Fabric tension is the most in a simple way decorating the room.
In order for the finishing to be of high quality, it is necessary to use:

• Small wooden slats.
• Self-tapping screws for wood.
• Screwdriver.
• Dowels (if necessary).
• Level.
• Pencil.
• Roulette.

Stages:

• Using a level, pencil and tape measure, measure required distance from the floor and ceiling for mounting a wooden batten.

Advice. To simplify the task, you need to draw a line for mounting the rail along the entire perimeter.

• Wooden slats are mounted under the ceiling and above the floor surface on the wall using dowels or self-tapping screws. In this case, it all depends on the design of the wall.
  If it is brick or stone, then it is better to use dowels. If it is made of drywall, then you can use self-tapping screws.
• The distance between the top and bottom slats should be the same throughout the entire perimeter so that the fabric is stretched evenly and there are no defects in the finish of the fabric.
• The fabric is stretched and secured to the slats using nails with decorative heads. After completion of the work, these caps can be hidden under decorative decoration in the form of a floor or ceiling plinth.

Advice.
Immediately the fabric is attached to the top rail and stretched across the width. After this, it is necessary to stretch it evenly and attach it to the bottom rail gradually so that folds do not form as a result.

Due to the fact that the lath has its own size and acts as a frame for the fabric, a space is formed between the wall and the material, which can be used for insulation work.
They apply:

• Thin foam.
• Thin polyurethane foam.
• Felt.
• Mineral wool in small mats.

Installation:

• How to fix the insulation on the wall surface, because the fabric will not hold it? It's very simple.
  For this, a special construction adhesive is used, which is applied to the surface of the wall and to the surface of the insulation material.

Advice. Since fabric can very easily absorb dirt and moisture, the process of insulating a room must be approached very carefully and try to prevent the glue from coming out through the joints of the material.

• If this does happen, you can use finishing tape and hide the defects underneath. It is glued to the joints of the material.
  It is also worth considering that ordinary glue cannot be used to install insulating material. It can corrode it over time and the insulation will begin to deform.

Note. If the fabric light shade, then the insulation should be similar.

Gluing fabric

Fabric gluing has recently become very popular. Any type of fabric can be used for this.
To carry out such a process, it is necessary to properly prepare the surface. It should be smooth, just like for wallpapering the surface.
Application of additional materials:

• There are two options: drywall and plaster.
• Using drywall is a fairly quick and easy way to level the surface. As for plastering, the result of the work will directly depend on the master.
• This method is considered dusty and labor-intensive.
• There is always a lot of garbage left behind. The same cannot be said about leveling the surface with drywall.

In order to glue the fabric to the surface, you cannot do without a partner.
For the process itself you will need:

• A sharp stationery or regular knife with a thin blade.
• Old powerful "grandmother's" iron.
• A special furniture adhesive that can only harden when exposed to high temperatures.
• Metal ruler (at least 1 m).

Stages:

• Since furniture glue hardens only when exposed to high temperature, then you can immediately spread it over the entire surface. After this, the canvas is taken and the process of gluing the surface begins.
• The fabric must also be stretched from top to bottom. To prevent the fabric from moving out of place, the upper corner of the fabric is secured to the surface with a small nail.
  Using an iron, according to the principle of leveling wallpaper on the surface, the fabric is ironed. You also need to start from top to bottom so that the glue is gradually absorbed into the wrong side of the fabric and hardens.

Advice. To prevent the formation of fabric finishing defects in this process, the fabric must also be well stretched.

• It is for this reason that a second person is needed to hold the canvas in place at the top of the wall. If there is no partner, then the fabric is secured with nails or a regular construction stapler.
• The fabric is ironed several times to achieve desired result. After the whole process, the remaining fabric at the top and bottom is cut off using a knife.
  But here it is necessary to act extremely carefully, since the glue in such places may not have acquired strength and the fabric will begin to fray. To prevent this from happening at the bottom and top of the wall, as well as at the joints of the panels, it is necessary to apply more furniture glue, which, after hardening, will not allow the finish to deform.
• The glue is very elastic and dries completely within 3 days. After completion of the work, the surface must be checked for the presence of air bubbles that could have formed under the canvas and they do not allow it to lie flat on the wall.
  If they exist, then you need to act according to the principle of eliminating bubbles on the wallpaper. They can be pierced or re-glued to the surface - the entire canvas or any part of it.

