Admit it…
Choosing the right wallpaper for your home could be sometimes puzzling especially when faced with a wide range of stunning choices to pick from. Deciding on a choice to make now becomes a contest on design over price.
After narrowing down to a few wallpaper samples, features like your room theme, matching furniture, how to apply, replacement techniques, eco-friendliness are also key deciding factors for you.
Prioritizing your choices certainly helps and will guide you in making a final decision.
With a fair budget in mind, you can get a matching wallpaper that fits perfectly into your living room, bedroom or any other corner of your home without breaking the bank.
There are different types of wallpaper serving different purposes. For example, the Damask wallpapers are ideal for the living room. However installing a Damask in your Kitchen may be too much and unnecessary.
To help you make this decision easier, it’s necessary to know the type of wallpapers available and understand where it is best suited and how to apply it on your wall.
These days, wallpapers are designed with the DIY concept allowing end users buy and fix their choice wallpapers themselves. You literally don’t need to hire someone to fix it for you in most cases. Most wallpapers now come with installation guides attached to them.
With the advancement in contemporary design, luxury and taste, manufacturers now produce wallpapers with an easy to install guide for the end-user. You literally need to buy a glue and few installation tools.
I would share a few adorable wall coverings that are less expensive but would fit beautifully on the walls of your home..
Standard Wallpapers
Standard Wallpapers are usually inexpensive and easy to fix on walls. All you need to do is to take the wall surface measurement correctly usually in square meters and get the corresponding wallpaper measurement.
Wallpapers are most times sold in square feet. So be sure to do your conversions properly to know the exact quantity you’ll need. Take a tape and measure the length and width of your wall in feet or meters and multiply to get the square feet or square meters.
Most wallpapers are produced in 57.4 square meters which is 33 ft Length x 1.74 ft Width
After you’ve settled this, ensure the wall surface is free from cracks or swellings before applying. You would need a glue to apply the wallpaper firmly to the wall. Apply from inside-out in order to achieve a fine result.
Vinyl-coated Wallpapers
Vinyl-coated Wallpapers are sticky, have a paper back and a paper surface that’s sealed with a manufacturer’s liquid vinyl. This seal makes the wall covering washable, allowing for easy cleaning with a sponge.
Solid sheet vinyl wall coverings have vinyl held to a cloth or paper backing. These wall coverings are the most durable, stain resistant, and scrubbable and make an excellent choice for kitchens.
Vinyls are the best choice for a beginning wallpaper hanger. Not only are they the easiest type of wall covering to fix, they are easy to live with — they’re durable, soil resistant, and easy to clean. They’re even easy to remove and replace.
Child Theme Wallpapers
Foils and Mylars are available options for small rooms with little or no natural light. The wall surface must be clear and in nearly perfect condition.
Due to the shiny surfaces, imperfections on the walls are almost invisible and this works well in rooms with little light. The Mylars wallpaper is also adaptable for kids offering a wide range of characters and child themes.
Grass cloth, hemp, and other cloths-on-paper are richly textured, woven coverings with laminated paper backings. All are good choices to cover less-than-perfect walls, but they are expensive and relatively difficult to fix, you may need to invite an expert to install them for you.
Flocking Wallpapers or Damask 3D Wallpapers
Flocking Wallpapers are also called the Damask wallpapers. They have raised velvety patterns and are good choices for covering walls that have minor surface imperfections. Washable flocks are easier to install than non-washable ones, but both are expensive, and installation generally requires a professional.
Self-Adhesive or Sticky Wallpapers
Sticky Adhesive comes with sticky adhesive from the manufacturer. This type of wallpapers is prevalent in the market because of its ease of use. The cost of installation is almost zero. You activate this factory-applied adhesive by applying a sticky activator or by dipping the paper in a water tray and apply the wallpaper to the wall.
Dry-strippable will be a greater concern down the road when you, or the next occupant of your home, wants to remove the paper. Dry-strippable paper peels off in its entirety. Removable paper peels off but leaves behind its paper backing on the wall.
This backing can be covered (assuming that it’s in good shape) or removed with a wallpaper remover solution before painting. Have in mind that strippable wallpaper can be easily removed only if the enzyme-substrate was properly sealed before installation.
All these detail shouldn’t limit you on what you like. You need to go for what best suits you. You also must consider your choice of wallpaper pattern on a particular room that you plan to cover. Here are some basic aesthetic guidelines:
Tips for Choosing the Right Color and Theme for Wallpapers
- Vertical stripes or patterns make the ceiling appear higher.
- Horizontal stripes or patterns seem to widen a room and bring ceilings down.
- Large patterns generally don’t look good in a small room because they tend to overpower the space and make it seem smaller. A large, open pattern looks best in a larger space.
- A mini-print or a paper with a small pattern or geometric design suits smaller dimensions.
- Dark colors make a room seem smaller.
- Wallpaper with a light background makes a room look larger.
Now you’re ready to install your wallpaper
Updated: September 5, 2020
