Fabric Covered Walls?

Does anyone have any good or bad experience with fabric covered wall panels? My wife has this idea that she wants 'soft walls' in the basement rather than drywall. I've seen some modular fabric covered wall info on the web. I'm curious if anyone can give me the pluses or minuses based on real world experience.

Thanks!

i plan to do my home theater room in fabric but im not sure if i would do a basement wall because of possible moisture and how much dust the fabric will hold...its like having carpet on walls.

If you want Really Soft walls...Here is a little History:
In the 1960's (Remember I said in the 60's) Bubble Wrap was invented as a Wall Covering!
Of Course that didnt work out too well, but it became a Hugh Hit for Protective Packaging and Just Fun for Popping!!!
But, You could bring it back to its former Glory and line your walls with it...aint Nobody gettin' Hurt in that Basement!!!

Only if you get some orange or yellow **** carpet from the 60-70s!

I've got the pros and cons of-
http://franchising.owenscorning.com/bfs/

Outrageously expensive!
I've seen several projects since it was initially introduced. I saw it at the International Builder's Show that year.
It's sound absorption quality is amazing. Is relatively easy to install and remove (this is a major "selling" feature if one has to gain access to an area behind a panel).
Installing electrical, low voltage, etc. is less than stellar. Hanging artwork can be a challenge and the "look" is not as "soft" as one would imagine.
I have always stressed the importance of continuity when finishing a terrace level of a home. People always have these grandiose plans that don't fit the rest of the home- same is true of OC's basement system.

All-in-all, D/W and paint are cheaper. And a paint color is much easier to change than a fabric color.

You can get a hessian type wall-paper, drywall as normal then hang the wall-paper.

We did fabric covered walls at our house back in the 90's. We took it down when we changed the rooms.

Take some batting from the fabric store, staple to drywall. Staple fabric to wall at floor and ceiling. The wife had the fabric sewed so it was one big piece and always had some piping made from the same material to cover the staples. Get tired of it? Pull it down, Spackle the staple holes and paint. Easy project. If she wants it, just do it. Happy wife, happy life.

Funny you should start this thread. I was just going to ask about what I did for a knee wall upstairs in my shop:



I've just laid it over the framework as it is late and I'm tired, but I will have it finished out tomorrow in time for my New Year's eve party. This is some manner of marine/outdoor carpet that Home Depot sells. I bought three 4x12 sections for $75. I've used it in the past to make interior panels for my 55 two door. With stainless screws and finishing washers, it didn't look out of place at all. I like grays and blacks so I decided to just use it upstairs, at least for the near future, to cover the inner facing part of my knee wall. The outer portion (facing towards the main shop) will be covered in 4x8 vinyl prints of my various mobiles. I've got the first one on the way to see what how good the product is. If I like it, I will get two more 8 foot ones and a twelve footer. Should make for a pretty cool mural when I'm finished.


Since I'm well past threadjacking, I'd like to ask for opinions on how to finish out the carpet I've got displayed above. It will have the lower edge dressed to the floor but that leaves plenty of material to work with as the railing is 42" tall and 5.5" wide at the top. I'm leaning towards using some manner of pipe/conduit to address the edge at the floor, but I have no idea what would be a good idea for the top. I can have it cover the entire thing and bolt a pipe along the middle to discourage poor drink placement, or run it up under the 2x6 top rail to give a sharper edge...but still use a decorative rail of some sort to discourage placing objects on top of the wall.

Thoughts? Please don't feel obligated to agree with my stated intentions. I lean towards industrial tones simply because the feeling it evokes is consistently comfortable, but I've been pleasantly surprised by other styles as well. I just can't bring those kinds of things into mind on my own is all.

Fabric walls (removable panels) are great for home theater applications as they provide a decorative cover for acoustic treatments (absorbers, bass traps, diffusers etc) as well as hiding cable runs.

here are a couple fabric panels in my living room


the panels on the sides are absorbers at the first reflection of the front speakers (tremendous improvement in clarity over the hard walls). the panel below the plasma is just a frame with some of the same fabric stretched over to cover the cables.

My friend has a dedicated theater room with fully covered walls. With chair rails and wainscoting, the effect is quite nice. I don't know what it takes to keep clean though.

I think the easiest and cheapest way, if you are going to do it...

Buy some 1/2" sheets of micore, have your wife pick some fabric, let the fabric run past the substrate, pull tight and fold the corners like you were wrapping a Christmas present and staple it in.

If doing big pieces you may want to spray a light coat of adhesive, super 77 I think is what I have used in the past...do a sample to make sure there is not bleed-thru of the glue

In a previous life I did commercial millwork and made many secretary desks etc that had fabric panels and that is how we made them

To hang them we would epoxy or liquid nail zclips on the back of the panel and hook them to the wall

Do you want to do stand alone panels?
When we first moved into an old house with lath and plaster walls we “wallpapered” one of the bedrooms with cloth.
My wife liked the pattern but could not find it in paper, so we just put up the fabric like you would paper.
It was a lot easier to work with.
It wouldn’t tear and if the edges didn’t quite line up you could “work” the material by sliding it around.
And since it was stronger than paper it held some of the “bulges” where the plaster had come loose in place until we got around to tearing it all out and dry walling.

K'ledgeBldr said:

I've got the pros and cons of-
http://franchising.owenscorning.com/bfs/

Outrageously expensive!
I've seen several projects since it was initially introduced. I saw it at the International Builder's Show that year.
It's sound absorption quality is amazing. Is relatively easy to install and remove (this is a major "selling" feature if one has to gain access to an area behind a panel).
Installing electrical, low voltage, etc. is less than stellar. Hanging artwork can be a challenge and the "look" is not as "soft" as one would imagine.
I have always stressed the importance of continuity when finishing a terrace level of a home. People always have these grandiose plans that don't fit the rest of the home- same is true of OC's basement system.

All-in-all, D/W and paint are cheaper. And a paint color is much easier to change than a fabric color.

Click to expand...

I got a ballpark estimate one time to do mine they threw $25K at me without batting an eye. I can buy lots of framing and sheetrock for that.

Just remind her SHE has to vacuum them..........

Dogs **** their leg on fabric walls

A seven year old thread was revived for these kinds of responses?

Fabric and carpet used on vertically on walls are required to have more stringent flame spread ratings than what is used on floors. If a fire occurs the wrong stuff will spread a fire faster than Grant taking Richmond.

Stuart in MN said:

A seven year old thread was revived for these kinds of responses?

Click to expand...

What if..............

Why did that get shut down I wonder?

Stuart in MN said:

A seven year old thread was revived for these kinds of responses?

Click to expand...

Even brought a spammer (tomsachria) out of the woods!