During the pandemic, and even now, most of our time is spent at home. Most employees work from home. Schools are conducted online so that students can stay at home. With the prolonged time spent at home, you’ll inevitably discover some things in it that you’d like to change, repair, or upgrade.
But home renovation can have a hefty price tag. For instance, the median cost of a living room renovation is around $7,264. That’s just one part of the house. There are also health concerns with letting contractors in your home. Thus, you can go for the more affordable upgrades first.
One cost-effective way to upgrade your home interior is by revamping your walls. Changing the color scheme of your walls can do wonders to your home’s aesthetic, as well as the mood and productivity of everyone in the house. But before anything else, you’ll have to choose whether to use paint or wallpaper on your walls. Let’s take a look at some aspects of these two options so that you can choose which one you will use:
Cost
Paint is generally cheaper than wallpaper. But on both sides, the better the quality, the higher the price.
A cheaper-quality paint may appear practical, but it’s usually not as opaque as higher-quality paint. While you can save money by buying the cheaper options, you’ll have to paint your walls three or four times. On the other hand, you’ll only need around two layers for a higher-quality paint to fully show its color. Thus, using cheaper-quality paint may result in a higher expense because you’ll have to buy more of it. It’s also more prone to chipping after some time.
With wallpaper, the more affordable ones might not be durable. It may peel only after a few months and is more prone to damage. They also tend to be thinner. Meanwhile, high-quality wallpaper may have a higher upfront cost but will last longer, preventing additional expenses for repairs or replacement.
In the end, the most important factor to consider when looking at the cost is your budget. How much are you willing to spend to revamp your walls?
Variety
Both paint and wallpaper have a wide variety of selections. Paint can come in any color you can imagine. You can buy straight from a store or have a custom color mixed for you. You can choose a color palette and use different colors on your walls. If you want something extra, you can also use textures and stencils for more character, rather than just a block of color. Some popular textures that you can DIY include sponging, color washing, and rag rolling.
Wallpaper also comes in a variety of designs, patterns, and textures. You can install wallpaper with only one block of color but with textures to keep things exciting and fun. Or you can use patterned fabric wallpaper with different designs, such as stripes, diamonds, flowers, and so on.
Location
You’ll also need to consider which walls you will revamp. For example, you won’t want to use wallpaper in your kitchen. This area has high humidity. And the moisture can make the wallpaper wear out easily. Also, let’s say you have devices due for appliance repair, such as a refrigerator. It may leak and ruin your wallpaper in just a few days.
So you’ll want to use paint in areas with high humidity. Paint can survive high and low humidity environments. While extreme heat can make the color fade and the paint chip, it’s not as easy to budge as wallpaper. Paint is also easier to replace.
Ease of Use
Between paint and wallpaper, paint is easier to use. You simply need paint, a brush or a paint roller, tape to cover areas you don’t want paint on, and so on. You can also do it on your own. If you make any mistake or accidentally dirtied fresh paint, you can remedy the problem simply by adding another layer of paint.
If you want to use wallpaper, you’ll need to hire an expert. This may add to the overall cost of your upgrade, but it’s better to do it just to be safe. Installing wallpaper isn’t easy. And many issues can occur if the wallpaper is not properly applied on your walls: bubbling, peeling edges, misalignment, and others.
Thus, if you want to DIY your walls, using paint is your best option.
When choosing between paint and wallpaper, you need to consider their cost, variety, ease of use, and where you’ll use them. But in the end, what matters is still your preference.
