MATERIAL

WALL TREATMENTS
Materials are the essence of the interior designer's palette. They immediately
signal the designer's vision and inform almost every decision in the process of
developing an interior. Materials have a direct bearing on issues of color, light,
texture, and pattern that the designer will need to address with every project.
To make these decisions well, designers must learn the myriad qualities
inherent in materials, from the purely functional to the aesthetic.

The range of materials available to interior designers is expansive. Only those

materials essential to an understanding of how to treat the basic components
of a room can be considered here. Because of space limitations many other
important materials are not covered-from the varieties of glass and metal to
solid surfacing and engineered plastics. Further online research provides
designers references for the vast availability of the other materials. Indeed, a
designer's ability to choose the best materials for a particular interior space
must be founded on an ongoing process of research. Equally important is to
build a library-of both materials and literature-to keep current on the latest
developments in material and product design.
WALL TREATMENTS
Walls define the space of a room or the sequence of movement through an
interior. Because they are, in many ways, the primary spatial tool of the
designer, their finish is of great importance. The variety of finishes available
for wall surfaces ranges from simple paints to more complicated panelling and
stone veneers.
PAINTS
Paints are used to add
color, durability, and
to many elements in an
interior, but they are
especially appropriate
for walls, as they offer a
lot of impact for rela-
tively little expense.

All paints are composed

of four main ingredients:
pigment, binder, drier,
and solvent.
Pigment forms the color
of the paint. The binder,
typically a resin, sur-
rounds the pigment and,
when dry, creates the
paint film. The drier speeds up the drying time of the binder. Lastly, the solvent allows
the paint to flow from the brush or roller onto the surface, where it evaporates, leaving
only the dried pigment and binder. Coverage-the area that a paint can conceal-is
defined by the amount of solvent in the mix: the less solvent, the better. Other
additives to the paint can also aid in the durability of the product.
Paint Sheen
The finished surface of paint is often
referred to in relation to its sheen-the
level of gloss the paint has when dry. The
choice of a paint sheen for a particular
application will affect how it performs, its
durability, and the extent to which it can
be cleaned and maintained. Sheens also
affect the way light and color are
reflected from a painted surface, and
they can serve to highlight various
aspects of a room.
WALLPAPERS AND VINYLS

Whether paper or vinyl, wall

coverings-by their simplest definition-
are composed of a printed face
adhered to a backing. The front face is
treated as a decorative surface that is
then applied to a wall in vertical
sections. Papers and vinyls offer the
interior designer many advantages,
from their durability to their ability to
hide surface imperfections to their
pure aesthetic appeal.

Compared to commercial papers,

residential wall coverings are designed
for significantly less wear. They do,
however, offer a wide range of
patterns and ideas that can add
significantly to the atmosphere of the
room in which they are placed. They
typically come in two varieties:
Wallpapers
Residential wallpapers come in
widths between 20 1/ 2 inches
(typically found in the metric
equivalent of 520 millimeters)
and 27 inches (685 millimeters).
Often sold in double rolls, which
can have a length of 9 yards (8230
millimeters), wallpapers are rarely
durable enough for commercial
applications.
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
Wall Vinyls
Wall vinyls are similar to papers, but receive a plastic
coating that makes them more durable and easily
cleaned. They are typically recommended for the wet
areas of a house, but are also suitable for other high-
traffic zones.
Surface Preparation
Regardless of where papers are being applied, the surface they are covering will require
as much preparation as with a painted wall. There are several ways to prepare a surface
for wall coverings:
Types of Patterns
Random Match
Random matches are the most efficient of the
wallpaper or vinyl types. There is no pattern
match horizontally, therefore the covering can
be cut wherever necessary.
Straight Match

Straight matches repeat at regular intervals

across papers. On installation, the pattern is
cut at the same height from the ceiling line to
assure alignment.
Drop Match

Drop matches have the most potential for

waste, as the pattern does not match at the
same distance from the ceiling, but rather at
regular diagonal intervals.
Flocked
Flocking is a process through which small fibers are
adhered to the surface of the paper or vinyl.
Originally created to imitate cut-velvet hangings,
flocked papers are typically very ornate, and their soft
textural qualities can enhance the intimacy of other
materials in a room.
Other Types of Wall Coverings
The technical advancements and new expressiveness
in wall coverings have changed the way that interior
designers approach them. These coverings
experiment with graphics and play with scale,
dimension, and material.
Commercial-Grade Wall Coverings
Commercial-grade wall coverings can no longer be easily categorized. The types of
materials that they comprise, including their mixing of different materials on the same
surface, have produced a range of papers that are technologically sophisticated, while
increasing their sensual and aesthetic qualities.
..
Surface Imaging
Surface imaging is a printing technology that allows large-scale graphics to be printed
directly on vinyl or other materials for wall application. Images can be printed on either
opaque or translucent paper, or on films applied to glazing. Images printed on film can be
backlit for illuminated installation, which is useful with signage and other wayfinding
graphics.
Hand-Printed Papers
As more papers are being mass-produced, a culture of limited-run, hand-printed
papers is enjoying a renaissance. While expensive, these products can be a welcome
addition to a project. Available in a variety of types, hand-printed papers allow
designers to customize repeats or to eliminate repeats all together.
Textile Wallcoverings

Textile coverings are a special class of fabrics that have been engineered for
surface installation. Textiles are adhered to a backing paper to provide the
dimensional stability required during installation and to prevent glue
absorption. Textile coverings provide acoustic benefits, as their porous
surfaces have absorptive qualities not found in papers or vinyls.