How to choose a wallpaper?

When a thorough repair is completed: the windows are inserted, the floor is leveled, then it remains a small matter - choose a wallpaper for the room. It is wallpapers that set the tone and atmosphere of housing, add a twist to the interior and give the room a certain charm and mystery. Therefore, try to approach the issue of wall decoration with full responsibility and read the information on how to choose a wallpaper to create a comfortable and modern room design.

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What you need to know before choosing a wallpaper?

Wallpaper is a wonderful invention of skillful craftsmen. For centuries, this finishing material has been surprising with its capabilities, pleases with its assortment and inspires appearance. Some residents paste over not only the walls, but also the ceilings, combining wallpaper in two colors.

Before you go to the store for the purchase of finishing material, you need to know the following features of the room:

• Parameters, its size.
• The form. Ceiling height.
• Illumination of the room.
• The condition of the walls.

Which wallpaper is better to choose, given the features of the room?

Summarize all the features of the room and choose the finishing material, following our recommendations:

1. The smaller your room, the brighter the wallpaper should be. Choose material with a small number of drawings and patterns.
2. To increase the height of the room, use a wallpaper with a longitudinal pattern. Vertical wallpaper can reduce the volume of the room, but at the same time, visually increase the height of the ceiling.
3. Horizontal wallpapers make the space lower and the wider the stripes, the less they will affect the space.
4. If decor is planned on the wall with paintings, photographs or a carpet will hang, then under them should be smooth wallpaper with a small pattern.
5. Wallpaper with the image of rhombs can expand the room.
6. Large and eye-catching patterns are not suitable for placing an irregular shape with recesses, niches, alcoves, but a material with a small pattern will be appropriate.
7. If the walls in the room are uneven, then thin, glossy wallpapers with the correct pattern are not the best choice, since such material will only emphasize defects. In this case, the best solution is embossed wallpaper.
8. If sunlight constantly falls on the walls of a room, then choose non-fading wallpapers with increased light resistance.
9. If the room has north-facing windows, then choose material in warm colors: yellow, cream, orange, pink. And if to the south - then cold tones: green, bluish-green, bluish-gray.
10. If you want to place the main emphasis on stylish modern furniture in the room, then it is better to choose a wallpaper with a discreet blurry pattern and vice versa.

When choosing a decorative material for walls, buyers mainly focus on the following criteria:

• Invoice (embossing, silk-screen printing or plain paper wallpaper).
• Quality and durability.
• Wear resistance.
• Aesthetic appeal.
• Pattern and color.
• The method of gluing.
• Price.

Important! Of course, every buyer wants to find a product with the optimal ratio of “price - quality - beauty”. However, experts recommend that when buying wallpapers pay attention to only two criteria:

• Features of the room and its purpose.
• Your taste preferences, because the color, pattern and overall design of the material is a matter of taste for everyone.

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What are wallpaper for walls based on the material?

In order for harmony to reign in the room, the wallpaper should be the best. Let's consider what wall coverings exist, and what are their advantages and disadvantages.

Paper

This is the most famous and popular wallpaper. One factor affecting their popularity is the low price.

Cellulose wallpapers are smooth or embossed. Drawing on the material can be applied in two ways:

• Priming. The surface is first coated with paint, and an image is applied on top of the paint.
• Not a primer. The image is initially overlaid on paper.

Important! In addition to the price, the advantages of paper coating include environmental friendliness. They are best chosen for the design of children's rooms and bedrooms.

The disadvantages of paper wallpaper:

• They are torn quickly.
• Afraid of water.
• Over time, they lose color when exposed to sunlight.
• Easy and quick to get dirty.
• They are difficult to glue on the wall.
• Low level of operation. Not recommended for kitchen, bathroom and hallway.

Vinyl

People call such wallpaper “washable”. The basis of the material is paper or non-woven, and the top is vinyl.

There are three types of vinyl:

• Foamed. It has a pronounced embossed texture and has high strength.
• Screen printing. The material consists of durable vinyl stitched with silk threads. They have a shiny surface. Such wallpapers are capable of changing hue depending on the incidence of light.
• Washable.

Wallpaper is available in two versions:

• Finished.
• Designed for painting.

Important! Vinyl wallpapers are on sale specifically for bathrooms. Such material is equipped with high water resistance, in addition, it has many interesting drawings on the marine theme.

