Wallpaper Vs. Paint: The Battle Continues

If you have ever made the choice of painting your home, you will remember that at some point someone must have also suggested wallpaper as an option. Though paint is still a popular choice among homeowners, the wallpaper trend is one that is unlikely to ever diminish. In fact, it seems to be getting stronger every year.

Wallpaper traditions have stayed almost unchanged over the years (if you remember visiting your grandparents as a kid you know what I’m talking about). But wallpaper designs have come a long way from the popular monochromatic flower prints and geometric patterns. Wallpaper is closely competing against paint for more precious wall real estate.

One common issue that has made paint more popular over wallpaper is the fact that at first, it is much more affordable and easier to apply, while wallpaper is quite expensive per square foot and time consuming to put up. One wallpaper benefit, however, is that it lasts much longer than traditional paint.

According to the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers, you can actually keep your wallpaper for over 14 years whereas with paint, you will need to freshen up every 2 to 3 years, and so in the long run, you will probably spend more money painting than wallpapering.

But, who wants to keep a wallpaper that long? With remodeling trends playing a major factor in home sales in the United States, people are seeing the benefits of using paint over wallpaper: You can virtually enjoy of a new design more frequently to match the latest design trends, new furniture designs, accessories, carpeting and so on. And if a house is on sale, those with wallpaper are less likely to be picked up by potential buyers.

Wallpaper can be a true headache in many situations but not always. New wallpapering techniques are becoming more popular as both styles merge into a hybrid use. Now designers are seeing the great benefits of working with both paint and wallpaper to redecorate all of the rooms in a house.

For example, according to the Canada Wallcoverings Corp., you can use wallpaper as part of your accent wall and the rest can be painted, giving texture to the overall look of any room. And since there are flat-color wallpaper options, these can save you money by using less paint.

And now with all of the technological advances, you can customize the graphics on your wallpaper with your favorite patterns, something that is impossible with paint.

So when considering both wallpaper and paint for your next remodeling project, consider it a toss-up and be bold, try both and see for yourself what these two unlikely foes can do for your home.

Find more tips and recommendations like these at RemodelingGeeks.com.