Continuing education is useful in any occupation. That’s why the paper-hanging team at H.J. Holtz & Son regularly travels to regional and national gatherings – to learn about new techniques and materials, and confer with others who understand the unique challenges of the industry.
“When you talk high-end residential [work], there’s maybe three or four people around [Richmond], but not necessarily to the level we’re at,” said James Draine, who has been hanging paper with Holtz & Son for 12 years. “Where do you go [to learn] if you’re at this level?”
Where you go is the Wallcovering Installers Association, the national trade group that supports and helps to educate people working in the industry. In March, Draine, Shane Legano and Luis Alas attended WIA’s one-day March Madness session in Southbridge, Massachusetts. In September, Draine and Legano went to Philadelphia for WIA’s annual convention.
The March Madness gathering was Alas’ first time at a WIA event; he began learning how to hang paper with the team in fall 2022. Alas said he enjoyed the opportunity to make connections with other experienced paper hangers. “I definitely felt welcomed,” he said. “There’s still a lot to learn.”
Other conference sessions covered topics such as corner cuts, establishing a good work flow, and building rigging systems. Draine and Legano also had time to spend with other participants, swapping stories and sharing tips. “It’s always good to get other people’s ideas,” Legano said.
Decorative wall coverings have been around for hundreds of years – the earliest are believed to have originated in China, in roughly 200 B.C. – but there are always changes afoot.
“Wallpaper is booming so much,” Draine said. “The industry has been flipped upside down with digital printers. If we went [to conferences] only every five years, we’d be so far behind.”
Legano added: “You have to keep up. There’s new paste, and new science that changes materials.”
This year’s annual conference also included a 50th-anniversary gala with a throwback theme to 1974, the year the WIA was founded. Registered participants received a tie-dyed shirt and were encouraged to wear their best 1970’s-era attire. Before they left, Legano shared the pair’s plans: “James [Draine] is getting an Afro wig. I don’t know what direction I’m going: biker or sleazeball.”