Antique Wallpaper Restoration | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House host Kevin O'Connor heads to the Franklin Pierce home in New Hampshire to learn what it takes to restore antique wallpaper. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Host Kevin O’Connor takes us on a house call of historical proportions to talk about wallpaper restoration. When visiting the Franklin Pierce home, Kevin speaks with museum staff about restoring the home, more specifically, the 200-year-old imported wallpaper in one of the rooms. Wallpaper's Beginnings Most ornate wallpaper originated in Europe and is relegated to palaces and large villas. They were typically made from thousands of blocks of wood in different colors and took several years to produce. For these reasons, early versions of European wallpaper are rare and worth restoring. Typical Damage Wallpaper, like most building materials, is prone to damage over time. Typical damage that antique wallpaper might display include water damage, insect damage, loss of adhesion, and loss of chunks of wallpaper for various reasons. Cleaning is Critical After carefully photographing and documenting the wallpaper, the most important step is a thorough cleaning. Paper restoration technicians use non-silicone rubber sponges and cosmetic sponges to carefully remove dirt, dust, and insect debris from the surface. They work very slowly to avoid removing media, pigment, and color from the wallpaper. Paper Infilling Technicians patch new paper into the old wallpaper during the restoration process. They use Japanese paper with has long fibers and is very flexible and durable to infill empty spaces. They outline the patch on mylar paper before cutting a matching patch and gluing it in place with a typical wallpaper glue (methyl cellulose). They will then add another layer of toned paper to match the height of the wallpaper and closely match the background of the pattern. Painting and Coloring The final step of the restoration process is in-painting. For this step, restoration technicians will use matte paints and crayon pencils to mimic the look and pattern of the existing wallpaper design. The technicians spend a lot of time during this stage. They have to mix pigments and paints, test them, and then let them dry to ensure they match the color of this existing wallpaper. The goal is to restore the wallpaper to the point that the eye can integrate the repair without attempting to recreate the artist's intent. Where to find it? Kevin travels to the Franklin Pierce Homestead [https://ift.tt/92LBKjw ] in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. The historic site built in 1804 has two hundred-year-old block printed wallpaper that was manufactured by hand in France. Kevin talks with paper conservators working to restore the scenic wallpaper, which is an edition of "Les Vues d'Italie," made by Joseph Dufour and Co., Paris in the 1810s and 20s and shipped to New Hampshire in 1824. Special thanks: Bexx Caswell-Olson Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/JG6c7YC About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG Antique Wallpaper Restoration | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/