The Pros and Cons of Painting vs. Wallpapering

One of the most fun things about owning a house is that it’s relatively easy to make the old look new again. You can completely revitalize the look and feel of a room by just changing the color of the walls. This inevitably leads you to a fundamental question, “Should I use paint or wallpaper?” Each one has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to versatility, cost, and time. Today, Platinum Painting, your painting company near Burleson, is going to honestly talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both, and help you make this decision.

Versatility

There is an almost endless variety of both paint and wallpaper, so no matter what kind of mood you are looking for, you’ll probably be able to find exactly what you want. Paint has an innumerable range of colors and finishes, as does wallpaper. The one advantage wallpaper has in this regard is that it makes it much easier to add patterns to your wall.

However, paint is able to work in more rooms than wallpaper. If you are looking to remodel a bathroom, for example, you’d never want to use wallpaper because the moisture in the room would eat away at the adhesive holding it in place, causing it to peel after just a short amount of time. If you are applying either to a child’s room, paint is easier to be repaired when the little one inevitably draws on it or chips a portion of it away.

Cost

Your average gallon of interior paint will cost anywhere from $15-$50 depending on the quality, while middle-of-the-road wallpaper only costs $15-$30 per roll. Just looking at this, it might seem like wallpaper is the more cost effective option, but that is only true if you don’t count the cost of installation.

Installing wallpaper is a difficult task. You need to make sure the wall is in decent condition, measure the paper so it’s the exact length you need, and make sure you place it perfectly straight so all the seams match. This requires a lot of precision, and you’ll be working with a very strong adhesive at the time as well. If you get a professional to do it, an average sized room can easily cost $500-$800.

However, with paint, while it still takes skill to apply properly, it is much simpler than wallpaper, and this means you’ll spend much less having it professionally done. For example, most average sized rooms only cost about $200-$400.

Time

A professional interior paint job can easily last for 7-10 years, while wallpaper has been shown to last up to 15 years. Once again, on the surface, it appears that wallpaper is the way to go, but that changes when you think about how easy it is for either to be altered.

Sure, wallpaper may last for 15 years, but if you’re like most people, you’ll want to change the look in less than 10. That’s where you run into problems, as removing wallpaper is a long, sticky, difficult job, which only rewards you with the long, sticky, difficult application process.

With paint, on the other hand, you only need to paint over the wall using a coat of primer and a few coats of your desired color. It takes much less time, which means you can spend less time working on your room and more simply enjoying it.

Which One Is Best?

It’s up to you! We could go on all day about how paint works better for more rooms, more houses, and more people, but we invite you to do the research yourself and see if you don’t draw the same conclusions. Go talk to someone who had a room wallpapered and see how fondly they remember it versus someone who had one painted. We think you’ll notice the difference.

Should you decide that all your house needs is a coat of paint, that’s where your painting company near Kennedale, Platinum Painting, can help. We’re not only interior specialists, but we only do residences as well! We’ll get the job done in no time, but still with the highest-quality possible–you’ll just have to sit back and relax while you watch your space completely transform.

If you have any other questions about painting and wallpapering, or are ready to have a room in your house repainted, just give us a call today.