What better way to display your love of country in your home décor than by hanging a patriotic wallpaper border? Although this kind of wallpaper border is not compatible with every style of interior design, patriotic images are the perfect fit for many rooms.
Choosing a Patriotic Wallpaper Border
The most obvious motif for patriotic borders is the flag, and of course, there are tons of variations on that theme available. From brightly colored, modern flag borders to antiqued flag displays invoking colonial days, you'll find plenty of options that allow you to match the border to the colors in your room and your overall décor style.
Flags aren't the only patriotic motifs you can find on borders, though. Consider military themed borders, branded with one of the branches of service, eagles, the country seal and illustrations of major moments in American history, like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or Washington crossing the Delaware.
Patriotic wallpaper border is available at most brick and mortar wallpaper retailers. You can also shop for borders online. Try the following online shops:
Patriotic borders work best in country, rustic, log cabin and colonial themed homes, though depending on the colors you're using, they can work with other styles. They aren't the best choice for contemporary, modern, French country or Victorian styled decors.
How to Hang Your Wallpaper Border
If you plan to hang the border along the top of the room, the line where the ceiling meets the wall will help you keep the border inline as you hang it. However, things get a little trickier if you're going to hang the border lower on the walls, such as around the middle of the room. If there is no chair rail in place to help you keep things straight, use a ruler to help you find the right spot for your border. Use a pencil to mark that spot around the room, so you don't end up with crooked border.
To begin the actual hanging, roll out a spool of the border and apply wallpaper adhesive to the back. As you're applying the adhesive, gently fold the border accordion style, so you will be able to pick up and work with it easier - just be careful not to make hard creases. Starting in a corner, press the border onto the wall, slowly unfolding and pressing as you go. Use a damp sponge as you're moving along the wall to smooth out any bubbles under the border.
Repeat the process with the next spool of border. Start by overlapping the end of the first border spool and the start of the new one by a few inches to obscure the seam. Use the same overlap process in the corners of the rooms. In the corners, secure the overlap with vinyl to vinyl adhesive or white glue so that the overlap doesn't pull apart when the house settles.
A Word of Caution about Ordering
Before you order your border, measure the room and allow for an extra two to four feet of border so you are covered if you make any mistakes. Border is sold in five yard spools. It is a good idea to make sure all the spools you order come from the same lot. Even when the design is the same, there can be slight variations in color between lots, which will stand out once you hang the border.
