We’re redoing the living room (used as a combination office space - library - music room) and family room after living with the décor we inherited when we moved in 25 years ago. There’s wallpaper that we don’t hate but it feels very “old.” When we’ve replaced wallpaper in other rooms (yes, the entire house is wallpapered, even the bathrooms!) we’ve found that the condition of the walls was such that putting more wallpaper on was less expensive than treating the walls and painting.
But…we’re now thinking resale value in a few years also. I’ve heard two conflicting stories: (1) no one wants wallpaper any more, and (2) wallpaper is trending as a new thing again.
S, being décor challenged, I’m turning to the CC hive mind to help us make our decision: paint (possibly at greater cost) or wallpaper? Thanks!
Wallpaper is definitely a thing again in the past couple years, however, I think you’d have broader appeal still with paint. However, given the condition of the walls and the cheaper status, maybe wallpaper is the way to go for you.
Perfect answer!. When we bought this hous we inherited wallpaper. The powder room…triangles (and did Imention that they weren’t matched. Master bathroom…foiil and geometry…the worst? Maid’s bathroom…walls and ceiling…red elephants…marching. Other rooms had wall paper…but this was the worst.
For what it’s worth, none of the young people I know who are currently or will soon be buying houses want wallpaper.
Then again, we’re probably not in the same housing market
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a house with it. It’s a PITA to get rid of but it’s not especially hard to put up. Painting just seems like a safer bet shrug
If your wallpaper is 25 years old I doubt it looks trendy. I see one wall with paper, not entire rooms. I’d never again buy a house with wallpaper or use wallpaper in my house. If it’s been 25 years, maybe it’s time to fix the wall to be able to paint.
Some of the wallpaper that we had was over 50 years old. We couldn’t take it down with a professional and a steamer. We would have to have new walls put up…this was the elephant room. It’s painted…three coats…
One wall with paper is currently very trendy in our area, and it can look very nice. I do agree that it’s unlikely that anyone wants someone else’s choice in wallpaper. The other issue is that nice wallpaper is also very expensive so, if you’re thinking of selling, paint is probably the way to go.
I think wallpapering a whole room really dates your home. Where I have seen it used recently in new homes is on one wall - perhaps the wall behind your bed - or it is used as an accent like this:
I love elegant patterns and have wallpaper I chose fifteen years ago in my kitchen, foyer, dining room and powder room. Still love it. I realize the chances that even a prospective buyer who likes wallpaper would have the same taste is negligible, but I want my home to look the way I want it to look, not the way someone else thinks it should look. When the time comes to sell, I’ll take down the paper and paint the walls a nice boring off-white. If I made all my renovation and decorating decisions based on a future sale, I’d feel like I was living in someone else’s house. But I can see how the decision would be different if one has a very short time line to a sale. I were planning to sell a place in just a couple of years, I’d probably just spend as little as possible to make the place marketable, and wallpapering costs more than painting.
The thing about wall paper is that A) There is really gorgeous wall paper out there but it is expensive, so most people go with the cheap stuff, and B) Wall paper is really as personal a choice in many cases as art. If you go to a paint store to look at wall paper, they won’t even have any books of good stuff. You usually have to go through a decorator of some kind.
When we bought our house, it was entirely papered with hideous, cheap 1970s stuff, much of it vinyl. With slubs. [shudder] There were rolls and rolls of it in the basement. I think they got it at Woolworth’s!
I paid someone to remove all of it. I then selected original William Morris papers for the center hall, and for the study. The rest is painted.
If you are thinking about resale…don’t wallpaper. Choose a neutral color. If the next people want wallpaper, let them make the choice.
We had wallpaper in our first house. We have no wall paper in our current house. If the next owner of our house wants wallpaper (or a different color paint) they can have at it.
I agree with all who said no wallpaper. I have a bit in my home. I still like some and do not hate, a border in my dining room, but feel it is dated.
The dining room concept is not dated as we eat there every night and raised my kids doing many projects as well as eating there. Had last Thannksgiving there wirh my immediate fam, b/g friends and niece, and fam, and nephew of recently deceased sister. It was wonderful to have a big room and big table for us all to gather!
If you are planning to resell soon, go with paint. If you plan to live there for awhile, do what you want to please you where you live.
I have removed more wallpaper and boarders than I want to think about. My belongings can blend in with a variety of paint colors, but I have yet to ever move into a house where the wall paper or boarders even come close to looking OK with my furniture and art.
All things being equal, as a buyer I would buy the house with painted (even ugly paint) walls and walk away from the house with wall paper.
Our current house had harlequin wallpaper under the fake wood panelling - we removed both. My previous house I would have put up Bradbury William Morris type wallpaper in the dining room if I could have afforded it. http://www.bradbury.com/ac.html
I did a house two years ago with a decorator and he put up some really wild wallpaper in the dining room, powder room and laundry room. They spent over $600,000 on a gut renovation of their house. Of course if you are made of money, you aren’t really worrying about resale.
Oh man, I shouldn’t have looked at that Bradbury wallpaper page - I am lusting after it all over again. Luckily it does not fit into current house at all!
