How to Hang A Mural
Photos: Curious Coco
“An artist is not paid for his labour, but his vision”
Lockdown inspired me to create a cafe at home.
One thing I’ve really missed during the past year is going for a coffee and papers on a Sunday morning.
So, one Sunday I decided to bring that vibe into the kitchen. An obvious route would have been to buy metal letters that spelled ‘cafe’, but I didn’t want it to feel, well, naff.
It needed to capture the essence of a nice indie coffee shop without needing it spelt out.
A mural was a better fit for the brief, offering a way to visually transform the space, and create the sense of escapism I was after.
The Bellwood mural in noir from Rebel Walls grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it. Monochrome, illustrative in style and cool.
Ordering couldn’t have been easier:
1. Measure the wall width x height
2. Add a few cm’s to both measurements
3. Pop the dimensions in the online calculator
4. Rebel walls shows you the number of drops you’ll receive
5. Order
Installation was easy too:
1. The mural arrives as a single roll, marked with a dotted line to cut into sections
2. Each section is numbered to hang in sequence
3. Clean the walls and sand any bumps
4. Measure and mark the widths of the sections (45cm) across the wall (left to right)
5. At the first section, use a spirit level to draw a vertical line. It’s critical to get this step dead accurate – each subsequent section will be hung based on this vertical.
4. Mix the paste with water as instructed (see tips below)
5. Paste the wall – a sections width plus around 100mm at a time. A roller is recommended, but I found it quicker and less wasteful with a large brush
6. Hang the first section, lining the right hand edge up with the vertical line drawn at step 5
7. Use a damp sponge to gently press the paper into place
8. Paste the next section of wall and butt the next section into place, lining up the design. Repeat until all sections are up
9. Trim the excess paper using a sharp Stanley knife
10. Et voila – you’ve just changed the scenery
At night, by candlelight, the space takes on a new vibe, like a little taverna on holiday, just without the balmy salt breeze and waiter.
Tips.. Sprinkle the paste powder into the water whilst stirring, don’t put the powder in the bucket first – adding water this way makes the paste lumpy!
Don’t over saturate the paper with the wet sponge as it makes the paper wrinkle.
Cost: Bellewood Mural, including paste, £120
Time: 2.5hrs
