Vital Signs Pittsburgh: It's A Wrap!

A Residential Wall Wrap..

If you've ever had an old house, you probably have one. An ugly, concrete block wall that is. Like many old structures, either commercial or residential, many of us inherit what some might describe as an architectural faux-pas. Surely there is/was a more attractive structural solution than sharp, grey or white porous-looking block. So what's one to do with this kind of eyesore?

Clearly, the economical, quick-fix solutions are limited. Or are they? The easiest answer is paint. Anyone can slap a quick coat or two of paint over block. But the change is minimal and may prove to draw more attention to the texture and porous nature of the block. If that is the desired look you are going for, you have an easy solution. But what if you want to make a big change without a substantial financial investment?

BEFORE

Think Creative Wall WRAP!

So what is a "wall wrap" you ask? Basically, it is exactly what it sounds like it is. It is the covering of a large surface area with a printed material (as opposed to paint). In the sign business, we have a variety of media types to choose from in producing a wall wrap. For instance, we have various vinyl media types. Some of them are vinyls which are made with a low-tack sticky backing. This allows the media to be smoothed out over the wall space & then easily removed at some future date, leaving no media or adhesive residue behind.

Also, we can create custom, one-of-a-kind wallpaper. The wallpaper media that we use is manufactured like other wallpaper. That is, the design on the paper is custom designed by our design team, and printed and laminated by us, but then installed (by you or a professional wallpaper installer) using wallpaper glue applied to the wallpaper and then installed onto the wall surface, like other wallpaper applications.

Also, Vital Signs offers a unique thin fabric media which can be printed on & easily applied to various surfaces. With it's (anyone can do it) peel & stick application, our fabric media is rapidly gaining in popularity. This media is particularly suited for apartment walls or other walls where nail holes are not allowed/desired.

So Show Us An Example...

Our most recent wall wrap was applied in our own personal living space. Surrounded by white concrete block walls in a downstairs laundry room, we decided to wrap some portions of the existing block. Specifically, we chose to cover a large portion of the block wall which surrounds the stairs. I specifically chose a stacked stone image for the wall design. Understanding that the existing blocks had various irregularities in their surface, we chose a design that would enhance those irregularities. Both the existing block and the chosen image, offered dimension to the image that gives the illusion of being "real" stacked stone.

AFTER

The Result

Well obviously, a real stacked stone application would look best. But for the significant dollars saved by utilizing a printed wall wrap instead, we think it's a winning solution! Let's face it, doing laundry is never fun or motivating. And doing laundry in a space surrounded with boring concrete block and no design aesthetic..well sadly, that speaks for itself and for my lack of enthusiasm in even entering the space as little as possible.

I now enjoy the space and do not feel dread in having to spend time in what was formerly known as "the dungeon".