Choosing Your Wallpaper?
Wallcoverings Include Paper, Vinyl, Grasscloth, Foil & More!
When it comes to choosing wallpaper, the more you know the easier it is! Decide whether you should consider a sturdy vinyl wallcovering, a natural grasscloth, even foil!
Choosing wallpaper for a single room - or an entire house - may require more consideration than you thought!
Wallcoverings come in a seemingly endless array of choices. Depending upon how involved your redecorating project is, you may begin by making decisions regarding construction, insulation, windows, wiring, flooring, plumbing, fixtures and built-ins. Once those decisions have been made, the fun begins. Enter creativity!
Hanging wallpaper can be a lot of fun. There are dozens and dozens of wallpaper books and hundreds of rolls of wallpaper lining the walls of your favorite home decorating or paint store. So how do you go about choosing wallpaper that is right for you?? What’s the difference between a paper and a fabric-backed vinyl, anyway? Here's a brief guide to some of the most common wallcoverings on the market:
• Paper: Not as commonly used anymore but still out there, paper is just that: paper. The products that make this so attractive are the handprints and specialty papers, where the colors and artwork are absolutely beautiful, but handling this product can be a bit tricky. When installing, it handles a bit like wet tissue paper and requires some care in both manipulating it and trimming it once it’s hung. Once dry, these can be some of the most beautiful and rich interior applications available. Without a vinyl coating, however, they are prone to staining.
• Vinyl coated paper: This is wallpaper with a thin veneer of vinyl sprayed on top to protect it. With these papers, the vinyl is part of the sheet, and the product tends to be thin and more delicate. Many of the mini-prints and intricate florals are found on this type of substrate, which lends itself to many applications, but is always a good fit for new sheetrock or fairly smooth surfaces.
• Paper backed vinyl: Heavier than vinyl coated papers, this product consists of a paper backing laminated to a vinyl sheet. It is extremely durable, wears well, and is available in nearly all types of patterns and styles. A bit of caution and care with the seams is important during hanging…over-manipulation of the seams can cause the paper and vinyl to delaminate, leaving less than perfect seams.
• Fabric backed vinyl: This is the most durable of all, actually a woven fabric backing laminated to a vinyl layer. This is ideal for kitchens, baths, and anywhere that you want extreme durability and scrubbability. It offers great adhesion, lasts forever, and is also extremely easy to remove.
• Silks, fabrics, Grasscloths: Like many handscreened wallpapers, these natural materials are stunning when properly installed. Due to their delicate properties, particularly when and if they get wet, they are often best left to the professional paperhanger. Dry hanging is completely different than adding paste to the back of a sheet of vinyl and requires a lot of patience and skill. These materials also stain easily and offer no protection when it comes to dirt.
• Foils: Often quite striking and sophisticated in appearance, foil wallcoverings are created by applying a thin sheet of foil to a paper backing. The #1 requirement for this type of wallcovering is a thorough and meticulous wall preparation. Even the tiniest flaw in the wall surface will show once it has dried. This too, is often best installed through dry-hanging to avoid delamination of the paper backing or creasing of the surface.
Begin by considering the space you are decorating and how the wallcovering will fit in. A kitchen, for instance, would probably be better suited to a sturdy fabric-backed vinyl that can be scrubbed and touched rather than a fragile silk or shiny foil. A den or formal living area, however, might be just the right place for a grasscloth or delicate silk. The type of surface being covered is also a consideration. Is it smooth, or rough? Are you intending to hang over paper that is already on the walls? In a bath, for instance, is there adequate ventilation to prevent moisture from getting to the seams?
Once you answer these questions you can determine decide what you want and start measuring for wallpaper. There are thousands and thousands of patterns and styles to choose from, so take your time and have some fun! You may be surprised at how skilled you really are when it comes to interior decorating!
