Question from Samantha
Dear Debra,
My husband and I are in the process of renovating our bedroom. I really wanted a feature wall to “feature” a damask-style wallpaper. I was distressed to discover that the wallpaper I fell in love with, and based the whole room around, was solid vinyl. Further searching revealed nothing but vinyl or vinyl-coated paper. I am pregnant, plan to breastfeed and co-sleep in this room so I am obviously concerned about the off-gassing from vinyl. Am I right to be concerned? Is the off-gassing a long-term problem?
A web search of non-vinyl wallpapers revealed only one company -Mod Green Pod. Their designs are not to my taste, so is that it? Do you know of any other companies that sell wallpapers that are not toxic?
I have also considered covering the wallpaper with an AFM safecoat product but I’m unsure of the result since their finish appears to be glossy. I am not in a position to buy the vinyl wallpaper just to test the results with the AFM product. Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions?
Thank you in advance,
Samantha in Toronto, Canada
Debra’s Answer
You are right to be concerned about the outgassing of the vinyl wallpaper. I wouldn’t use it.
There are very few resources for non-plastic wallcovering. See Debra’s List: Interior Decorating: Wallcovering for some possibilities.
There are many other ways to decorate walls without wallpaper, such as with paint effects and stencils. Browse through a paint effects book as see what you can do. All those effects can be done with low-VOC and natural paints.
