Decor: wallpaper or paint

In our last house, the wallpaper in the hall had been put up with paste, glue, sellotape - you name it and it had been used. It was extremely difficult to get off the wall. I did ask a decorator for a quote, £500 to strip the walls (this was 20 years ago!!). That was a challenge for me. I painted the walls, then sponged them with a sort of pattern - it camouflaged the bumps and lumps on the walls. Was extremely time consuming because it was upstairs and downstairs. I found a border than almost matched - it worked a treat. I sponged the rest of the house, the rest of the rooms were quick and easy to do.

We have mostly paint, one bit of birdie wallpaper in the dining room. I think it’s very much a question of individual taste. Paint is definitely easier.

You can get some lovely wallpapers now. Linwood do some great ones and I like Lewis and Wood aswell

We have one wall with wallpaper in the living room. It was v expensive £60 a roll I think, so it’s not a cheap option. The rest of the room is either grey or white paint with artwork/ bright textiles. It’s mid century style.

Possibly that is the answer vegansrock. The more expensive the wallpaper, the better the finish and the look.

Having done paint for decades, I'm now veering towards paper. It's easier to get a perfect finish - more reliable, cleaner, less work - and available in plain colours too!

Remember anaglypta wallpaper?

When I was able and did my own decorating, I actually found that to wallpaper rooms was quicker and easier than painting,. Maybe small areas were good for painting, but putting up wallpaper covered such large area in a short amount of time. Wallpaper, to me also looks cosier.

Remember anaglypta wallpaper?

Grrr! Yes me! I'm battling with the wretched stuff now! When I bought this house 18 months ago, I stripped the anaglypta off every wall, in every room, and had the walls replastered/skimmed and painted in F&B. Except the hall stairs and landing. And how I bitterly regret that now. Painting it is a real pain, you go through litres more paint, it dries in patches, missed bits are glaringly obvious and doing the gloss woodwork that abuts it is a nightmare. Paint straight onto smooth perfect plaster every time for me.

It used to be wallpaper in every room, but in recent years we’ve just used paint.
As many on here say, it’s easier and quicker to change. My worst nightmare? When we used to paper the ceilings!

Both and nice pictures.

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Just finished gs room, had to suit two ages 14 & 6 yrs.

First time I have tried anything like this, I love diy and decorating.

Might need your shades on I am well chuffed with it.

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Before and after with new ikea furniture.

Bikergran that’s amazing. It must have taken a lot of time and masking tape, or did you paint free hand. Have they seen it yet?

Bikergran, that is fantastic. Well done.

Bikergran so good to see your name and what a fantastic job you have done thats one very lucky little boy .

Wallpaper for me. Can't cope with feature walls particularly bold ones. Only one room left with emulsion. Only ever have high gloss white woodwork everywhere. Boring? Not for me. Love it. My walls tend to be 'gentle'. I bold up colour-wise with accessories which can be changed more easily.

I love orange. I always wanted an orange kitchen. The closest I got was pink!

What ever your taste really, but I do love to see period houses reflecting the age in which they are built.

So ours was built in the 30s and I have one room in particular that tips it’s decor to what I would describe as glam Hollywood of the 30s, so long swishy white curtains, very pale apricot walls, parquet flooring with an Art Deco design around the edge, off white rug and white and black fireplace that is Art Deco in design but not tiles. Ornaments that I found in charity shops and auctions etc of the period.
The rest of the house is also done with the 30s in mind but not so glam, very homely. Our snug is wallpapered, with matching curtains in greenish duck egg blue. The sofa and chairs are stripped and plain with colours that pick out the rug and wallpaper. The rug is American but an Axminster design.
Hall and stairs has a dado rail beneath which is a Morris wallpaper, bit early really but I loved the design and the stair carpet matches the colour.
The dining room is papered with a heavy figured wallpaper which we paint according to our taste at the time, at the moment it is called Matchstick ? a sort of off white beige sort of colour, matching the dining chairs. The rug is a red Turkish wool design so very busy, everything else is plain with red picked out in cushions in a rocker and chair.

Most of my friends and neighbours have much more modern taste, and their homes are often with very clean lines and everywhere pale and pristine. I do like it and could happily live with that, but ours just sort of evolved into what it is.

I have one roll of super expensive paper in my little downstairs loo. It's beautiful and everyone who has seen it has commented on it. I had maybe 40 samples before I chose it and it is perfect.

I wanted to wallpaper the chimney breas in my kitchen but the paper I liked was £300 a roll...
Needless to say, I have painted instead.

That’s a super job Bikergran patience required I’m sure we’ll done I’m sure they’ll be thrilled with its.
My GS a decorator has just been on a course to learn spray painting in the home his results look brilliant and ver time saving he now has to save up for the machine lol.

Thanks all,lol yes deff used masking tape a special low tack one,also learned how toget straight neat lines on texured paper,as only the window wall was re plastered as otheres had textured paper on and when removing it brought the plaster off.Its a very old council house. Just nearly put my lights out putting the bedding on the bunk beds?. Elder gs seen it,younger one hasnt it was going tobe green n grey(xbox colours) glad we changed it or would have felt like I was at work in the supermarket!

Wallpaper ,not big patterns though ,quite plain with texture ,I like colour so one bedroom has a deep purple wall and three white walls ,another has a copper wall and three cream.We had all our wall re plastered a few years ago and the plasterer was surprised when he visited us at Christmas that they were all wallpapered

We have wallpaper which we paint and this brings texture to the walls. Easy to repaint as any time but we usually go for shades of white and bring colour with other bits in the room. The textured wallpaper makes all the difference to the final finish and comes in many delicate or heavier patterns all ready to add colour.

I have painted, plain wall papers room. I would prefer smooth, re plastered wall but the cost and mess would be enormous. I dislike feature walks and pattened paper.