I am involved with a project that will require the protection of
     historic wall surfaces for exhibition purposes. We are looking to
     cover the walls in a group of rooms that have never been painted (only
     wallpapered) so as to protect the signatures and notations from the
     18th C. craftspeople who worked on the construction of the house, as
     well as early repairs done by prior owners. We therefore need some
     sort of system that is reversible, should future architects and
     preservationists want to change the interpretation of the site, or
     allow them to study a specific area in more depth.

     Is anyone out there on the list familiar with possibly either a
     fine-weave cloth or wallpaper that could be installed using reversible
     wallpaper paste or else attached to a "frame" around the perimeter of
     each wall? Paper is not ideal, given the structural movement going on
     in the house, but we would consider it if deemed appropriate for our
     needs. We want something that would be esthetically pleasing to the
     visitor, but would hide many of the plaster cracks, early repairs,
     etc. that are found at historic sites such as this. (We do plan to
     show some of these areas as part of the exhibition, so we aren't
     covering everything up!)

     Any sources, experiences, etc. that you might provide would be greatly
     appreciated.


     Melissa Heaver
     Director-Museum Collections
     National Trust for Historic Preservation 202-588-6148
     202-588-6232 (fax)
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