4 Types of Wallpaper Compared

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4 Types of Wallpaper Compared

Staff Writer · Apr 8, 2010

You may know a little about wallpaper, but you may not realize the many types of wallpaper available for decorating. Wallpaper is its own design element, and manufacturers continue to come up with creative wallpaper to appeal to different decorating and artistic styles. Each type of wallpaper has its advantages and disadvantages though, and not all wallpaper will be a functional fit for you. Here are 4 types of wallpaper compared:

1. Paper Wallpaper

You may live in an older apartment, and still have this type of wallpaper. It’s not coated with anything, which means its easy to damage when you try to clean it. Paper wallpaper tears easily when it gets wet or is exposed to moisture. If your apartment has paper wallpaper, then your options are to leave it alone and hope for the best, or replace it yourself with permission from the landlord. What you do depends on your budget, and how long you plan to rent the apartment.

2. Vinyl Coated Wallpaper

This seems to be an answer to a cleaning problem more than anything else. Vinyl wallpaper is coated with polyvinyl chloride or acrylic vinyl. As a result, you can scrub the wallpaper to clean it, without ripping the paper. These are best to hang in rooms that are humid, such as in the kitchen or bathroom. The vinyl coating allows it to withstand moisture far better than regular wallpaper. You won’t have to worry about getting pencil marks and crayons off the wallpaper if you have young children, because they’re easy to clean.

3. Coated Fabric Wallpaper

As the name suggests, this type of wallpaper has an underlay of fabric that is coated with vinyl. The layer with the patterns and other decorations on the wallpaper appears on the coating itself. Do not use coated fabric wallpaper in areas of the home that has a lot of moisture though, because it won’t hold up well. For that reason, you’ll find coated fabric wallpaper most often in the living room or bedrooms.

4. Solid Vinyl

Coated fabric wallpaper uses a liquid form of vinyl. However, solid vinyl is not in liquid form, and is a popular choice for people who really want to be able to scrub their walls well. It’s known for being washable, and it’s so strong that it lasts a long time. Solid vinyl is not necessary for many renters. It depends on the activities you plan to conduct in your apartment. Let’s say you’re an artist, woodworker or hold classes for young children in your apartment, and your work causes the walls in a particular area of your apartment to get messy all the time. Solid vinyl is the best type of wall paper for you to use because it’s washable and durable. You can use solid vinyl in that room only, and use some of the other types of wallpaper in other rooms.

Before you decide what type of wallpaper to select, speak with your landlord to confirm what is allowed. Then, decide what you plan to do in each room and select the appropriate wallpaper to match.

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