Why you should do wallpaper

Time to get your wallpaper game going, no matter what your budget, you can do this.

Life is too short for white walls.

Part 1: Why wallpaper is a great decor choice

What you will need: fearlessness, money and time. Wallpaper is a bold choice and intimidating investment but I’ll make it easy for you by breaking it down into 3 parts:

• Part 1: Why should you spend your time and monies installing wallpaper?

  • Read below.

• Part 2: What brands are best? What material to choose? What quantity to buy?

  • Week of Jan 13 or sooner.

• Part 3: How to pick a wall? How much to budget? How to install?

  • Week of Jan 20 or sooner.

Why wallpaper?

First off, let’s define the “Why?”. Why invest potentially thousands of dollars and multiple weeks into choosing, buying and installing wallpaper? I have four good reasons for you (in order of importance):

1. Durability

2. Maintenance

3. Budget management

4. Design depth

Do you have kids? Pets? Human hands? Feet?

So I hope you said yes to some of the above (Ai take a hike, no pretty walls for you). Unlike your typical interior paint job, wallpaper will not rub off from prolonged contact. When it inevitably gets dirty, you can use non-abrasive rags/ sponges and gentle soap & water to clean it. This is my #1 reason for picking wallpaper: it’s long lasting and easy to clean. For that reason, I love wallpaper in high traffic places, like hallways and bathrooms. Anywhere elbows and feet frequent, dust collects and regular cleaning is required, that’s a good spot for wallpaper (also see: kid room, laundry room, home office, kitchen…).

Bonus points for wallpaper with critters on it.

What about repairing wallpaper?

This may surprise readers but I’ve found wallpaper is a relatively straightforward material to repair yourself. After installed, you should have remnants left over — save these! Treat your wallpaper scraps like paper gold and store them somewhere accessible, cool and dry.

My PRECIOUS!

Preserved wallpaper scraps + scissors + wallpaper paste from your local hardware store is all you need to patch a damaged spot or paste down a peeled corner. Unlike paint, which is messy and easy to get everywhere, wallpaper can be stored forever and requires zero new skills (I assume you already know how to cut with scissors).

Bonus points for using wallpaper to cover switches

Maybe I’ll do a follow up post on that, would you be interested?

Switch covers made from scraps.

Why wallpaper is better for designing on a budget

The next point probably feels counterintuitive, because wallpaper looks like it costs 10x more than paint, but in reality, I’ve found it to be better for designing on a budget. Let me explain.

So if you haven’t figured this out yet, you should know that HGTV lies about costs. Anyone that’s actually completed a home remodel project, no matter the scale, understands this. This is especially the case when it comes to painting walls. I’m assuming that you, like me, have a full time job and therefore do not have the luxury of time to do your own house painting. Or, even if you do have the time, you’d rather do other things (no judgement).

The hidden cost of painting

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE paint! Also I paint it all: walls, ceiling, molding, doors… good luck finding a white surface in my house. If there is one, it’s because I allowed it to be my special snowflake.

Paint is expensive because, if you paint with saturated colors, you will need at least 3 coats to achieve a consistent finish… even if you use a primer. Oftentimes, you’ll get an estimate from a professional painting crew for 2k for a room (a standard 8x10 room, including ceiling & moulding) and then they’ll need more coats and touch up… so next thing you know, you’ve overspent $500 and maybe you don’t even like the paint once it’s on the wall. Yikes! Okay time to repaint and spend another 2k?…. you get the idea.

Paint is also messy, smelly and toxic. Note I've yet to paint with a non-toxic brand but that’s a goal for my next decorating project. Subscribe to see it when I post details.

Nary a white wall you will find.

Some things need to be “papered over” to look right…

One last note about painting then I’m done trash-talking: it’s so unforgiving. If you live in an older home or one with a lot of “character” you’re going to see all those blemishes and botched plaster jobs through the paint. With wallpaper you’ll spare yourself the memory of that one time in your early 30s when you thought it would be smart to use sticky tape to hang string lights…

Wallpaper got you looking so butterfly.

Budget Management

Now monies. Most people assume wallpaper is more expensive but what you might not know is, unlike paint, wallpaper gives you the ability to manage your budget because naturally it is done in phases:

• Phase 1: buy your material

• Phase 2: install on your walls

Phase 1: Buy it, store it, save for install

Wallpaper has an unlimited shelf-life, meaning you can save up for the material, buy what you really love, take as much time as needed deciding where to put it while keeping it somewhere accessible and dry before you install.

Phase 2: Install with a pro or DIY

Installing wallpaper is also super quick, if you hire a pro. The installer I work with is so fast she can do 2 rooms and a bathroom in a day and a half. I implore you to find a single painter that can work that fast. Also, once installed, you can move your furniture back into place and immediately start enjoying your beautiful new walls. Or, if you don’t want to spend the money to install, you can do it yourself.

I put wallpaper on our old doors to freshen them up.

Depth of design

Finally, I’ll leave you with the reason that designers love wallpaper: depth. Go outside, look around, do you see flat clean surfaces in nature? No. Do a 360 turn and look for long expanses of sameness. You won’t find it. You better not (unless you are Ai and didn’t get lost like I asked).

In conclusion, if you want to create a space that feels expansive, dynamic and natural, wallpaper is a great choice. Our brains are wired to look for patterns in nature, and the best wallpapers put repetition, texture and color on full display. For this point, I’ll keep it brief and let you see for yourself what wallpaper can do.