Wallpaper Chase Ends With Discontinued Rolls
For a decorating quick change, put up your own wallpaper. You’ll save about $300 a room on labor, and if you find a deal on the paper, so much the better.
For real deals on wallpaper, select a pattern that has been discontinued by the manufacturer and relegated to those stores that specialize in remaindered stock.
Some shoppers express concern about discontinued wallpapers, but there is nothing wrong with this merchandise. The wallpaper industry is much like the fashion industry: They have to keep coming up with new patterns to compete in the marketplace. The discontinued patterns can be as nice or nicer than the new ones.
The Wallpaper Bin in Northridge buys discontinued patterns from major manufacturers and sells them at low prices, and it has long been a favorite of mine. When I learned that owner Lou Marsden opened a store in Ventura, I checked it out and was delighted with its inventory, as well.
Bob Mitchell, Schumacher/Waverly, Bolta, Kingfisher, Seabrook, Cherry Hill and Sinclair are the main manufacturers represented, so the selection is varied. Most of the papers average $20 to $25 retail, but the Bin cuts that to $8.99. Some of the deals are more dazzling. A Bob Mitchell paper that carries a retail of $60 a roll was $14.99; $20 rolls of border patterns were marked $4.99.
Expanded vinyl, a three-dimensional wall covering from Holland and Germany, is an ideal camouflage for lumpy walls because it hides a multitude of surface imperfections. Generally, these papers are about $25, but the discontinued patterns were $9.99.
For a windowless room, you might consider a photographic mural for a trompe l’oeil effect. A 13-by-9-foot photograph of a door with a waterfall and garden in the background that retails for $69.95 was $29.95.
If you have always been irritated by the fact that papers are priced by single roll but are packaged only in multiple rolls or “bolts,” don’t be.
The purpose of this is not to hike sales but to reduce your cost. If wallpapers were packaged in single rolls, the waste factor would go up about 40%, so the more rolls in the bolt, the less waste. In some of the very expensive papers, you will see as many as 15 rolls in a bolt, but the average package is two or three rolls. European-packaged rolls are based on 28 square feet a single roll; American papers are based on 35 square feet a roll.
The Wallpaper Bin’s focus is on merchandise in stock, but there are various books to choose from that offer a 20% discount. The Wallpaper Bin stores are well-organized and clean, with knowledgeable employees to answer questions.
The Wallpaper Bin, 8969 Tampa Ave., Northridge, (818) 886-1291; 4255 Main St., Ventura, (805) 642-6422. Both stores open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. MasterCard/VISA/Discover cards accepted.