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Wallcoverings - Paneling and Wallpaper

Will you take the do-it-yourself challenge or hire somebody else to hang the wallpaper? Either way, here's the word on wallcoverings from Joy Lueders, interior designer at Struve's Paint and Wallcoverings.

Color is big. People want to look at something more vibrant than off-white walls. "The trend is to coppers and golds, like the 1970s, but richer, more metallic and shimmery." Or pick any color - they're all in style.

If you decide to wait a year before you add wallcoverings, you'll know which areas of which walls get the most abuse (the fingerprinted, bumped-into places), and you'll be aware of the affects of sunlight in your house. Wallcoverings in cool colors complement warm, sunny rooms; warm hues counterbalance chilly rooms.

Approximately half of new house owners do their own wallpapering. Most of the rest, the hire-somebody-elsers, have papered before. If you do tackle the task yourself, put wallpaper-ready primer on the drywall, and remember to use sizing, too.

Copyright 2003 Rochester Area Builders, Inc. No part of the Builder's Corner articles may be reproduced or printed without written permission from Rochester Area Builders. 108 Elton Hills Lane NW, Rochester, MN 55901. Phone 507-282-7698.