How does one make a room wallpaper with magazine articles?

Question

I have this box full of Rolling Stone Magazine & I think my room would look really neat if it was covered in them...but I'm wondering if there's a proper way to do it?

Answer 1

1) Find some plain wallpaper and put it up first.  Someone, someday will want to remove this from the wall, it will be much easier with wallpaper underneath.  Use a wall sizing compound first, then the wallpaper.  If you can't find a color you like for a background, prime and paint over the wallpaper with flat paint and let it dry for at least so it can cure a bit better.

2) Get some idea of how you want the magazines arranged on the wall.  Laying them out on the floor is a good start.

3) Apply the magazine pages to the wall with a craft spray adheasive.  Coat the back of the pages well, but don't saturate them.  If you only coat the pages and not the wall, most adhesives will allow you to pull the pages of and change position a bit if you must.

Wallpaper paste will not work at this point because the magazine pages are too thin.  You will saturate them quickly and they are impossible to handle.

4) Let the pages dry on the wall for a couple of days, being careful not to disturb them.  Then BRUSH a couple of coats of waterborne polyurethane over top to give it some protection.  Gloss poly will give you better protection from abrasions and such, but will look really super glossy.  I would do one coat of gloss followed by a coat of satin to tone it down a bit.  Even if you decide to keep it glossy, two coats would be best.

You must brush this on to avoid pulling the pages off the wall with the roller and to eliminate bubbles in the finish.

I have done this on a single, kinda small wall.  It is a lot of work, but it looks sharp.  You might want to do one wall before you decide to invest the time in doing the whole room, although I do think the whole room would look great.

Edit - DIY doc has a decent idea with the foam board.  My only concern with this would be that the foam board is somewhat spongy, so if you were to bump into it very hard it may allow the pages to tear.  Perhaps instead of foam board you could use 1/8" hardboard, prime and paint, glue the pages and coat with poly.  You would need small nails to hang the hardboard instead of pins, but it would give you the same flexibility in removing or moving the work later.

Answer 2

i think you have to use this clearish pink paint glue stuff that you apply over the entire project when your making a collage or something. if you lay them out, tape them (scotch tape), than put clear sealer on it, it will be more durable and have a not paperish feeling. it will feel more like wall paper texture.

Answer 3

   I'll offer my two "sense", no offense to any others.

   I'd invest in Foam-core sheets, 4 x 8 x 1/4, and lay out then apply your pages to that, then attach to the walls, even with "T" pins.

   What that allows is a form of permanence, but not applied directly to the Drywall. It is possible that your interest in the theme might change at some point. The foam-core panels would then be easy to remove, while still keeping the theme On them, intact, and pin holes to patch on the walls.

Answer 4

You might line them up on the floor and see which ones you want to be next to the other, around it, etc.  Develop some continuity.  You can use regular wall paper glue and put each one up individually being extremely careful.  Create the pattern first then put them up.  You can, as previously mentioned by someone else, tape them all together then hang them like they were actually wallpaper.  However, you will get bulges and other unsightly mistakes as you go.  Doing each one individually would more than likely take longer, but will add a beautiful and professional look to the wall.  Furthermore, you did it yourself.  BE PROUD!  It's a great idea.

GOOD LUCK!