Wallpaper or paint, which is better?

Question

I'm re-doing my living room and can't decide if wallpapering or painting my walls is best. Which is better?

Answer 1

Paint for sure.

Answer 2

The best way to answer your question is to ask some questions.

Are you on a restricted budget? If your funds are tight, painting is the best choice. No need to settle for a plain white wall though. There are many designs or techniques such as stripes or faux painting that you can do to add depth and texture for much less than the cost of wallpaper.

Do you prefer furniture and draperies with print fabric? If yes, you may want to go with a painted wall because too many prints make a room too busy.

How long do you plan to live in the house? If the answer is not very long, paying the high price to purchase and have wallpaper properly installed may be more money than you want to spend for a short time. Plus, many realtors will recommend that you remove wallpaper and paint the wall a neutral shade to stage a home for sale.

Do you like change? If you enjoy changing your room's decor with the seasons of if you are decorating a baby's nursery painting may be the best route to take.

A baby's nursery will need to change with baby's age, so an easy to clean semi-gloss or eggshell paint with some wallies in baby's nursery theme would give an excellent custom look without a huge investment of cash or valuable time.

Answer 3

I love wallpaper, but my suggestion for a living room would be paint. Paint would allow you to change furniture and fabric on chairs and pillows more easily. Also, for resale value, paint in a living room is really a must. Use wallpaper in the dining room or kitchen. It will add a cozy and lovely touch to those rooms.

Answer 4

For large areas I would say paint. Wallpaper is such a pain, I think wallpaper is better as a border or in a small room like a bathroom

Answer 5

I'm a professional Interior Designer, and on my projects I've been moving away from using wallcoverings in general. Two reasons why:

(1) Mold and mildew can build up under even paper wallcovering. On some of my current commercial projects, the lending companies won't finance buildings in which wallcovering are being specified.

(2) Current trends are moving toward a cleaner, more subdued approach in general (which would mean no heavy patterns on the walls). Solid color painted walls make a nicer backdrop for artwork.

hope this helps.

Answer 6

I like both, wallpaper one wall and paint the rest or split the top and bottom with a wood trim and have wallpaper on top and paint on bottom or vice versa.

Answer 7

Wallpaper can look dated as patterns go in and out of fashion. Although colors certainly go out of fashion too, solid colors tend to look less dated when that happens. If you go with wallpaper, try a solid color with a nice texture... it will be easier to hang b/c you won't have to worry about matching up the design as much. Also, wallpaper will cover flaws in a wall if needed.

Answer 8

Well, if you would ask me,wallpapers are much convenient because should you decide to remove them,you can always replace them. As for paint, should you decide to change the style or color, it goes a bit messy sometimes.

Answer 9

Paint, wallpaper peels after awhile.

Answer 10

Definitely paint...you can do so much with paint. Wallpaper is boring, and so 1950's...lol.

Answer 11

Depends on what you want to achieve. It's hard to find a contractor these days who does wall paper, and DIY is tricky. Paint is easier, if you use a quality paint like Ben Moore.