Planning for Wall Coverings: Choosing Between Wallpaper and Paint

If you are planning to change the wall coverings, whether it is the first time or renovation, it is easy to do with the help of wallpapers. Let us see which one suits you, is it wallpaper or paint?

Location:

The selection between wallpaper or paint shall depend on the location you are living in as well as the area of the house. Though wallpapers are durable they are not suitable for high humid level areas such as kitchens or bathrooms.

Because of high humidity, they tend to peel off and replacing a section is expensive. In many instances, you have the only option to replace the entire wallpaper.

Paint seems to be the better option in such cases. Even if you want to have wallpaper you put on top half with wallpaper and lower half with the tiles.

Variety and Pattern:

The old fashion makes come back in new trend similar to old wine in new bottle. The wallpaper for wall has made a comeback with new patterns, designs and different materials.

If you are planning for the living room or your bedroom, you can create masterpiece either by choosing different pattern or with bespoke wallpaper.

Nowadays, the walls can also be painted in different textures and colour combinations, but not easy to customize unlike wallpapers. In case of paint, you have two finishes – matte and glossy whereas wallpaper comes in embossed textures, suede, foil print etc.

Durability:

In general, the paint lasts for 3-5 years and loses its texture, colour because of fading, exposure to sunlight or paint chipping. Besides, if you have children and pets, your paint might be needed again at an earlier stage.

Though modern paints come with washable features and can be scrubbed, but then to it will have its own limitations.

Wallpapers on the other hand last up to 15 years, but it needs caring. Any mishap will mean you have to completely redo the wallpapers. There is vinyl variety wallpaper in the market that can avoid mishap to a certain extent.

Cost:

The initial cost of the wallpaper is more when compared to the paint. The paint is cheaper but the overall cost comes to the same, if taken into account the durability and other factors.

If you are having a habit of renovating the room every few years, then the cost of paint will be cheaper. If your wall is not in good condition, then wallpaper will be cheaper when you include the cost of plastering and require several coats of paint.

Ease of application:

The paint is an easy job requiring lesser expertise and fuss. If the surface isn’t bad, you can apply new coat on the old coat thus reducing the labour cost as well as time.

 

If you are not having same hue, then you will have to remove older paint to incorporate new lighter paints. On the other hand, wallpapers require expertise and might become messy as it demands lot of time.

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