On decorating with words (or whatever)

[lisarea]

Yeah, vinyl is mad toxic at every stage of its lifecycle--production, use, and disposal.

I do have a few extant vinyl products that I haven't thrown away, including some vinyl shelf paper, but I don't buy any new stuff. Linoleum is actually pretty great, though, even without that consideration.

[LadyShea]

Marmoleum?...just a brand name I guess

[lisarea]

Yeah, I think that's one of the major brands.

It is REALLY hard to find actual linoleum with a computer search because everyone seems to use it as a synonym for vinyl. (You'll have the same problem looking for linen.) If you only need enough to cover a furniture surface, though, I'd try going to some flooring store and asking if they have any widgy little pieces of real linoleum.

[Demimonde]

I will say if you can find any banged up or scribbled in books, bonus for Seuss of course, decoupage would be a super cute treatment for a bookshelf headboard as a backing and as a shelf liner.

[LadyShea]

Yeah Demi, I agree that if the right books could be found, decoupage would be cool. Wonder when the next friends of the library sale is? Hmmm, need to check.

Now I am all freaked out about vinyl, but linoleum is really hard to find here in the sticks. We don't have flooring stores and such, we have Lowe's and Home Depot (wonder if they carry the real stuff and I just don't know about it?)

[Demimonde]

Armstrong is a natural linoleum which is carried at most Lowes and Home Depots.

You could also talk to a contractor who might have some surplus to scrap. Or try craiglist and freecycle, just ask the brand they have so you can research it before you go.

[lisarea]

I've looked a couple of times trying to find linoleum at the big stores like that, but I ran into the problem with them using it as a synonym for vinyl, so I don't know. At least some of the bigger flooring manufacturers make it, though, so they might? The best bet is probably just to go in and see if anyone there knows what you're talking about.

Some alternatives, though, might be rubber or cork. Rubber would probably be weird on a tabletop type surface, I guess; but cork is surprisingly sturdy, too, especially with a good sealant. And I have actually seen it at big box home improvement stores with my very own eyeballs.

(I have been meaning to get around to replace my kitchen floor, and have spent a lot of time thinking about it but not doing it, because I am totally cerebral like that. Which is different from being lazy and indecisive, in case you ever wondered that.)

According to this, too, it is paintable, and I'm thinking that a slightly textured cork pattern could look really sweet painted a nice color if you don't like the natural cork colors.

[LadyShea]

I have been meaning to get around to replace my kitchen floor, and have spent a lot of time thinking about it but not doing it, because I am totally cerebral like that.

We DIYd ceramic tiles in both our kitchen and bedroom in Vegas, and it was easier than expected. And basic neutral ceramic is always easy to find on sale, or if you have a Habitat ReStore?

Seems to be we did it for less than 2.00/sq ft. total in grout and tile.

[lisarea]

Yeah, I've laid ceramic tile a few times, but I don't want ceramic tiles in the kitchen. My Denver house was practically gutted when I bought it, and I redid almost everything in that house on my own, including illegal stuff ( ), so I'm not procrastinating because I think I can't do it. I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

We do have a nice, big ReStore right by the house, in fact, and I check it periodically to see if there's something good enough to inspire me to move all the appliances and shelving and do it. It's not an emergency or anything, so I am holding out for linoleum or cork.

[Kael]

I don't have anything useful to contribute to this thread, so instead I will relate how Oh, the places you'll go was forever ruined for me: by my high school band instructor, who thought it would be a good thing to read aloud in its entirety to the exiting seniors in the band at our end-of-school-year dinner/social. He also gave us all a copy of it.

[Janet]

You could always take color copies and decoupage it if you don't want to rip up books. When we premiered our adult graphic novel collection at the library I covered a book case in color copies of comics, some from the library and some from my own collection. It looks awesome but unfortunately the collection has outgrown it and it's now in the basement.

[ZEZOZE]

we had "FTW" tattooed on Zeke's forearm.

ok...that's not really a word...

[LadyShea]

I have a super beat up, but sturdy, hand me down 2 shelf bookcase, that is a really unfortunate size in that it doesn't fit on any wall with any other piece of furniture (it's been preventing the closet door from closing for a long time).

I did some mazzuring and realized it is the right size for a sort of headboard, or end unit for the bed. So we put it there and it fits and allows access to the books and can be used as a nightstand as well.

Back to the problem, it is beat up bad, like not even shabby beach chic, but more like from the garbage. So, do I just paint it, or contact paper it? Wallpaper? Decoupage? Vinyl tiles? It needs to be a sturdy finish because it is a working bookshelf and will have a lamp and clock and stuff on it too.

The bedroom is all clean and organized and I was looking through the garbage shelf for summer reading and was all "Fucking eww!" so I went out to the garage, grabbed the first can of paint in my cabinet (a pretty basic taupe) and grabbed Kiddo and we painted that sucker. I had used burlap and fish nets in different places in the room, and have taupe curtains and a duvet (to ground all the turquoise) so it was fine.

I was gonna decoupage it with a Harry Potter book I have with a broken spine, but then decided that wasn't very personal, and instead I dug out a 20 year old road atlas.

I cut out all the states and cities where Kiddo has visited, and added my hometown/state and hubby's hometown/state and glued the maps to the visible side and the visible part of the back. I am printing some specific place logos today (Walt Disney World, some specific National Parks that have unique logos) and will glue those to the collage as well

On top Dad is going to paint a compass rose and "Oh the places you go!" then I will clear coat the whole thing

So there, I fixed it!

[Demimonde]

OMG that is BRILLIANT!