I have been a professional decorator for many years and have hung a very wide range of wallcoverings over that time. Designer wallpaper is generally a joy to hang and looks great. I came across Versace Wallpaper for the first time in my career a few weeks ago and had to put pen to paper and write a review about it.
My Experience With Versace Wallpaper
My client had paid nearly £80 per roll for the paper and it was crap! Sorry, I know that doesn’t sound very professional, but it just was. I’ll take you through the paper, plus the problems I encountered. If you’re thinking about using it, avoid it at all costs.
The pattern was Greek Key in black. Product code 935234, non-woven wide vinyl. I used the recommended paste and lined the walls prior to installing the paper as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
The first issue, the instructions specify a “free match”, utter dross! There is a swirling pattern that needs to line up in order for it to look symmetrical. That would be easy enough, but this Greek Key pattern has a boarder on each side, so you’re trying to match a pattern which is 6 inches apart. You have to mark each piece before hanging. Fair enough, annoying and difficult to hang, but doable.
The next issue was the joints. It is a black glossy paper which shows every seam in white!! £60 a roll paper and the seams stand out like a sore thumb!! It looks crap, I had to colour the end of each roll with a black crayon before I could hang it and I still couldn’t hide them. Same goes for any splices you have to make (overlap the paper and cut through both layers to make what is supposed to be the perfect join). With this it stands out a mile. Window reveals looked appalling.
Next issue!! You can not get any paste whatsoever on the front of Versace Wallpaper!! Normal procedure dictates after hanging a drop, you wipe down any finger marks of paste seepage on the seams. This paper has loads of little lines embedded on the pattern, meaning any paste gets trapped where it shouldn’t. Wiping it down with a damp sponge will only make it look worse!! You just need to be careful when you’re hanging it in the first place.
Last but not least, It shows up every imperfection on the wall!! Luckily, I made a good job of lining the walls, but even then, get a speck of dust behind the paper and it stands out a mile. If your walls are in bad nick, then forget it!!
I pointed all this out to my client, spent extra time on the job and got it looking ok (I still wasn’t happy). I just feel my client got ripped off when she bought the product. How can something so poor be so expensive?? I know people will pay for the name “Versace”, but come on!! No wonder it gets slated on the Decorators Forum UK!!
If you have a larger budget to spend on wallpaper, you can do a lot better than going with Versace. Don’t pay the big bucks on a designer name unless the quality is there. Have a look at Harlequin or Sanderson instead.
Summary
Versace Wallpaper Review – Avoid if Possible! - Decorator's forum UK
A designer wallpaper bought by people who assume that because of the price tag, they’re buying a quality product.
Product Brand: Versace
1
Pros
- It’s made from thick material, so easy to handle.
Cons
- Very expensive.
- The instructions claim there’s no pattern match, but there is.
- Pattern very difficult to line up because of a boarder.
- Difficult to clean paste off the front of the paper because of its texture.
- Splices show a mile off.
- Difficult to hide seams.
Deffo 1000% shit Would not take it for free
Black water colour pencil and a damp sponge for edges
Ive just ripped it down.
Oh poop… I have some to hang in a few weeks.
Let you know how I get on.
just done some in silver same problems give it a massive miss
Always said if the manufacturer intended the edges to be crayoned they should supply an appropriate colour crayon.
What a hassle with wallpaper,l honestly be happy could never hang a single strip again. Cost me time and money over years.
Old boy used to say the dearer the paper the worst it was…
We have just hung this wallpaper in silver, my husband is not a professional decorator but a very good wallpaper hanger. The results have been horrendous !!!! We followed instructions and used recommended paste. We could not remove bubbles from the paper. Had to take it down the following day as they had not dried out. We tried again using a different paste, after two days it is still badly bubbled !!! It will all need to come down, a very expensive and bitterly disappointing experience. Will never use Versace again !!
My Dad’s been a time served painter and decorator all his life, he’s now retired, and I asked him to hang this wallpaper and he’s never hung anything so absolutely awful in all his working career. All the same problems as everyone mentions but also… Any slight crease of the paper whilst hanging and it would leave a mark and the crease never then came out…. Used and wasted 1 roll and sent the other rolls back for a refund absolutely awful paper.
I also had this wall paper and I agree it’s shocking really feel like complaining to Versace.
I’m going to take it off and re paper!!
I dont know how you have all got it so wrong I’m not a professional decorator, I have done wallpaper before and I didnt have any problems with the Versace black Greek key paper and the end result looks amazing.
Can you tell me about your experience with the black greek key wallpaper I am nervous to buy it for my powder room now that I am reading these reviews?
