Just like fashion trends come and go and then return decades later, so too do home design trends.  Wallpaper has been around since the 18th century and has faded in and out of popularity in the past 300 years.   For most of us, we remember the wallpaper days of the 70’s and 80’s when wild metallics and tacky prints of roosters and lighthouses dawned the walls of our grandma’s house.  After a brief decade or so where homebuyers cringed at the sight of wallpaper and tore down every last shred, wallpaper has made a strong comeback with sophistication and style.

Wallpaper is not only easier to install (and remove), but the variety of colors, styles, and textures is so expansive that even the most discerning taste can find something appealing.  If you are deciding between wallpaper or paint for your new bathroom, consider these factors:

1. Prep Time: If your existing walls already have wallpaper that you would like to remove to replace with either new wallpaper or paint, there will be some legwork involved.  Removing wallpaper can be tedious and involves patience and special tools and even chemicals.  Walls are sometimes damaged in the process of removing wallpaper, which leads to added costs and time to repair.  If your walls are bare to start with, the prep time is removed from the equation.

2. Cost: An average size bathroom typically only requires one gallon of paint to do the job.  Most consumers can come across a gallon of good quality paint for around $30-40.  Add in $20 or so for paint supplies and you come in well under $100 for this choice.  Wallpaper on the other hand is certainly more expensive.  While you can grab a roll of inexpensive, lower quality wallpaper for around $25-50 per roll, you might want to opt for a higher quality designer wallpaper, which will run in upwards of $250 a roll.  Several rolls will likely be needed to complete a bathroom job.  Also, wallpaper is a tough DIY job.  It requires skill to have it installed correctly, especially if the pattern is intricate.  You may have to hire a professional to hang it, which can cost several hundred to thousands of dollars depending on the scope of the job.

3. Flexibility: Once you have gone through the trouble and expense to hang wallpaper, you are going to want to keep it for a while.  If trends change five years down the road and your paper is no longer in style, you may find yourself stuck.  Painting, however, affords quite a bit more flexibility.  If you get tired of a color a few years down the road, it is not near as difficult to just buy another gallon of paint and take a weekend to change the color and the look of the room.

4. Durability: Newer wallpapers are much stronger and more durable than their predecessors that were simply thin paper stuck to the wall.  Wallpaper can typically now withstand wear and tear from children and are actually quite scrubbable.  However, if considering wallpaper for a bathroom, it is important to note that high moisture areas like the bathroom and kitchen can cause the wallpaper to peel.  Paint is also quite durable, although it is susceptible to scratches and scuff marks caused by pets or kids and are not usually very easily cleaned free of stains.  As opposed to wallpaper, paint will be a much more moisture-resistant finish in a bathroom.  Experts recommend a semi-gloss finish in a high moisture room such as a bathroom, which also will offer easy cleaning.

Regardless of the wall finish you choose for your new bathroom, Dream Baths by Kitchen Kraft can help you design and bring to life the bathroom of your dreams.  Still unsure whether wallpaper or paint is the way to go?  No problem.  Let one of our professional bathroom designers help you make that decision and the many more that will come with your new bathroom.  Let’s get started!