One roll of wallpaper costs $18; another is priced at $250. What's the difference? This segment tells all: high-end versus low-end; durability and ease of cleaning; ideas for customizing; and tips for choosing wallpaper to fit your decor. Comparison of Wallpaper Types Surface-Printed Wallpapers Machine-made
Less costly
More durable than screen prints. Screen-Printed Wallpapers Hand-screened
More expensive
Less durable
For use only in low-traffic areas
Best used in formal living rooms, dining rooms or bedrooms. Vinyl Wallpaper Very durable
Good for kitchens, bathrooms and heavy traffic areas
Scrubbable (spaghetti sauce spilled on vinyl wallpaper will not penetrate the surface and can be wiped right off). Vinyl-Coated Wallpaper Midrange durability
Washable but not scrubbable (spaghetti sauce spilled on vinyl-coated wallpaper can be wiped off but will leave a stain). Custom-Colored Wallpapers For an extra fee, many of the wallpaper designs found in wallpaper books can be custom-colored. A sample, called a strike, costs about $40 and can be matched to paint-chip colors of your choosing. A minimum order is usually required for custom-colored wallpaper. Unusual Wall Coverings These wall coverings -- made with metals, cement and glass -- are high-end and durable. Hand-made, with no two pieces exactly alike, they run about $200 a roll. This type of wall covering must be hung by an experienced professional. Stucco-look wall covering, another unusual look, costs about $100 a roll; machine-textured wallpaper runs about $10 to $15 a roll and gives a similar look at a much lower cost. Tips for Choosing Wallpaper Take note of your surroundings and determine the kind of look you like. Interior-design books and magazines offer lots of ideas. When shopping, take along samples of colors and textures used in your home -- paint chips of other colors in the room, swatches of upholstery fabric and so on. If you're unsure about a pattern, ask whether there's a book that shows the wallpaper on a wall. Sometimes a store will let you check out a wallpaper book or take a big sample of wallpaper to see how it looks in your room. And if you're looking for a bargain, always check the discount table: discontinued patterns of perfectly good wallpaper can sell for as little as $1.99 a roll. Just be aware that what you see is all there is.
RESOURCES :
Pat Stewart, Wallpaper Expert
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