CAN NOT Paint on walls in apartment
KB of Jersey
I live in an apartment. I've been told I CAN NOT PAINT unless I change the color back before and or if I plan to move, knowing this seems like a lot of work and I would hate to paint it all nice and possibly move and or have my landlord make a unsatisfactory statement about the painting. I want to find a way to add color to my rooms without painting or wall papering which I'm sure I will have to take down. I bought curtains which worked some, but not enough.....Any suggestions as to what I can do.
catwoman708
If you want to be a rebel, then go ahead and paint. To be a cautious rebel, use a light, neutral shade (bone, beige, tan, pale gray, etc...) that will be easy to paint over without priming (I assume they are white or off white now). Make sure you do an excellent job, quickly wipe up any sloppy marks, be sure and protect the flooring, and leave all nail holes patched and touched up. I know several landlords, and they just don't want to have to repaint, and have said as long as its a paler, neutral color, the tenant did a good job, and they don't have to deal with repainting, they'll usually let it slide. Its the bad or sloppy paint jobs, wild colors, and holes that invariably need patching and touching up that are the biggest headaches of tenants repainting themselves. If you absolutely don't want to paint, the first thing that comes to mind is panels that can be moved around or hang lightweight sheers in the color you want directly on the wall. The panels can be made with lightweight paneling, painted any color or design you like, and be connected together with hinges and placed about like folding screens, or attached directly to the wall. You can make fabric panels out of cardboard, a layer of batting, and covered with material. They can even be stapled together and stapled to the wall in strategic locations.You can hang colored sheers on the walls (either on lightweight rods, or just stapled directly to the wall) and hang artwork over them. You can place them over a large painting and pull them to the side with decorative hooks or tassels, treating the painting like a window.Any thing you can use to draw the eye to color would be helpful and take the focus off the anemic walls, like tall plants, floor lamps, artwork, framed mirrors (with shelves underneath for candles), or large wall hangings. Take extra care with heavy items that will leave large holes in the walls.All I can think of for now.
forest26
How about very large wall art? IKEA has some great offerings like the following http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15573&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=47542&langId=-1&categoryId=15708&chosenPartNumber=70081696and you can probably find similar options with that are peelable. Another option are spots directed from the floor to highlight what is on your walls...you could even use different color light bulbs.
star168
I also live in an apartment and don't want to face the hassle that comes with painting. I saw something in a book about attaching fabric panels to the walls with some kind of starch solution that supposedly is really easy to clean up when you take the panels down again. Haven't tried it though - don't have the $$$ for that much fabric.
catwoman708
If you have a Super Wal-Mart in your area, they almost always have a bargain table of material, sometimes for as little as $1 yard.
Lagro
I have a friend who tried this technique. She used bed sheets that she purchased on clearance. It wound up looking very nice compared to the bare white walls, and when she was ready to move, all she had to do was peel the fabric right off the wall.
ju-ju
how about stretching some pretty fabric over wooden frames (like a painter's canvas')? You can usually find cotton quilting fabrics pretty inexpensively at the fabric stores, or even use some bed sheets from the clearance rack. Hang the "panels" onto your walls, and coordinate the fabrics to your bedding and curtains,and it could be really beautiful, and much easier than some of the other options mentioned. I have a friend who did this in her apartment's living room, and it looks really beautiful! And when she moves, all she has to do if fill in a few nail holes!
#EANF#
#EANF#