By Melissa Donovan
Part 2 of 2
For anyone—consumer, corporation, or brand owner—looking to enhance their wall art, look no further than digitally printed textured wallcoverings. The material available today is not only visually appealing, but tactile as well.
Textured wallcoverings are used for both sensible as well as fashionable purposes. They can hide imperfections in walls as well as invoke a rustic trattoria in the middle of Italy. With advancements in adhesive technology, printing equipment, and ink, textured wallcovering media has exploded in popularity, thus creating a maelstrom of product options.
What’s Out There
Here we share some of the newest digitally printed wallcovering products available on the market and what sets them apart from the competition.
Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc.’s Scenic Expressions portfolio includes two woven textured 100 percent polyester PVC-free fabrics. Scenic Expressions Taffeta provides a lighter weight, less textured fabric while Scenic Expressions Oxford delivers a heavier, more textured wallcovering solution. Both are available as either peel and stick or a paste applied. They have passed ASTM E84 Class 1/A fire resistance and ASTM F793 Durability Type II testing, making them ideal for retail, hospitality, healthcare, corporate, education, and residential. The fabrics are designed to provide enhanced opacity and dimensional stability eliminating shrinkage, curling, show through, and wrinkle concerns during installation as well as delivering worry-free contour cutting.
The Wall Film Portfolio from Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions gives design flexibility for even the most ambitious indoor applications—with a reliable digital print performance, rapid application, and three textures—canvas, crushed stone, or stucco. Avery Dennison MPI 2600 Wall Film Series is a tough, scuff resistant, flexible, calendered vinyl available with either permanent or removable adhesives, which help support the creation of unique short- and long-term decoration in hospitality areas, retail areas, and exhibitions.
DreamScape’s digital wallcoverings are available in several white textures. This includes Cabretta, where the texture is a reproduction of fine cabretta leather; Beads, which looks like a collection of small dense bumps; Criss Cross, a luxurious multi-directional grain; and Plaster, which simulates the look of real plaster or stucco. All are considered Type II wallcovering grade material, Class A fire rated, and meet NFPA ratings for smoke development.
Drytac’s most popular textured wallcovering is its ReTac Textures Embossed PVC available in canvas, linen, sand, and woodgrain textures. Graphics printed on ReTac Textures can easily be removed and repositioned multiple times without the worry of adhesive residue being left behind, surface damage, or loss of adhesion. ReTac features full fire ratings and is phthalate free.
General Formulations offers a full line of WallMark HTR textured vinyl wall products including smooth, canvas, sand, stucco, and leather textures. The HTR adhesive sets this product apart from the competition being both high tack and removable, making WallMark HTR ideal for smooth walls regardless of the paint type used. It offers the right balance of adhesion to bond solidly but remove cleanly. It’s great on glass, metal, and plastics as well.
Koroseal provides a number of white textured substrates suited for digitally printed wallcoverings from linen, leather, and canvas to stucco, plaster, and satin. All of the products offered in this portfolio are considered Type II wallcoverings, with a Class A fire rating, and also approved under ASTM E-84.
Neenah’s DigiScape PVC-free wallcovering construction uses a blend of FSC-certified cellulose fibers saturated with latex and reinforced with polyester for breathability, exceptional printing, superior dimensional stability, and robust durability and strength. Three textures are available. DigiScape Canvas, manufactured with a canvas-like surface, gives the appearance of a true textile wallcovering. DigiScape Sand Pebble is a highly tactile backdrop and durable alternative to PVC. DigiScape Stick-R is a removable pressure-sensitive adhesive available in a slight weave texture with a matte finish to help cover wall imperfections.
Neenah also offers the ability for customers to create unique textures on demand. Customers have access to over 50 distinctive textures and the company works with them to produce something custom that appeals specifically to their product base. Neenah can replicate hammered metal, ostrich feathers, or alligator skin.
PhotoTex Group, Inc.’s Photo Tex is a peel-and-stick, multi-U.S. patented, adhesive material made of 100 percent polyester fabric. Photo Tex is offered in several versions to meet all inkjet and install surface needs. Its dependable adhesive can be removed and reused multiple times without any alteration or damage to the surface.
PONGS Group DESCOR system is a textile-based product, but unlike the others discussed here, it does not adhere to the wall. Deemed by the company as the modern alternative to wallpapers, the system combines framing components with textiles with the final result modularity—allowing designs for walls and ceilings to be refreshed quickly.
PrestoTex, a division of Presto Tape is backed with an exclusive peel-and-stick adhesive that makes it easy to install and remove. There’s no paste and water mess when installing the material and no residue when removing. According to the company, PrestoTex is also the thickest product of its kind on the market with ten- and 17-mil options while competitors only offer 7-mil products. It’s also available in four colors, three of the colors add sheen and shine to the project and include deep gold, gold iridescent, and silver. White is the standard option and most popular.
S-One Holdings Corporation offers HP Large Format Media HP PVC-free Durable Suede Wall Paper, which is unique due to its environmental and health properties. It is odorless and safe for sensitive environments, in addition it is FSC and UL GREENGUARD GOLD certified. The company also distributes JM Covertex Digital Wallcoverings, which are designed for grand format printers, lightly textured, and seamless.
Ultraflex Systems, Inc.’s Wallscapes are commercial grade type II wallcoverings. The material is available in four embossment finishes—Bali Hai, Matte, Stardust, and Suede. Wallscapes materials are compatible for use with solvent, eco-solvent, UV, latex, and screenprinting. Materials may be installed with commercial grade adhesives, or sewn or attached with grommets. All materials are available in standard 54-inch widths.
A Step Further
Digitally printed wallcoverings help to create an immersive environment for the viewer. With the addition of textures, that immersion is taken a step further.
Oct2021, Digital Output
