Wallpaper or Paint?

5 minutes

It's hard to choose between wallpaper or paint since both options come in many different varieties. Depending on your tastes and individual needs, you can choose which option works best for you.

Last update: 09 September, 2019

You’ve probably had to decide between wallpaper or paint at some point for the walls in your home. If you’re unsure of which to choose, in today’s post we’ll talk about the pros and cons of each to help you decide.

Retro is in. Items from past decades and centuries gone by are very popular these days. That includes the world of decoration.

For some time now, we’ve seen the reappearance of styles from past eras. These are combined with modernist touches that give rooms their personality.

Wallpaper is an element that’s sure to give your rooms a certain touch. A lot of people hate it because they don’t want to risk their home “aging”.

However, if you’re willing to take that risk, you should definitely consider hanging wallpaper in your home.

First, you should take into account whether or not your house is new. If so, it won’t be hard to choose between one option or the other. If it’s old, however, you might only be able to paint because of the condition of the walls. This will depend on the situation and it may be possible to cover up imperfections with wallpaper.

Another factor that’ll influence your decision is the cost and the versatility of the room you want to change.

Wallpaper

As we’ve already said, wallpaper has become fashionable. In addition to being a merely aesthetic resource, it’s a more suggestive alternative to painting.

Before assessing the pros and cons of wallpaper, we should talk about the different types that exist.

Paper: made of paper and a cloth base, this is the least resistant of all. It’s ideal for areas with little traffic. It’s not easy to clean because it can get damaged if it gets wet. However, it’s the most elegant option and offers the best results.
Non-woven fabric: made of a textile base and a vinyl later. Unlike the previous one, it’s very resistant to discoloration caused by sunlight and moisture. It’s perfect for busy areas.
Vinyl: this is made of a paper and vinyl base. It’s just as resistant as the previous one, but there are different options for the thickness of the paper base. This type of paper is very trendy and it gives each room a personal touch.

Advantages

The first advantage is that it can withstand the passage of time better. Wallpaper also has an infinity of combinations.

Most of them are also very durable and resistant. They’re usually recommended for high use areas. Wallpaper is even great in kids’ rooms where the walls will “suffer” more since they now have washable varieties.

Paper can also cause a “mirror effect” that provides optical effects. From trompe l’oeil and depth to a bright finish that reflects light.

Another great advantage of paper is that it hides imperfections, especially in old homes or on walls that aren’t finished.

If we focus on just the aesthetic piece, wallpaper can provide a striking, original and different design. It offers a wide variety of options, so you’ll be able to find all types of styles for your rooms.

Wallpaper is, without a doubt, one of the best options when it comes to giving your home a new air. It will also ensure that you won’t have to spend too much money. With this option, your home will look totally different.

Disadvantages

One of the biggest disadvantages is that, depending on the area of the house, it may start peeling off the wall. This happens when there’s a lot of humidity, such as in the kitchen or the bathroom. So, it’s not recommended to use wallpaper in these areas.

Another problem with paper is that it can be laborious, especially if it’s a complicated design. Also, if it’s quality wallpaper, it’s usually more expensive than just painting the wall.

Painting

Advantages

One advantage that paint has over paper is that it allows the surface to breathe. Although, this may result in moisture stains and other imperfections.

Another is that painting a room well makes the room look bigger. It can also make ceilings look higher or lower. Additionally, you can use it on all types of surfaces, even rugged or exposed bricks and beams.

It can be used as a base color, but you can also use vinyl or different decorative techniques, like mopping or fluffing. You can even use it with tiles if you want to use it in the kitchen or bathroom.

Another benefit that many people don’t know about is that paint disinfects. This is because it has a series of agents that eliminate mites that hide in small gaps and corners. It also helps eliminate odors like tobacco and helps the walls breathe.

Disadvantages

A negative to painting is that it’s not as versatile as paper.

It can be boring if you don’t combine the colors correctly or if you don’t add a different color to the walls.

Another big drawback, especially if you have kids, is that paint gets dirtier faster than wallpaper. So, you’ll have to repaint every so often.

However, painting gives us many ways to express our personality in our home. You can also change it more often because it’s easy to apply and remove when you get tired of it.

The prices of paint and wallpaper can vary greatly depending on the quality. Normally, wallpaper is more expensive. You have to pay for the rolls as well as the cost of the other materials.

Painting is usually cheaper and you don’t need many tools for it.

Our recommendation is to combine both techniques in the same environment. This will give the room a unique touch and will keep it from being boring and monotonous.