Decorating a room involves making countless choices to achieve the interior design look the individual desires. One aspect to a room that dictates the direction of a room’s appearance is the type of wall treatment utilized. The two options for decorating the walls in a room is paint or wallpaper. There are pros and cons to both wall treatments. The following is a list of the pros and cons associated with both options.

Cost – Short term and Long term

When comparing the cost between wallpaper and paint there is a clear winner when looking at the short-term picture, paint. Even with all of the prep work related to painting, the overall cost to paint a room is far less expensive than wallpaper. Even the simplest and most budget friendly wallpaper is going to cost far more than a gallon or two of paint.

When looking at the cost of wallpaper and paint in the long run the results are far different. Wallpaper tends to last for approximately 15 years, and although it is expensive initially to install, especially if you need professional installation, it is less expensive than having to repaint rooms every 2 or 3 years, or when excessive damage makes the walls look poorly.

Durability of wallpaper vs paint

When it comes to the durability of wallpaper and paint, both of them have their pros and cons. In the bigger scheme of things, wallpaper is ultimately incredibly durable and lasts much longer than paint ever does. The manner in which wallpaper is made helps it to stand up to all of the abuse it is subjected to in both high traffic areas as well as the wear and tear of children.  Wallpaper, in fact, can stay intact and not need replacement for as many as 15 years. Regarding paint, if you purchase the correct finish, specifically semi-gloss and high gloss paints, they stand up to wear and tear.

Conversely, there are cons related to using both wallpaper and paint. As durable as wallpaper is, if used in the wrong room, such as kitchens and bathrooms that have excessive moisture the wallpaper can peel because of the adhesive used in its application. The cons related to paint involve the fact a painted room lasts roughly 2 or 3 years, this means you will have to paint much more frequently than when you use wallpaper. Additionally, you need to touch up the paint on your walls when you notice chips or other problems in the paint.

Preparation & Application: wallpaper/paint

When it comes to prepping your walls for paint or wallpaper, it is much easier and faster to prep your walls for paint. Prepping for paint requires cleaning the walls and patching any visible holes or flaws. Once that is completed, a coat of primer is sometimes necessary depending on the color of paint existing on the walls or the future paint color. Once the prep work is done the application of the paint is done via roller, paintbrush or paint sprayer. It is as easy as that.

When it comes to wallpaper, there is much more work involved in preparation. If there is old wallpaper on the walls, needing removal you will need special tools and need to use special techniques. This can become extremely time-consuming. After the preparation of the walls, applying the wallpaper requires the use of adhesives, along with the measuring and cutting of the wallpaper before placing it on the walls.

Decorative Options & Customization

When comparing the options available to consumers, it may seem that both wallpaper and paint have unlimited options. Getting the color of paint you want is as simple as looking through all of the paint chip options you find in a home improvement or design store. Additionally, if you find a piece of fabric or even a color in your makeup palette, you can bring those in and there is a good possibility the color can be special mixed for you.

On the other hand, wallpaper comes in countless options. There are simple designs to others that are far more complex. In some cases, you can create the design you want for your wallpaper. With so many options available, you can truly get the look that you want when selecting wallpaper.

When it comes time to choose between wallpaper and paint there are a variety of pros and cons. The best way to choose which option to use for your walls is to determine what look you want to achieve.  Once you know what look you are going for and have weighed all of the pros and cons you will have the tools needed to create the idea look for every room of your home.

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John Miller has a passion for both Interior design and home improvement. He shares his passion by writing articles on related topics and submitting them to online publications and websites.