Wallpaper Pros & Cons: The Good, The Bad and The Sticky
Wallpaper has had its moments. Then the moments pass. It’s a love it or hate it option that has endured the ups and downs of interior design over the decades and deserves consideration as a wall covering with the potential to become a beloved addition in your home. So how do you give this wall adorning alternative a fair assessment? Read on as I’ve done the research for you. Check out…
Three Pros and Cons of Choosing Wallpaper
Wallpaper Pros:
1. Instant Personality
Ever walk into a room and feel like it's shouting, "Hey! Look at me! I'm fun!" Wallpaper is the ultimate extrovert of wall treatments. Whether you go bold with bright-colored fruit or whimsical shapes, or sophisticated with subtle stripes or elements with contemporary flair, wallpaper instantly makes a statement and gives your room personality.
2. Hides a Multitude of Sins
Besides covering a bland wall, wallpaper can hide that wall’s imperfections -- everything from that suspicious stain you can't scrub off to the cracks you keep promising to fix next weekend (since 2009). In fact, it’s a bit like wearing an attractive comfy sweater over the t-shirt that’s a wrinkled mess. No one needs to know, and wallpaper never tells.
3. Long-Lasting Friend
Good-quality wallpaper is durable. If you pay for quality product and maintain it, you’ll have a wall covering solution destined to endure for many years. Unlike paint that can easily chip, scratch, or scuff, wallpaper tends to stay tough in the face of many home and family situations.
Wallpaper Cons:
1. Commitment Issues (Yours)
Let's face it, wallpaper is clingy. Once it's up, changing your mind and changing your walls can be a major chore so for good or bad you may be “stuck” with the same walls for a long time, simply for practicality’s sake. Taking down wallpaper cannot be taken lightly in the same way you can simply pick up a new gallon of paint and put your trusty paint roller to work to create a fresh new look.
2. Installation Drama
Applying wallpaper is not for the faint of heart, especially for first-timers. If you thought assembling flat-pack furniture tested your relationship with your significant other, wait until you’re covered in glue, standing on a ladder, and debating if "straight enough" is straight enough. Warning: make sure the relationship is solid before undertaking this DIY project!
3. Removal Regret
If wallpaper installation is a tough marriage, removal is the bitter divorce. Peeling, scraping, steaming may all be techniques you are forced to try to “get that bleeping stuff off my walls!” While many modern wallpaper products are not the nightmare-inducing paper you may have encountered earlier in your life, the task probably won’t make your “most enjoyable” list.
The Verdict
Wallpaper isn’t for everyone. But if you love making a statement, hiding past mistakes, and don't fear commitment—or you enjoy the thrill of high-stakes DIY projects—wallpaper might be right for you.
Now, what will you do next to love where you live?
Please feel free to reach out to us at The Redesign Habit and ask questions or simply share a project that you are working on or have completed.
For more great stories and ideas please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
