Wallpaper selection guide and buying tips for wallpapers

Overview: Advantages and disadvantages of wallpapers

Painting a home has become a tedious time-consuming job. The painters take over your home for days on end till you reach a point where you wished you had never started in the first place! A quicker option which takes up far less time is installing wallpapers.

Wallpapers are not mere coverings for your walls. They have the far more important function of enhancing the look of your home. Wallpapers are as much a part of home furnishings as, for example, are sofa upholstery fabrics. In fact, look beyond walls – look up at the ceiling. You can put pretty wallpapers on the ceiling too!

Although it is true that installing wallpapers is time-saving, one of the major drawbacks of wallpaper is that it could peel off very quickly. Wallpapers tend to hide water patches when there is moisture seepage in the walls. When this seepage is very extensive, though, the wallpaper peels off. Even the most reputed manufacturers of wallpapers cannot give you 100% guarantee that it will last for many years. There will always be the rider “provided the leakage is within the absorbable limit”.

Furthermore, if the binding between the wall and the adhesive is weak, joints will open up.

Let’s find out more information about wallpapers…

What are the materials used in wallpapers?

Other than paper, which is the most obvious material, the most commonly used wallpaper is that made from Polyvinyl chloride (better known as PVC). With the need to cater to those who want contemporary décor for their homes, today wallpapers are also made from fabric, fake suede and even fibreglass.

Here’s a list of some of the types of wallpapers available on the basis of material which are available in India:

Vinyl Wallpapers

Vinyl wallpaper tends to give a shiny look & is also smooth to touch. Vinyl wallpapers are the most commonly used as they are of low cost and can easily be cleaned with ordinary detergent. The biggest advantage of vinyl wallpapers is that they do not catch moisture and hence are commonly used for the bathroom and kitchen walls.

Poly Vinyl Foam (PVF) wallpapers

Wallpapers made from PVF are excellent for an insulated area of your home, such as the room where you have a home theatre system installed. The PVF acts as a sound insulator, keeping out external noises. Another advantage of PVF wallpapers is that it tends to keep out the heat and thereby the interior of the room cool.

Wallpapers made from textile fibres

Wallpapers made from textile fibres are considered to be the most expensive. The material used in such wallpaper could be cotton, silk, linen, etc. one of the main disadvantages of using such types of wallpapers is that it requires good care and can only be dry-cleaned. Nevertheless, for those looking for a different look which adds visual beauty to a room, such wallpapers are ideal.

Cork wallpapers

It is a misconception that cork wallpapers are not suitable for furnishing the walls of your home. On the contrary, such wallpapers are good because they don’t have a tendency to expand and are good buffers against sound. They are also durable and can last for quite a good number of years and do not necessarily rot away as is suspected.

Fake Suede wallpapers

Wallpapers which have the tag of fake suede are those which closely resemble suede. While the real suede tends to get dirty quickly, fake suede is made in such a way as to be better resistant to stains and liquids. It is generally designed using cotton or silk.

Fiberglass wallpapers

This is a contemporary type of wallpaper which looks very elegant. You can get fiberglass wallpapers which are fire retardant and are washable too. They are also resistant to cracks and mould.