ARCHITECTURAL SPECIFICATION GUIDE
The Wallpaper Buying Guide
Choosing the right wallcovering requires balancing art, substrate physics, room lighting, and humidity. Here is everything you need to know about choosing between wallpaper and paint, picking the right substrate, and calculating costs.
Wallpaper vs Paint: Direct Comparison
Premium Wallpaper
- Lifespan: 10 to 15+ years without fading or peeling.
- Installation Time: 4 hours for a 400 sq.ft room with zero fumes.
- Texture & Art: Intricate Pichwai, gold reliefs, woven silks impossible with paint.
- Maintenance: Wipeable, scrubbable with damp cloth.
- Return on Investment: High — increases interior luxury valuation immediately.
Traditional Paint
- Lifespan: 3 to 5 years before requiring repainting due to marks or fading.
- Installation Time: 3 to 5 days with strong VOC odors and dust.
- Texture: Flat single-color surfaces prone to scuffs.
- Maintenance: Difficult to scrub without leaving shiny patches.
- Return on Investment: Standard baseline.