Help me paper a wall with Bazooka Joe comics.

September 19, 2015 5:54 AM

I got it into my head that it would be fun to cover the wall next to the downstairs toilet with this stash of Bazooka Joe comics I recently found, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it. What kind of adhesive should I use? Will the wax paper deter adhesion? The wall is currently painted with a blue flat latex. What should I prime the surface with? I'm figuring I'd apply them one at a time, but is there a more efficient way to do it?

I came across a box of miscellaneous ephemera in the garage, and in it was a ziploc bag filled with thousands of Bazooka Joe comics from my youth when I was a crazed bubble gum chewer. The comics are between 35 and 20 years old but seemed to be in good shape. They're 76 mm x 45 mm each (3 x 1 3/4 inches) and made of wax paper.

I have no idea why I collected them, saved them for decades, or chewed so much gum, and may save that question for a follow up AskMe which will likely result in consensus about seeking professional help. For now I just want help covering a wall with them.

posted by Toekneesan to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

I would simply try it out. Paint some wood with latex paint, let it dry, and see if normal wall paper glue, or alternatively spray glue from a can, will work for sticking the comics on. The wax paper may be a problem or it may not... one fairly easy way to find out!
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:04 AM on September 19, 2015

I did find this BookArts link that suggests roughing up the back with a Scotch Brite pad (very fine, maroon color) and then using PVA glue (i.e. Elmer's), however they were able to weigh it down to dry flat.

Roughing up the back will help it adhere but I wouldn't use spray adhesive because a) it's expensive and b) that shit gets EVERYWHERE, ugh. I would try ordinary rubber cement because it doesn't wrinkle the paper (like PVA glue does). Any excess can be rubbed off with your finger or picked up with a ball of dried rubber cement. (I'm not sure if it will stick to wax paper but I am about to rubber cement some tinfoil layers together for a project so crossing my fingers).

You might try gluing the comics to larger sheets of paper (wallpaper lining rolls?) because then you can work flat which is less laborious than standing in the loo for hours pasting up tiny pieces of paper, and then using wallpaper paste. I believe you want to prime the walls with something first so it can be peeled off at a future date. And then there's sealing the wall afterwards...
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:29 AM on September 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'd brush the wall withe a gel medium, stick everything up and do a coat over the top when the sticky one is dry.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 7:38 AM on September 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

Mod Podge?
posted by Wild_Eep at 7:47 AM on September 19, 2015 [6 favorites]

I second gel medium, which you could get at any art store. I used it to decoupage a dresser with newspaper, and it stood the test of time.
posted by phreckles at 8:54 AM on September 19, 2015

I third the gel medium. I'd also measure one and do the math to make sure you actually have enough to cover the space you're considering papering.

This sounds neat!
posted by mollymayhem at 9:24 AM on September 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Also, I'd paint the wall white before you start sticking the comics on.
posted by mollymayhem at 9:25 AM on September 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

I don't have any suggestions on how to do this but I love the idea and hope you'll post pictures when it's done.
posted by Kangaroo at 9:47 AM on September 19, 2015

I have done similar things, wallpaper paste works the best for adhering waxy things to walls, with an overcoat of mod podge, but honestly, putting them on paper, then adhering the paper is going to be your best long term solution. Also, that makes it easy to take down when you move or grow weary of it.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:15 AM on September 19, 2015

What about cutting a piece of cardboard to fit the wall, then papering the cardboard instead? So it's easier to create and (if necessary down the line) remove.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:16 AM on September 19, 2015

How about arranging them the way you want them, adhering them to a piece of paper with fun-tac just long enough to flip it over and make a color copy or scan? You could do this repeatedly on 8.5x11 paper and have fun with overlaps. That way, you preserve the actual comics.
posted by vitabellosi at 5:00 PM on September 19, 2015