The world of finishes for walls in our homes and offices come with multiple choices from the more expensive tile laying, to painting and to applying wall papers. Most modern homes in Ghana have walls protected with either paint or wall papers. Whether you choose painting or wallpaper or tiling or a combination of these three there are several factors one must consider. Generally, a useful tip is to consider the traffic situation of either your offices or homes and to be certain if you will do it yourself or you will hire a sub-contractor to get the job done.
Without disregarding the total cost involved these factors are outlined below:
Time Taken
Especially if one seeks an unusual pattern, painting consumes more time to apply which also adds to the cost. In doing it yourself, wall papers must match seams and align strips correctly. Before you apply paint ones to apply filler, primer or scheming or perform preparation works. Relatively the preparation works before painting takes more time while installation process for wallpapers also take time.
Quality/Durability
Wallpapers don’t last long like the paint, but they can be used temporarily for any given space. Funny enough it’s more expensive than paint if you’d ask me said Lucy Ansah, an interior decorator. People always forget to compare the life cycle of their choice. Some are nice and can be used in areas that aren’t busy or have less traffic or else it will come off.
I would say wall papers are like pillows you can change anytime. But painting is for those who don’t have the time to be changing room colour
Aesthetic
With painting, to achieve the aesthetic varieties that wallpapers come with, you will incur more cost. Walls mostly don’t have smooth under-surface or smooth rendering; in this case the paint highlights the details of the rough surface. It may be the same situation when applying wallpapers but with wallpapers the difficulty is reduced if the walls are prepared well. 3D Wallpapers right from manufacturing come in assorted patterns. Aesthetics texture for painting is achieved by employing specialized additives and application techniques.
Convenience of use
Wallpapers can be modified to suit various shapes and design and it’s relatively cheap. However, if it’s not properly glued it can peel off easily. According to Bashiru the professional quantity surveyor; there are several decorative painting systems which could be used in place of wallpaper even though they are expensive. Example is the hardened decorative system and epoxy decorative system. Moreover, if one wants to renovate, scraping the paint off as against just peeling of wallpapers, the painting is more tedious. You have the choice to reapply or re-clad a new wallpaper to the old one meanwhile this is not practically possible for painting. Paint is most common when it comes to Do it yourself (DIY) projects, installing wall papers is quite complex.
Best places to use wallpapers
It’s clear that wallpapers come with numerous advantages but a critical factor to consider is where it’s applicable. It’s a cool thing if one applies wallpapers at places such as Offices or shops, indoor spaces like the walls within the room. There are 3D wallpapers which are designed with waterproof qualities and could be used on the external surface or damp areas. However, painting is a better choice when it has to do with outdoor usage. Some types of wallpapers can be used in well ventilated kitchens and bathrooms.
Warranty
Wallpapers can last between 5-15 years if it’s properly installed and maintained. Proper installation here means ensuring a well primed and prepared surface. Whereas paint can also last 15 years with touch ups.
After going through these check list, your choice remains your responsibility. Albeit all the advantages wallpapers offer one important information worth jotting down is that working with paint is like working on a spreadsheet, you can format and edit thus it’s easier to paint over your mistakes. Painted surfaces can also stand up to wears and tears kitchen and bathrooms receive over time.
Ideally clients need to consider the life cycle of their changes when doing the cost and benefit analysis.
Let us know what you think about using paint and wallpapers. Comment Below, suggest any real estate topic you desire to learn more about. Or reach us at info@floatghana.com and let’s feature you in our next post
