Wallpaper and Wallcoverings - using brown paper for wallpaper ?

I WAS WATCHING AN HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOW WHERE THE PERSON USED BROWN PAPER TO COVER THE PANELING IN THEIR HOME. THEY TORE THE PAPER INTO DIFFERENT SIZES LEAVING SOME WITH STRAIGHT EDGES, THEY MIXED A MIXTURE OF WATER AND POLYURATHANE, BUT I DIDN'T CATCH WHAT THE CORRECT MIX OF WATER AND POLY WAS. IF ANYONE KNOWS THIS WOULD YOU PLEASE HELP ME....... ALL THAT YOU HAD TO DO WAS DIP THE PAPER INTO THE MIXTURE AND THEN SQUEEZE IT INTO A BALL, THEN OPEN IT UP AND HANG THE PAPER ON THE WALL AND REPEAT THE PROCESS UNTIL THE WALL WAS COVERED. THEN LET IT DRY, THIS GAVE THE WALL A LEATHER AFFECT. PLEASE HELP.........

Hi!

I also saw this program and wrote down the directions.
I haven't tried it on a wall yet, but I did re-cover 2 lampshades and they came out great!! All he said was to dip the torn scrunched-up paper in acrylic polyurthene thinned with a little water. He did not state the ratio of water to polyurthene. I hope this helps. Try it on a sample board first. I hope this helps. Good Luck.
Lu

I didn't see the show, but I do work with quite a bit of acrylic urethane. The idea is to get the product thin enough to work with and hold the cost down. I'd probably opt for 10% to start with. That would be 12 oz per gal. You want it thin enough that you're working with something sticky, but not "goo" which is what you'd be working with without thinning.

my best

Sonnie