Wallpaper vs Paint

      Long before we even thought of building this house, we knew we wanted paint on our walls rather than tacky wallpaper.

 

      My first 1K apartment in Fuchu-shi was covered with unappealing green textured wallpaper. 

     I did my best to hide it with posters and maps, but the overall feel of that room was still extremely uninviting.  But hey, the place was a steal, and at the time, I was really pleased with the eclectic decor!

 

      Our subsequent places had somewhat nicer features and white or light beige-colored wallpaper.  That was a bit of an improvement. But humidity and mold will do awful things to your wallpaper, and our walls have greatly deteriorated over the years. 

      A quick survey among friends and family revealed a few interesting facts about paint and wallpaper:

 

*  In Japan, wallpaper is less expensive than paint, at least initially, and that's why is so popular.  Paint, including labor cost, is at least twice the cost of wallpaper.  Certain kinds of paint, like Shikui, are three times as costly.

*   There are hundreds of varieties of wallpapers to choose from, with different properties, textures, and colors. Surprisingly, some are quite nice.  We looked at Sangetsu and Lily Color.

*  Back home (Canada), wallpaper isn't really an option people consider.  The obvious thing to do is to get painted walls.  Also, given that DIY is popular there, people repaint their walls themselves.

*  Cost of paint + labor in Canada (based on prices for my brother's home built a few years ago) is similar to the price we were given here. 



*  Wallpaper was in vogue in Europe in the 1940s.  Mom says she hated the feeling of wallpaper, as if you lived in one of those doll houses.  She has never once regretted the decision to use paint in the house as it's easy to clean, tasteful and color can be changed easily.

*  Latest wallpaper glue does not contain formaldehyde, so no need to worry about Sick House Syndrome.  However, there will be a bit of a smell in the house for a while after wallpaper has been applied.  Also, stripping away old wallpaper and applying new one may not be an easy DIY job and might require professional help.



      We compared the cost of paint from two companies, to limit our choices:  Nihon Paint and Benjamin Moore.  The latter is more expensive, but probably has a greater range of colors.  We will probably choose Nihon Paint, and are waiting for our contractor's recommendation on best paint.

 

Love this grey... Can we get the dog too?

      We now need to seriously think about our home's color scheme. Because the architectural detail like the crown molding and base molding will be be white, we can go for colors that provide some contrast.  The trick will be to create a nice flow of color to create unity while still providing character to the individual rooms.  Color is now way up on our priority list.