Advantages of vinyl wallpaper:

• Easy to clean.
• Durable.
• Moisture resistant.
• Resistant to light.

Disadvantage:

• Lack of breathability. A room with such wallpaper "does not breathe", so you can’t use it in a child’s room, and other rooms with this kind of covering need frequent ventilation.

Non-woven

This is a great alternative to vinyl coating. The material consists of a mixture of mineral fibers, cellulose, foamed vinyl on the top layer. A distinctive feature of coatings based on non-woven is the ability to apply paint to them, and more than once.

Advantages of non-woven wallpaper:

• Do not break.
• They have good thermal insulation properties.
• Resistant to wear.
• More fire resistant wallcovering.
• Easy sticking. Just apply glue to the wall and fix the wallpaper.
• Possibility of painting the wall.

Acrylic

This is an analogue version of vinyl wallpaper. The only difference is that foamed acrylic is applied to the base of the material, not vinyl. If you decide to choose this type of wallpaper, you can appreciate their advantages: the coating is easy to clean, wash, lets air in and does not affect the health status of those living in the room.

Photowall-paper

This is one of the varieties of paper wallpaper. However, various coatings may be used as the basis for the photo wallpaper. The most popular 3D wallpapers that can turn a room into a real jungle or underwater world.

Wall mural is better to choose for a bedroom or a children's room.

The main disadvantages:

• High price.
• They require careful care, as any damage can ruin the whole landscape.

Textile

This coating consists of two layers: the bottom layer is paper or non-woven, and the top one is a textile fiber of natural or artificial origin.

Textile wallpapers look very attractive, have a decent aristocratic look.

Advantages:

• They have excellent thermal insulation.
• You can clean the coating with a vacuum cleaner.
• Perfectly fit into an office or bedroom.

Disadvantages:

• Easily contaminated and absorb dust and odors.
• They quickly lose color when exposed to the sun.
• They do not like wet cleaning.
• Are expensive.

Important! You can choose this type of wallpaper in the following options:

• Velor
• Silk.
• Velvet
• Flaxseed.
• Cotton

Liquid

Liquid wallpaper is a special composition resembling ordinary plaster. This coating option will cost more, but this material is characterized by one of the advantages:

• Repels dust from itself.
• Good water and fire resistance.
• It has excellent sound and heat insulation.
• The ability to hide surface defects and various irregularities under the coating.

Cullet

This is an innovative type of wall covering. The basis of such wallpaper is covered with fiberglass.

Important! Cullets are made from a special thread, which is obtained by melting glass. The threads for such a coating are made of sand, soda and dolomite.

Advantages of coverage:

• Are practical.
• Convenient in operation.
• Hygienic.
• Easy to clean.
• They have dust repellent ability.
• Fire resistant.
• Strong and durable.
• They have a high level of water resistance.
• They are resistant to deformation.
• Do not accumulate electrostatic charge.
• Do not cause allergies.
• Do not emit toxins and harmful substances in direct sunlight.
• Ready to withstand many cycles of paint.

Important! There are more exotic types of wallpaper:

• Jute.
• Carpet.
• For painting.
• Cork.
• Metallized.

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Wallpaper specifications

The selection of wallpaper in the room is a serious and responsible matter and, in order to make it easier for you to navigate in the whole variety of coatings, we will carry out a classification based on certain properties of the finishing material.

Moisture resistance

Depending on the level of moisture resistance, the coating is classified as follows:

• Classic paper with no protective topcoat. Caring for them involves only dry cleaning.
• Moisture resistant. They are susceptible to water, but in limited quantities. You can wipe the surface only with a slightly damp cloth without the use of cleaning and detergents.
• Washable. Easily tolerate contact with water. Able to withstand both dry and wet cleaning using detergents.
• Superwashable. They can be washed not only with a sponge, but also with a brush, and at least every day.

Texture

You can choose a wallpaper by surface type in the following options:

• Smooth.
• Homogeneous, imitating the texture of various materials.
• Embossed. The drawing on such a material is concave or convex to the touch. Embossed wallpapers, in turn, are divided into corrugated and embossed, depending on the coating on the base.

