Paint Vs Wallpaper: Pros and Cons of Both

Sometimes choosing between wallpaper and paint can be almost
impossible, but there are pro's and con's for both. It used to be that
wallpaper was unfashionable, so it made the decision a little easier,
but nowadays wallpaper is back in fashion and feature walls can
include paint OR wallpaper.Advantages of PaintCheap and easy - most
people can do a good enough paint job and both material and labour for
painting isn't expensive. Low preparation time and extra layers can
hide imperfections well. Irregular walls are best hidden with a solid
colour so that the corners or borders don't highlight a skew line.
Paint is easily painted over, and you can choose between a matte or
gloss finish.Disadvantages of PaintHeavier oil based paint will dry
slowly and usually need a professional to apply it as oil based paints
often run. Paint with a high oil content is also less resistant to
heat. Paint can also give off harmful compounds called VOC's. Paint
lasts from 5 to 10 years but depending on your paint choice you can
also end up repainting more frequently.Advantages of WallpaperMany
modern wallpapers will last for ten to fifteen years, whereas,
repainting often has to be done as often as every couple of years.
This lowers your costs. Wallpaper can add complexity and interesting
features to a room and wallpaper has so many different types of
'looks' like patterns, textures and even made to look like wood or
cloth.Disadvantages of WallpaperFirst off, wallpaper is more expensive
by square meterage and labour. 'Installing' wallpaper is harder to do
than painting is, and if you get bored of your wallpaper it's not as
easy to paint over because you have to remove the wallpaper before
painting. If you choose to put up new wallpaper you'll usually be
better off removing the wallpaper too rather than just papering over
it. Newer types of wallpaper can be easier to remove than old types,
but you can also run into maintenance issues if part of the wallpaper
gets damaged and needs replacing. Even if you can match the paper, the
existing paper may have changed colour in the sun so it makes it
harder to match than paint (where new paint can be mixed to match the
faded colour).Why choose?Some people think - why choose? Use a
combination of paint and wallpaper in each room - above and below the
curtain rails (solid colour on top preferably) or even some walls
papered and some walls painted.