David DeGennaro Jr., age 12, of Jackson, miss., for his question:
WHY DO SOME PEOPLE USE WALLPAPER?
Wallpaper is a decorative paper used to cover inside walls. Most people use wallpaper to make rooms more attractive. Colorful, lively patterned wallpaper can brighten a room at low cost.
Wallpaper also provides practical advantages as a wall covering. It can hide cracks, stains and other flaws on the walls.
Scholars say that the first wallpaper was made in England, France or the Netherlands during the 1500s, so it has been around for hundreds of years. Artists designed patterned wallpaper then as a cheaper substitute for tapestries, the popular woven wall hangings that were used to decorate palace rooms in those days.
Craftsmen painted designs on the paper by hand or printed them from carved blocks of wood.
The Chinese started to make wallpaper in the early 1600s. They painted birds, flowers and landscapes on rectangular sheets of rice paper. Then in the 1700s, the French decorated wallpaper with Chinese objects and patterns. This popular style became known as chinoiserie.
Wallpaper was first produced in the United States in Philadelphia in 1739. Landscapes, the architectural ruins of ancient Greece and scenes from American life became favorite designs during the 1800s.
Wallpaper doesn't necessarily have to be made of paper. Many wall coverings, including burlap, linen, manmade fibers, plastics and thin sheets of wood, are also considered wallpaper.
Manufacturers today sell most wallpaper in rolls of sheets that measure 30 feet long and two and a quarter feet wide. Soft pastels and small patterns can create a restful mood. Walls covered with shiny foil stripes, a delicate floral print or other designs express the decorator's individuality.
Paper made of plaster reinforced with plant fibers can be used to cover brick, concrete blocks or rough plaster.
Wallpaper made of a plastic material called vinyl can be scrubbed with a mild detergent and water. Its easy care makes it ideal for such rooms as kitchens and children's playrooms, which become especially soiled.
Manufacturers make most wallpaper from softwoods, such as hemlock and spruce. Machines slice the wood into chips. The chips are cooked in a chemical solution until they form a soft mass called sulfate pulp. The pulp is then mixed with ground wood.
This mixture then goes through the same process used in the manufacture of most other paper.
Wallpaper is printed by a process called gravure. This process is also used to print wallpaper made of such woven fabrics as burlap and linen.
After being printed, the wallpaper is put on racks to dry. Finally it is measured into sheets, cut, wound onto rolls and packed for shipment.