Month: May 2021

Wallpaper might not be as popular as it once was, but it’s still a great option for covering walls. It has some advantages to paint alone in certain situations, especially when you want a cool pattern for a feature wall. There are several different types of wallpaper to choose from including paper-backed, bamboo, and vinyl. If you’re considering putting up new wallpaper, you might be wondering what’s the best type of wallpaper. 

Overall, we think that you’ll get the best value from vinyl wallpaper. However, each type has its own pros and cons and we’ll cover some of them in this article. 

Paper wallpapers

It may seem strange that “paper” wallpaper is only one category. But that’s due to changes in wallpaper material over the years. Paper is still a popular option as it’s inexpensive and easy to find. 

Paper-backed wallpaper

Paper-backed wallpaper means that the back of the surface that goes against the wall is made from paper. It has a paper substrate on the back that is glued to the wall. On the other side, it may have different material such as decorative vinyl or it could have paper as well. Paper-backed wallpaper is peelable, but it doesn’t always come off easy. Take a look at our article How to Remove Wallpaper for an easier way to remove paper-backed wallpaper. 

Paper-faced wallpaper

Opposite to paper-backed wallpaper, paper-faced wallpaper means that the front of the surface is made from paper. The design will be printed directly on this paper on the visible side. The side connecting to the wall could be made from a different material such as vinyl. Paper-faced wallpaper is typically washable–you can use a light cleaner and wipe it occasionally–but may not be scrubbable for heavy-duty scrub cleaning without tearing. 

Vinyl wallpapers

Vinyl is a versatile material for wall coverings and many people choose to use vinyl these days instead of paper. The entire wallpaper can be made from vinyl, or one side can have a viny coating. 

Advantages of vinyl wallpapers

Vinyl has replaced paper wall coverings in many situations because it offers a number of advantages compared to traditional paper. Some of these include: 

• Easier to remove. Vinyl wallpaper is much easier to remove than paper or other options. A solid sheet of vinyl will peel off without much trouble if you start from the corner. 
• More Durable. Vinyl is more durable than paper. It’s thicker and more robust, so you won’t damage it easily.
• Washable and scrubbable. Because it’s more durable, vinyl can be scrubbed without tearing. Most stronger cleaners aren’t an issue either. It is naturally water-resistant as well. 
• More texture options. Since vinyl is thicker than paper, it has more options for texture like embossments. There are also different finish options like matte and glossy. 

Disadvantages of vinyl wallpapers

If vinyl is the best type of wallpaper with so many advantages, why doesn’t everyone use it? The main reason comes down to price. It’s not uncommon for vinyl coverings to cost twice as much as paper. Many older homes had wallpaper from before vinyl was widespread. Sometimes it’s easier to repair small sections in existing wallpaper than replace the whole thing too. 

Other types of wallpaper

There are some other types of wallpaper you may come across such as: 

• Fabric coated wallpaper – This kind has a fabric substrate that is coated with acrylic or liquid vinyl. 
• Grasscloth wallpaper – A category of wallpaper that relates to natural fibres instead of synthetic fibres. Bamboo and hemp are some examples. 
• Foil wallpaper – Wallpaper that’s similar to aluminium foil on an industrial level. 

Which wallpaper is best for me? 

If it’s within your budget, we recommend getting decent vinyl wallpaper. We think it’s the best type of wallpaper overall. Your next best option is vinyl-backed or vinyl-faced, depending on if it’s more important to install or to clean. If both are out of your price range, go with one of the paper options. 

No matter which kind of wallpaper you have or want, our team can help you out. We can do wallpaper removal, installation, and minor repairs when possible of any kind of wallpaper. We can also help you pick out the best option for your property. Get in touch with us to find out more or to get a free quote. 

Wondering how to remove wall paper? If you’ve ever tried to remove the existing wallpaper in your home, you will know that it isn’t as straightforward as simply tearing it off in one fell swoop. When done properly, removing wallpaper is a simple job. However, old or obsolete techniques can make it pretty difficult. And make it much harder than it needs to be.

We’ve been removing wallpaper for decades, and we have tried and true methods that works almost every time. Doing it right involves a little more prep work and patience upfront, but it will save you time and effort in the long run.

Identify your type of wallpaper

The process is slightly different depending on what type of wallpaper you have. The three common types of wallpaper we see are paper-faced, paper-backed, and solid vinyl wallpaper. If you have an older house, chances are that you have paper-backed or paper-faced.

Our article What is the best kind of wallpaper goes over the differences in more detail.

Beware of this common wallpaper removal advice

Many websites and guides recommend using a wallpaper steamer to make the wallpaper easier to remove. This is an older method that isn’t recommended these days. The heat from the steamer tends to be too high which can damage the wall and make painting and adding new wallpaper more difficult.

Removing vinyl wallpaper

Solid vinyl is easy to install, clean, and remove and is a good choice if you’re replacing existing wallpaper with new wallpaper.

If you have vinyl wallpaper, you may be able to strip it by using a flat blade at the corner and peeling the wallpaper off. It tends to come off easily in large sheets. If it rips along the way, loosen it on a new spot and repeat. Sometimes removing vinyl wallpaper is that easy!

Removing paper-backed or paper-faced wallpaper

Other wallpapers are more complicated to remove. They won’t strip off in sheets like vinyl so the process is more involved.

1. Clear out the room as much as you can. Remove any furniture that you can and move it into another room.
2. Cut the power to the room. Water is involved in the process so turning off the power is a safety precaution. Cover any electrical outlets with painters tape and ensure they are tightly and completely covered.
3. Create a mixture of water and sugar soap. The sugar soap is very important. Many people who have problems removing the paper leave out this key ingredient and use water alone. That’s asking for trouble.
4. Spray the mixture all over the wall thoroughly. The sugar soap helps to reduce the amount of water that drips, which also helps it soak in better.
5. Wait at least 15 minutes. Half an hour is better. This is another very important step that people tend to skip over. If you don’t wait long enough, the paper will come off in small patches and you’ll also damage the substrate.
6. Scrape off the wallpaper with a wide blade starting at the corner. If you’ve done everything right, it should come off easily.

Need help removing wallpaper?

If removing wallpaper yourself isn’t high on your list of priorities due to not having the time, or if it’s just not your thing, you could end up with more problems than you started with. If you want to make sure the job’s done right, we can help. We’ve removed wallpaper from hundreds of properties and can do it quickly, cleanly, and with minimal mess. Contact us today for a free quote for wallpaper removal.