Hi Sandra..I’ve been putting up paper in my home for 25 years and just started doing it professionally, I am putting up this paper tomorrow in the jet black, in my own home..I was so excited up until reading all the reviews and I am now very scared to .. do you have any advise for me please.
Can you please share the technique of placing them coz i am about to hang mine in a bit. Please guide me through ypur experience step by step
There are a couple of ways. You can either use a laser level which goes horisontally across the wall. That way you can just line one print up with another as you go. The other way is to unroll a length on your table before hanging it and put a pencil mark on the edge of the paper in line with a spacific part of the pattern. This way you can just match 1 pencil mark with another
I hung this paper last week for my nicec no probs at all hanging it infact it was easiest paper iv put up .. even its thick heavy good quality paper .although I dint buy it from the same places as you
I have just got the gold one and border need a little help as weather to hang the paper or have it length ways to match border ??
I have it and had same problems done my landing and it’s all marked had to colour it in with silver marker you would think it would last years for the price after about a week he’d scratched on it proper crap paper
So…I dont normally comment on wallpapers, intact I never have till now!. But after reading the reviews before I put it up for a customer, I came on here and looked for tips as it’s an expensive wallpaper..I was very nervous to put it up after reading them all!! HOWEVER…. this paper is beautiful..I had to take my time and make sure I cleaned my board after each strip, but otherwise it went up beautiful..you cant see my joins and it looks classy. Customer was over the moon..I put up 3 rolls on a feature wall. There is no pattern as such like one decorator said..you just have to make sure the line around each square is level with the other, but it doesn’t matter which square goes next to each other. I lined the wall 1st and gave the joins a good wipe with a warm soapy micro fibre cloth. Love the end result. I recommend this high.
I had many of the same problems described. I had to mix paint to “colour” the seams and the excess paste would just not come off, attempts to clean it just smearing it further and further afield. Eventually I tried sugar soap on the paste smears and this lifted it.
Looks OK now, but definitely not worth the many hours of extra effort.
Keeping this short and sweet in reference to the silver/ grey paper. As all of the problems experienced above, I only managed to hang 2 lengths out of 5 as both rolls where flawed with what looked liked grey blobbs/ specks here and there.
The two hung sheets looked a million dollars and thanking my lucky stars that the customer was understanding especially after viewing this blog. OUT COME is I have to go back again once the company replaces her for another two. As for the bubbles which I never ever get is down to using a tub of ready mix extra strong paste. Hope this helps, as I will change a day rate next time due to the amount of ISSUES arising which in turn won’t be fare on the clients.
I’ve just had the silver Greek on 2 walls by a decorating firm Jon Murphy Liverpool looks brilliant dead classy and he had no problems with it
I wish I had seen the 1st review from Mike Gregory who started the review re Versace earlier than today and definitely before I hung the Greek Key in silver.!
At least then I would have known what I was up against.
My daughter purchased 5 rolls for her large straight flat back wall in her lounge.
She paid £69 a roll and she had saved up for a while so you can imagine a lot was riding on my shoulders to do a good job.
I am not a professional decorator but I pride myself as being as good as one is because over the years I have developed very good decorating skills. My daughter would only trust me to put this paper up.
With trepidation I started. And everything Mike stated happened regarding the finish.
I am still going over it many months later to try and make it look better than it was at first.
At least this forum has eased so.e if the guilt I feel every time I look at the wall
So I purchased this paper then read these reviews, took a risk and just went for it. My honest review goes like this.
I lined the wall first due to seeing other reviews about lumps and bumps showing.
First hang I made the paste thick
due to the weight of the paper and when I hung it up I had to smooth alot of paste out due to the material of the paper not soaking the paste in.
2nd attempt I made the paste a lot more watery and to my surprise it took to the paper great and went on the wall so smoothly and has dried in very smoothly ( I did leave the paper to soak the paste for a couple of minutes and made sure it was definitely stuck )
The residue from the paste does mark the paper a lot so I found waiting till everything was dry and lightly wiping in the direction of the groves on the paper with a warm soapy sponge that’s been rung out.
Cutting the corners and edging was tough to but I found also lightly marking the paper with the Stanley a few times helped before cutting into the paper because of how thick the paper is.
I wouldn’t recommend this paper unless you can afford to waste some to play around with. It really needs more instruction to understand how to complete the best finish, I was just lucky I tried and then tried again until I found the best method. I have hung wallpaper from b&m and The range before and have perfect finishes so please don’t waste your money on something that may leave you dissatisfied.
I agree with everything you’ve just said
I have to hang this paper tomorrow. Wish me luck