Wallpaper vs Paint: What fits your vibe best?

If you’re anything like me, the idea of using wallpaper in a home can be daunting. From cost to installation and maintenance, wallpaper has always been something I didn’t imagine could ever belong in my simple, unassuming apartment. But boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Recent trends have seen more and more Millennial and Gen-Z homeowners favouring wallpaper in their spaces and breaking out of the idea that wallpaper represents an antiquated aspect of interior design. With this in mind, we put together some facts to help you decide whether wallpaper or paint fits your tastes best and how best to use both without breaking the bank!

A common misconception about wallpaper is that it easily frays and can very easily be damaged but contrary to that, wallpaper can typically last between 12-15 years on a dry, flat wall before needing to be replaced and in most situations is even more durable than paint on a day-to-day basis.

Most paint jobs require a touch-up every 3-5 years as paint colours can fade depending on its exposure to daylight and because of scuff marks that naturally happen.

An important thing to factor in is where wallpaper can be installed and where it can’t. Because of the nature of wallpaper material, it is highly recommended to not install wallpaper in rooms that are subjected to high levels of moisture and humidity like kitchens and bathrooms. These factors can cause your pristine wallpaper to peel and tear in a very short period of time.

Colour and Texture

Needless to say, paint offers a ton of options for colours and colour combinations that are much easier to access. These colours can be customised down to the specific Pantone colours you desire and come in amounts that are easier to purchase to paint your entire home. But when it comes to textures, there are two instances where paint severely falls short.

Paint that’s applied on a textured background can often cause every homeowner’s worst nightmare: dust collection. It then becomes notoriously difficult to clean and cleaning can even result in permanent damage to the painted surface! The good news is that paint is relatively easy to touch-up and doesn’t involve re-doing an entire panel of a wall.

While you may not have as easily-accessible a range of wallpaper colours and designs, there are several companies that have come up in the past decade dedicated to crafting customised wallpaper designs on eco-friendly materials. The possibilities are, quite literally, endless! Most wallpapers also offer textures that can add a level of dramatization to your walls and ceilings that don’t hoard dust bunnies.

So after considering the options, the natural next question to consider is: how much would it cost to outfit a home with either wallpaper or paint?

In general, wallpaper costs more than paint, especially when customisation and larger amounts of wall space come into play. But while the cost may be daunting at first, at Nanas Design, we’ve made it our mission to get you the look you want without breaking your budget.

Instead of outfitting an entire room with wallpaper, we often suggest for wallpaper to make up the room’s feature wall. Choosing a contrasting coloured wallpaper with a texture that complements the decor you intend to set up can command attention and make a much better impression than a simple paint job.

There is an endless list of possibilities for you to achieve a modern, luxe, chic vibe in your home that’s not limited to choosing just wallpaper or paint. If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can take the interiors of your urban home to the next level, reach out to us on our contact page or click on the WhatsApp button located at the top of this page!