Kitchen Lincrusta Installation

Kitchen Lincrusta Installation – Detail View #1

Kitchen Lincrusta Installation – Detail View #2

Kitchen Lincrusta Installation – Detail View #3

Since Lincrusta was invented in England, in 1877, it has been used to adorn the walls of the affluent homes of the day – it is still true today when an owner thinks of restoring their “period” house. Lincrusta is an embossed wall covering which is akin to Linoleum, where its name was derived. It is available as dados, friezes and wall coverings. We recently made a Lincrusta installation in a century-old Victorian house in a suburb of Chicago.

Because Lincrusta is rigid and becomes brittle when softened by warm water and glue, its installation presents several challenges. To successfully deal with those challenges, we create templates and use them to cut the paper to mirror the molding profiles. We also take extreme care in handling the paper once wet, as it becomes very brittle. Because of the textured nature of the paper, the cutting process causes small irregularities, which we caulk to ensure tight-looking seams.

Lincrusta is intended to be painted. Before doing so, we wipe off the oil residue from the paper fabrication process using an emulsifier. We then prime the paper and apply a coat of waterborne enamel. To further add to the richness of its finish, Lincrusta can additionally be glazed and vanished.

In the case of our most recent Lincrusta installation, we decided to complete the finishing process with a coat of China White semi-gloss paint, without glazing. The pictures show how nicely the wallpaper complements the open-shelving look of the kitchen. Our client is now ready for the final touch to her kitchen: installing the upper part of her hood!

Helping homeowners restore the luster of their “period” homes is part of what we love to do as painting and decorating contractors in the Chicago area.

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