The video shows the process of gluing the surface with fabric. You can do it yourself.

Draping surfaces with fabric

The most difficult way to decorate a room using fabric is drapery. For this purpose, fabric is used, which in size exceeds the size of the room itself.
It is impossible to carry out such work alone.

For this finishing method you will need:

• Canvas.
• Wooden slats.
• Nails.
• Self-tapping screws with decorative caps.
• Screwdriver.
• Level.
• Ruler.
• Pencil.
• Roulette.
• Saw or jigsaw.

Stages:

• Initially, the height of the drapery is measured using a level. If the ceiling is already decorated, then you can build on it in such works.
  If it is planned to repair it in the near future and use tension or suspended structure, then you can level and set the level of drapery by eye, but try as high as possible.
• This level is drawn on the surface with a pencil and a ruler. After this, the canvas is taken and one of its edges is secured at the top of the wall along the marked line using a small nail.
  Then it is taken wooden slats and is mounted on the surface over the fabric with self-tapping screws and a screwdriver. The distance between such fastenings should be no more than 20-30 cm.
  The fabric must be stretched before fastening. Such work is carried out around the entire perimeter of the room.
• Then the whole process moves to the bottom. In principle, the technology of stretching the fabric is similar to the two previous methods, only the strip is attached on top of the fabric.
  The fabric is stretched and also gradually secured to the surface using a strip. Excess fabric remains are cut off with a sharp knife.

Advice. To ensure that with this method of decorating a room the fabric at the bottom and top does not fray, you need to clearly measure the required length and width, adding 1-2 cm to the resulting dimensions. This excess is tucked in and disguised under the rail.

The photo shows the result of such finishing work.

Preparatory work on the surface before finishing with fabric

Instructions for preparing the surface for finishing works using fabric does not exist. But there are certain recommendations, following which will be of high quality.
So:

• The first thing to do is to clean the surface from dust and various contaminants. It is best to vacuum the surface and wash it with a cleaning product. This applies to stone walls.
• If the surface is made of plasterboard, then washing it is not recommended. If there is visible dirt on it, then it is best to treat such a surface with plaster or putty.
  In some cases it is colored.

If there are signs of rust or other construction defects on the surface on which the fabric will be stretched, then it is best to treat the surface special solution and cover it with wallpaper.

Decorating walls with fabric can look so chic that it becomes difficult to understand why our compatriots have not yet made this solution the most common among all others. You can even carry out such repairs yourself, and most importantly, the design will be completely atypical! In some ways, the finished result will be somewhat reminiscent of wallpaper, but it is, figuratively speaking, like a 3D movie with glasses compared to regular 2D.

Decorating walls with fabric is a real novelty for many, so you should carefully consider whether it is worth taking on such a design. Like any other design decision, it has both positive and negative sides.

Advantages

Decorating walls with fabric is:

1. Unique chic, emphasized by soft features - no other material will give anything even similar.
2. The special comfort of a room in which all the irregularities and sharp corners are smoothed out.
3. There is no preliminary preparation of walls, which do not need to be specially leveled, unless we are talking about gluing fabric instead of wallpaper.
4. Protection from most mechanical damage - the material simply stretches under load without forming breaks or cracks.
5. Increased compared to paper wallpaper, sound insulation.
6. Material with a textured surface can replace decorative plaster without losing its other positive qualities.
7. Fabrics for walls are available in a wide variety, which allows you not only to choose from a variety of finishing options, but also to combine the color and texture of the walls with curtains or bed linen.

Textile wall decoration is elegant and cozy, however, when deciding on such decoration, you should know all the pitfalls

Difficulties

There is nothing absolutely ideal in the world yet, so decorating walls with fabric also has a couple of dubious aspects that claim to be shortcomings:

• Fabric on the walls can collect huge amounts of dust, which is especially important in big cities and near highways. Developers have already created materials that repel dirt, but their price remains quite high.
• Textiles are not among the most durable materials. More precisely, it can be preserved for a long time, but it appearance quickly loses its original freshness. No matter how hard manufacturers try, the material is still quite easy to get dirty or rubbed to such an extent that it becomes noticeable. As a way out, it is not recommended to attach the fabric to walls in narrow passages, and ideally it is generally better to fix it in such a way that it can be removed and washed.

