DIY Network

Paper Wall Stripes Plain brown paper goes glam. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-134

Give your walls texture, style and a little metallic sheen.

It's easy to see the creative possibilities in handcrafted Italian papers or even the Sunday comics. But what about plain brown paper? Who could make a cool look with that?

Michele Beschen can, and she's sharing the secret of her success. Below, the B. Original host shows how she tore long strips from a roll of craft paper, jazzed them up with some metallic paint and used them to stripe her walls. The paper is about as far from "art paper" as can be: Painters use it to mask surfaces. But the final product is stylish and sophisticated.

Scroll down for Michele Beschen's how-to, and get ready to B. Original with plain brown paper.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Paper Wall Stripes

Materials:

brown kraft paper
metallic paints
wallpaper paste for unpapered wallpaper
paintbrush
smoothing tool

Note: Brown kraft paper is available on large rolls at hardware stores.

• If you're also painting the wall, make sure you have primed and painted your base color before applying the stripe technique. You won't be able to paint around the ragged edges of the torn paper.

• Tear the kraft paper into long strips (figure A). Make sure you tear unevenly all the way around, including the top and bottom.

• Wad up the torn paper to wrinkle it up, then spread it out.

• Dry-brush the strips with metallic paint and a little water. Let dry completely (figure B).

• Attach to the wall using wallpaper paste made for unpasted wallpaper. Apply the paste to the back of the paper instead of to the wall.

• When attaching the strips, start at the top of the wall and work your way down (figure C).