The walls of your home make up a large part of your interior design. Whether you choose to hang photos or artwork on them or leave them bare, the walls set the tone for the look and style of the rest of the space. Part of this has to do with how you treat them. Walls can have a decorative finish in many ways and styles, from a solid paint color to a painted pattern or the addition of wallpaper.
Paint and wallpaper are the two most common methods of treating your walls, but both provide very different looks. We outline the differences between these looks below so that you can make a better decision about which one will work in your home.
Appearance
Both paint and wallpaper are extremely versatile wall coverings. While most people paint their walls a single color, paint can be used to create a variety of effects and patterns. Paint can be rolled or sponged on, splattered, or painted in stripes, dots, chevrons, tiles, or in murals.
Even solid colors of paint have many choices available, including finishes that range from matte to glossy in a wide range of colors. If you make a mistake or tire of a color, it is easy to paint over and change the look of the room.
Wallpaper also comes in an extensive selection of patterns, colors, and finishes. You find flocked, textured, glossy, matte, and metallic wallpaper in a range of solid colors and patterns. Some types of wallpaper are also paintable, allowing you to really customize the look of a room.
The most significant difference is that wallpaper offers less creativity than paint because you can only use what is available, rather than coming up with your own design. Wallpaper can also be more challenging to change or remove if it becomes dirty or you tire of the look.
Best Wallpaper
We offers an exclusive range of plain, decorative, floral, geometric, and abstract Wallpaper in Canada in a wide array of textures, patterns, and colors. We inspire and help our clients create their desired atmosphere and design scheme with our current selection of Blooming, Boheme, Diamon, and Essentials wallcoverings.
Best Use
The area where you plan on installing the wallpaper or paint can have an immense impact on the final look and use of the space. Wallpaper in dry areas, such as living rooms or dining rooms, can last for 15 years without maintenance. But in wet areas like kitchens or bathrooms, it may have problems with the humidity, causing the paper to warp or peel. Since wallpaper absorbs moisture from the air, glue can lose its adhesiveness.
Wallpaper is also not usually recommended for children’s bedrooms because it can be difficult to keep clean or change if the child outgrows the pattern. For this reason, paint is usually the recommended finish for areas with high-humidity levels or in areas requiring frequent updates or lots of cleaning.
When installing wallpaper in bathrooms or kitchens, it is common to use tile in areas where the paper may come in direct contact with water or stains to help it last longer.
Installation
Paint is one of the easiest DIY projects for homeowners to perform. A single, solid-color paint job is fairly straightforward. Simply tape off the edges of the room, use a brush to apply the paint to the edges, and then roll in the interior. For patterns or multi-color jobs, a professional may provide better results.
Also Read: How to hang wallpaper
Ideally, a professional who understands the material and process should hang the wallpaper. The rolls of paper need to be cut to size and either dipped in water to activate the glue or brushed with water before being smoothed onto the wall. The different edges need to line up perfectly to avoid interruptions in the pattern, and then the paper must be smoothed with a special tool to remove any air bubbles or excess glue from behind the sheets. This takes considerably more knowledge, skill, and time than painting a wall of the same size, even when painting with different colors or creating a pattern.
