When planning repairs in an apartment, you need to correctly select the right materials for the quality of work. Many owners do not know what to give preference to, and therefore quite often wonder what is better - wallpaper or painting the walls? By and large, both options have their advantages and disadvantages. And therefore, the choice of the type of finish must be approached correctly. What, in fact, we want to talk about in our review.
The advantages of wallpapering
Allows you to update any room and make it comfortable repair. The apartment after it, even if the budget option is selected, will look fresher anyway. Often wallpaper is used for this. New models are constantly being released with their own characteristics. The advantages of wallpaper include the fact that:
- Before work, special preparation of the walls is not required. Small errors are hidden. The coating will serve the owners for a long time, unless, of course, you choose the right glue.
- The surface will be pleasant to the touch, it creates comfort and warmth.
- Paper and non-woven fabric are not allergens and are safe for people and animals.
- A wide range of various wallpaper options allows you to purchase the right material in full accordance with your own preferences and taste.
- Work can be done independently.
- Because of the paper surface of the wall they breathe, therefore the occurrence of fungus and mold is excluded.
To answer the question, which is better - wallpaper or painting the walls, you should familiarize yourself with the minuses of using paper material.
Disadvantages of using wallpaper
The disadvantages of wallpaper include:
- Due to the high-quality adhesion of the material to the wall, difficulties arise with its removal before new gluing.
- Contaminants appearing on the surface are difficult to remove. Even if the wallpaper is washable, it is not so easy to do.
- Many pets spoil the wallpaper. Although this is not harmful to them, the original appearance of the walls naturally suffers from this.
- Paper-based material cannot be used for pasting walls in a bathroom or toilet due to high humidity in these rooms.
- Coverage is short-lived. After a few years, it will have to be changed.
- Walls are easily damaged by sharp objects.
Pluses of painting
Whatever option is chosen, it is necessary to carry out high-quality repairs. Painting walls or wallpaper it will be, it all depends on the desire. Paint is often used. For this, various materials are used. Reliable, odorless, reliable, reliable paint mixtures are quite popular at the moment. The advantages of painting include:
- In preparation for such work, according to technology, you need to process the room. Antiseptics, primers are applied to the walls, which eliminate mold and other microorganisms.
- If it is necessary to carry out cosmetic repairs, you do not need to paint the entire wall, you can only update a separate area. This is fast and cheap.
- Painted walls can then be washed.
- Pets will not be able to spoil the appearance of the surface.
- Many varieties of paints are produced to transform various interiors.
Puttying the walls for painting, the price of which depends on the chosen material, is an obligatory step. For surface leveling, mixtures are used for 120-480 rubles per package. Plaster mixes cost between 280-420 rubles per 18 kg. For acrylic putty compositions you will have to pay 860-1820 rubles per 10 kg. The price depends on the company. This, of course, requires additional material costs, but in the end you get a quality foundation that will facilitate the work during the next repair.
Disadvantages of painting
Learn what is better, wallpaper or painting the walls, will help familiarization with the disadvantages of the methods. The disadvantages of coloring include:
- The preparatory work is lengthy. To do this, you need skills in using tools.
- Qualitatively painting the walls is quite difficult for lay people. And the masters will have to pay a lot of money for this.
- Even resistant paint has a tensile strength. She cannot withstand strong blows.
- Any pattern is applied to the walls today. But designer paints are used for this, so such work is not cheap.
Finishing Choice
Which is better - wallpaper or wall painting - everyone decides for himself. To make the right choice, you need to focus on several factors:
- Wallpaper is glued simply and quickly, and the preparation of walls for painting takes a long time. For the second option, you need to have plastering skills. Usually a lot of tools and materials are required. For wallpaper, you need a knife or scissors, dishes for glue and a roller. Work can be done independently.
- Even high-quality paper materials will cost less than painting the walls.
- Wallpaper can be changed often, updating the interior. But if you do not want to make a new repair in a few years, then it is advisable to choose a paint. With appropriate care, it persists for a long time.
- Any tint is given to the paint using tinting. This is difficult to do with wallpaper.
Whatever was chosen, wallpapering or painting the walls, everything will look very beautiful, creating a cozy interior. Paper material may vary in texture, colors and shades. Walls can be painted not only in one tone, but also put on their surface a different pattern.
Cost
Before performing apartment repairs, you should calculate how much money is needed for materials. Improving the type of premises can cost a different amount, it all depends on the quality and type of the upcoming decoration. But remember: in any case, it is advisable to make a quality repair. After this, the apartment will look good for a long time, and the walls will not need updating.
If you compare high-quality, but inexpensive paint, and good (not paper) wallpaper, then the price for such repairs will be approximately the same. Pasting or painting a room of 20-30 square meters in price can differ only if the work is not done independently.
Complexity of work
Preparing walls for wallpaper is easier compared to painting. After removing the old coating, of course, it is also advisable to putty and primer them. But this work is simpler if the walls are straight and small defects do not matter. Thick wallpapers can hide even serious flaws.
Preparation for painting is more thorough. Cracks, grooves, dents are treated with gypsum or acrylic putty. When painting, it will not be possible to hide small irregularities. It will not lie flat if the surface is rough, over time it will begin to crack and peel off. With the final grinding there should not be a scratch, and therefore the final stage before painting is very laborious and not everyone can afford it.
Sustainability and practicality
Absolutely environmentally friendly wallpapers do not exist. Those options that are “breathable” are impractical. These include textile materials or plain paper. They get dirty, deteriorate from moisture and are subject to abrasion.
The painted surface gets dirty faster than the wallpaper, but it is better washed.
Masters Recommendations
To determine which wallpaper or wall painting is more practical, several professional tips should be considered:
- Colors for painting must be combined with the interior of the room.
- Thick wallpapers hide the imperfections of the walls.
- Non-woven wallpaper can be repainted up to 5 times.
- If the walls are uneven, then it is better for them to choose fiberglass wallpaper. They are also suitable for rooms with high humidity.
- Plain walls look great in small rooms. Images visually hide the volume of the room.
- Water-based paint is considered environmentally friendly and safe, but it is not wear-resistant.
- Acrylic and latex paints are resistant and safe.
- Vinyl emits toxic components.
- Drywall is the best material for preparing walls for painting and pasting.
- Moisture-resistant drywall is preferably treated with a primer with water-based white paint. This will hide the green shade of drywall.
- For drywall, it is better to use the GKL-1 acrylic primer, and it is advisable to apply it with a brush, and not with a roller.
- The seams are glued with dacron ribbon-serpyanka. Then they are puttied and leveled.
- The paint is considered resistant to temperature changes compared to wallpaper.
Housing should be comfortable. With the help of modern materials and technologies today it is possible to make high-quality repairs and create an excellent interior. For decoration today, as a rule, various water-based or acrylic paints, wallpapers are used. Therefore, each owner decides for himself how the living room, bedroom and kitchen will be processed. Wallpaper or painting the walls will make, by and large, any room more comfortable. Both methods allow you to perfectly update the room.