Paper It Fun!

Blue Mountain Wallcoverings, the distributor of PaperIllusion wallpaper, confirmed today that a recent batch of Paper Illusions wallpaper pattern Travertine Terra Cotta, 5813182 was defective.

After receiving multiple complaints about the paper not sticking properly, we contacted our Sales Manager at Blue Mountain last week strongly stressing our concern about the quality of this particular pattern:

We tested the product ourselves and too found a severe problem with the adhesion. It appears the paper sticks okay at first, while it is not as gooey when wet like the other colors get. But then within 24 hours the paper lifts from the wall completely, literally falling off the wall. When you attempt to get it wet again to reactivate the glue, it’s as if there is no glue on it at all.

Oftentimes people will run into a challenge with wallpaper not sticking properly when the proper preparation steps (washing & priming the surface first with a wallpaper primer) are not taken. However, when the proper steps are taken and the product doesn’t perform as advertised, this usually indicates a problem with the product itself.

When situations occur like this, a replacement order can be requested specifically requesting not to send the same run/batch/lot, just in case it was a problem with the whole batch at the time of manufacturing. However, with PaperIllusion there is no run/batch/lot number ascribed to each batch made, so it was impossible to determine if the problem was a current one or a remnant of old stock.

In my letter last week to the sales manager I suggested the color should be recalled until a new batch is completed and tested to work properly. He in turn forwarded my concern to the VP of Manufacturing and the Production Plant Manager. Today I received the following response (portions omitted to protect patented information):

We have acquired product and completed testing. “Failed drastically”

I am pulling the stock out … tomorrow to evaluate all of the product. … It looks like they will be defective. …The test we have completed, show there is a problem in the substrate, not in the paste. … Before we print more of this product we will need to evaluate…[the] substrate.

Needless to say this color is on back order at this time. If you have purchased this color within the past six months and have had difficulty with the paper adhering properly to a washed & properly primed surface, I suggest:

1. telling us about it in the comments below and
2. returning to the place of purchase and requesting some kind of remedy

While there is no guarantee you will get any type of compensation, it is worth a shot. If you’ve purchased this defective batch from WallpaperIllusions.com and have not already received a remedy, please contact us at “support @ wigglewigal.com” with your order # or date of purchase and we will work with you on this.

This paper is supposed to be EASY to hang, and personally, I would hate to have someone think ill of Paper Illusions wallpaper as a result of this type of experience. I will say, I am very happy with the response I received from Blue Mountain. The management was very receptive to my concern and acted very quickly to fix the problem. I just hope it won’t be too long to produce another batch of this color…it’s a very pretty one.

P.S. Don’t forget to share your recent experience with this color below. I’d like to hear about it myself and I intend on forwarding it to the folks at Blue Mountain. Thanks!

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