Wallpaper Installation
Formal dining rooms, halls and powder rooms in Wellesley's older houses often call for patterned papers hung over a proper base.
DetailsWallpaper, grasscloth and fine painting in Wellesley (02482)
Wellesley homeowners often order wallcoverings that cost more per roll than a gallon of the best paint. We hang grasscloth, designer papers and murals over properly prepared walls, and paint the Tudors and Colonials around them.
City or town, MA
02482
- Houses
- Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Shingle Style houses
- Built
- 1900s to 1930s Tudors and Colonials, with postwar and newer houses on the outskirts
- Landmark
- Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and the shore of Lake Waban
- Phone
- (617) 576-8235, any hour
Painting and paperhanging in Wellesley
Wellesley's older streets, from Wellesley Square out through Wellesley Hills and down toward Lake Waban and the college campus, are lined with Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Shingle Style houses from the early twentieth century. Inside, many of them have formal dining rooms, paneled libraries, powder rooms and long front halls, the kind of rooms where wallcovering suits the house better than flat paint. Our paperhangers and painters serve Wellesley as part of our Norfolk County coverage, and wallcovering is a bigger share of our work here than in most towns.
The wallcovering problems we see in Wellesley are usually about the wall underneath. Old horsehair plaster has hairline cracks and patches that show through thin papers. Earlier installs went up without a proper primer, so seams lift in damp powder rooms and the paper is hard to strip. Grasscloth that was hung near a sink or a radiator gets water spots and dark seams. Getting a new wallcovering right means fixing the base first, then choosing the right adhesive and hanging method for that material.
Housing era1900s to 1930s Tudors and Colonials, with postwar and newer houses on the outskirts
Common housesTudor Revival, Colonial Revival and Shingle Style houses
LandmarkWellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and the shore of Lake Waban
What fails firstlifting seams and water spots on old wallcoverings, checked half-timbering on Tudors
Access and staginglimited parking near Wellesley Square, long driveways and planted beds close to the walls
Hanging grasscloth and designer papers in Wellesley dining rooms
Before any paper goes up we strip the old covering, repair the plaster, and seal the wall with a primer made for wallcovering so the next install can come off cleanly one day. On walls with fine cracks we hang a liner paper first, which gives thin and dark papers a flat, even base. Grasscloth is a natural fiber, so color varies from panel to panel and seams always show to a degree. We reverse-hang alternate strips where the maker recommends it, shade-sort the bolts before cutting, and lay out the room so the strongest seams fall in corners.
For patterned papers we plan the match, straight or half-drop, from the focal wall outward and check that dye lot numbers agree on every roll before we start.
Tudor and Colonial exteriors around Wellesley Hills
Wellesley's Tudors combine stucco panels with dark-stained or painted half-timbering, and the wood trim checks and splits where it meets the stucco. We clean and consolidate the timbers, caulk the joint to the stucco with a flexible sealant, and refinish in a solid stain or paint that matches the original look. On the town's Colonials, the work is mainly scraping and priming clapboard and sash, with lead-safe practices on anything built before 1978.
Planning a Wellesley wallcovering job around delivery dates
Designer papers and grasscloth often take weeks to arrive. We measure the room at the walk-through, tell you how many rolls to order with a sensible overage for the pattern repeat, and schedule the hanging once every roll is on site and checked. Wall repair and priming can happen while you wait, so the room is ready the day the paper lands.
The work we are called for most in Wellesley
Grasscloth Installation
Grasscloth is a frequent request in Wellesley, and shade sorting and careful seam layout matter more than with printed papers.
DetailsSkim Coating & Wall Prep
Cracked horsehair plaster in Wellesley homes often needs a skim coat or liner paper before thin or dark papers can go up.
DetailsWallpaper Removal
Older Wellesley installs hung without primer are hard to strip, so we remove them carefully to protect the plaster underneath.
DetailsVenetian Plaster & Limewash
Some Wellesley owners prefer a polished plaster or limewash finish in entries and powder rooms instead of paper.
DetailsExterior House Painting
Wellesley Tudors and Colonials need half-timber, stucco joint and clapboard work done with lead-safe prep on older homes.
DetailsNeed something else? We do all 40 painting and wallpaper services here.
Questions from Wellesley homeowners
Why do grasscloth seams show in some Wellesley homes, and can it be reduced?
Grasscloth is woven natural fiber, so every bolt shades a little differently and seams always show somewhat. In Wellesley rooms we reduce it by shade-sorting bolts, reverse-hanging alternate strips when the maker calls for it, and planning layout so the most visible seams fall in corners or behind furniture.
Will you hang wallpaper that a Wellesley homeowner orders directly?
Yes. Many Wellesley clients order from a designer or showroom. We measure first and tell you how many rolls to order with overage for the pattern repeat. When the paper arrives we check dye lots and inspect each roll before cutting, so problems are caught before they're on the wall.
Can you refinish the half-timbering on a Wellesley Tudor?
We can. On Wellesley Tudors we clean the timbers, consolidate soft spots, seal the joint where wood meets stucco with a flexible sealant, and refinish with paint or solid stain to match the original color. Stucco cracks get patched and coated at the same time.
How far ahead should Wellesley homeowners book wallpaper hanging?
Call as soon as you've chosen a paper. Designer wallcoverings ordered for Wellesley homes can take several weeks to arrive, and we like to measure before you order. Wall repair and priming can be done while the rolls are in transit, so hanging starts soon after delivery.
Nearby places we also cover
Painting or wallpaper in Wellesley?
Call (617) 576-8235. The line is answered 24/7 and we schedule walk-throughs across Wellesley with a written estimate after every visit.