Material selection

If, despite all the difficulties, a decision was made in favor of textile design, all that remains is to decide on a specific type of material. Theoretically, there are no restrictions on choice at all, and the owner of the premises is free to choose what he likes. If we focus on practicality and durability, then the fabric used for wall decoration should be durable and elastic so that there is no constant need to replace damaged material. If you buy fabric for upholstery, you definitely can’t go wrong, since its performance characteristics are approximately the same. If the material was originally intended for finishing, then the manufacturer has probably already processed it properly, and it will be more convenient to work with.

It should be noted that when focusing on performing repairs with your own hands, the choice of material should be given special attention, because the method of fastening depends on it, and they differ in complexity.

Methods for attaching fabric to walls

Each type of textile has its own characteristics, which forces craftsmen to attach the fabric in different ways. Deviations from the norm are possible, but most often it is better to stick suede, velvet and velor; draping walls with fabric requires the thinness and lightness of the material, and so on.

Pasting

In this option, the resulting result will perhaps be most reminiscent of expensive wallpaper. Covering walls with fabric is relevant literally everywhere; even kitchen aprons are made using this method, just the material on top is either varnished or covered with glass. Any towels, tablecloths, curtains and other elements made from the same textiles allow you to create harmony in the design of the room.

The process of gluing walls with fabric is somewhat similar to gluing ordinary wallpaper, but is more complex and requires more care.

Gluing the fabric directly to the walls is perhaps more difficult than all other options. Since we are talking about an analogy with regular wallpaper, then the wall, firstly, must be properly prepared - cleaned, puttied, primed. The gluing procedure itself also requires great care - in general, it would be better to trust the professionals.

If you decide to do the repair yourself, you first need to check the degree of shrinkage of the material. To do this, cut off a small piece, soak it in water, then dry it. The dimensions of the piece are measured before and after the procedure, and if there is no significant difference, then you can start gluing. If shrinkage is obvious to the naked eye, you will have to wet and dry the entire roll. Preparation of the material also includes preliminary ironing.

Unlike wallpaper, the fabric is not glued in strips, but on the entire wall at once - for this purpose, pre-cut strips with a reserve are sewn together. To have as few seams as possible, it is better to take a wide cut. Before final gluing, the seams are carefully ironed again. Despite the fact that such a sheet is usually attached only at the edges, at least two people are required for this procedure. It is advisable to start from the side and continue from the top. If the material is heavy, small slats are carefully placed on top of it, which is already glued, and are not removed until the glue dries. The surface of the wall is carefully smoothed with a roller during the process. At the end of the work, the excess fabric around the edges is carefully trimmed.

Upholstery

Only at first glance, upholstering walls with fabric seems like a simple task that anyone who has ever held a hammer can do with their own hands. The problem is that for the resulting woven surface to be perfectly even, the walls are upholstered with fabric not on the walls themselves, but on top of a special frame, similar to stretch ceilings or drywall. Coping with such a task on your own is quite difficult, but possible.

Wall upholstery with fabric is carried out construction companies, who, however, are also ready to help those clients who want to try to do the work themselves. From them you can purchase fastening material parts and seamless fabric that does not require stitching. This method of fastening is good because there is no need for preliminary preparation of the wall, and the void can be filled with sound or heat insulation, and electrical wiring can also be hidden there. A ready-made installation system, purchased at a specialized store, makes it relatively easy to remove installed textiles for replacement or washing.

Upholstery of walls with fabric using wall removable structures allows you to remove soft panels for cleaning procedures

Draping

Draping walls with fabric is the easiest way for those who want to get away with a minimum of effort. This type of finishing usually does not involve fully attaching the fabric to the walls over the entire surface; it falls freely in folds. Wall drapery, always done with folds, simply involves securing textiles to a horizontal strip hidden under the ceiling.

The cut with which you plan to drape the wall must be significantly wider than it, otherwise folds will not work.

The fabric, as an original exception, can be attached to four sides of the cut at once. The base can be frames made of wood, plastic or metal. In this case, the folds must be thought out in advance; it is better to immediately highlight them with small seams, otherwise it is not possible to predict exactly how the roll will fold after the walls are draped.

Draping walls with fabric is used to create either an oriental or a European aristocratic style. This design is appropriate in living rooms or living room, as well as in public places.