Density

According to the degree of density, the wallpapers are divided into:

• Light (loose). Weight does not exceed 110 g / m2. Glued easily, but not able to hide the bumps in the surface of the walls.
• Heavy (compacted). They are not simply glued, but safely hide all wall defects.

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Which wallpaper is better to choose?

For each room, you should choose your own wallpaper, since all the rooms in the house are individual and differ in their functional purpose.

Here are just a few recommendations to help you choose your indoor wallpaper.

Corridor

For hallways and corridors, it is better to choose a wallpaper with a moisture-resistant surface. In these rooms, the likelihood of contamination is very high, so the wall covering must withstand any wet cleaning.

The color scheme in the corridor should be dark shades. Burgundy, brown, chocolate, dark blue will do just fine.

Important! Such colors will hide the settled dust and pieces of adhering dirt after rain.

Living room

It’s not so easy to choose wallpaper for the living room, because it should be the face of the apartment and attract the eyes of guests. A popular option is wall pasting with materials of different shades, but the same color. This technique will allow you to divide the living room into zones.

Here are some suggestions:

1. If you like chic and sophistication, then wallpaper made from natural materials will bring you closer to your dream.
2. If you think that the classics are timeless, then textile tapestry wallpaper or painted cover is your option.
3. If you want something exotic and exclusive, then choose wallpaper from natural plant fibers, for example, bamboo, straw or papyrus.

Bedroom

The rest room should be filled with light and comfort. Everything in it should be harmonious and very sincere. When choosing wallpaper in the bedroom, give preference to monophonic coverings, because they can always be supplemented with family photos or a picture. And no complicated drawings and colorful patterns in the lounge.

Important! Use only environmentally friendly materials in the bedroom and a pleasant dream is guaranteed.

Children

In the nursery, choosing the wallpaper is the most difficult. A child is a personality that has not yet been formed and is very susceptible to all external interventions. When choosing a coating for walls, you should rely on age:

• Kids will be happy to see bright cartoon characters on the walls.
• For the student, you can choose an adventure story or an underwater theme.
• A teenager will love the mural with the image of his favorite football team, singer or rock band. The tone of the coating should be bright and, in no case, not aggressive and not annoying, so as not to distract from classes.

Important! For children use only environmentally friendly and safe materials: paper, non-woven and natural fabrics.

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How to choose wallpaper by color?

Focus on the following factors when choosing the right shade for wall coverings:

• Room sizes and layout features.
• Illumination.
• Functional purpose.
• Color furniture and accessories indoors.
• The psychological perception of colors.

When choosing the color scheme of the coating, in addition to personal preferences, be guided by the opinion of designers - many shades are able to have both a positive and negative perception of the interior. Here are just a few expert recommendations:

1. Black or white wallpapers are not recommended in the living room. If the guest room is beautifully lit, then use wallpaper in cold shades: blue, blue, green.
2. For a bedroom, wallpapers of soft, muted shades are better suited: light green, light blue.
3. In the room for children, choose a wallpaper in light colors: apricot, peach, beige. You can use two types of wallpaper and divide the nursery into zones: in the recreation area, paste calm pastel wallpapers, and in the zone of active games and activities - wallpaper with rich bright colors.
4. All warm and “tasty” tones of wallpaper are suitable for the kitchen: red, orange, yellow.
5. The selection of wallpaper by color can be carried out taking into account the style of the room:
   • Oriental themes are characterized by combinations of black, white and red shades of different saturations;
   • for the European style - more calm and light colors;
   • for modern style trends - bright and catchy colors.

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Helpful hints:

1. Always buy wallpapers from one batch. The edges of the paintings should be protected by the packaging. Avoid non-transparent packaging, as you cannot see the picture in them.
2. When buying, do not focus only on the roll, since when folded, the wallpaper looks different than on the wall. Be sure to unfold the roll and hang it so that you can evaluate quality, texture, thickness and color.
3. When purchasing a coating, pay attention to the manufacturer’s stamp, which must indicate: information about the manufacturer, serial number, quality of the material, part of the drawing, direction of the drawing, and wallpaper processing instructions.

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Stock footage

Today, manufacturers offer a huge selection of different styles, textures, colors and patterns of wall coverings, which allow to realize the most unusual and interesting plans, fantasies and ideas. The whole thing is up to you - go for it, and we will be happy if this article helped you figure it out and choose a wallpaper for your interior.