Appearance

Both paint and wallpaper are extremely versatile wall coverings. While most people paint their walls a single color, paint can be used to create a variety of effects and patterns. Paint can be rolled or sponged on, splattered, or painted in stripes, dots, chevrons, tiles, or in murals.

Even solid colors of paint have many choices available, including finishes that range from matte to glossy in a wide range of colors. If you make a mistake or tire of a color, it is easy to paint over and change the look of the room.

Wallpaper also comes in an extensive selection of patterns, colors, and finishes. You find flocked, textured, glossy, matte, and metallic wallpaper in a range of solid colors and patterns. Some types of wallpaper are also paintable, allowing you to really customize the look of a room.

The most significant difference is that wallpaper offers less creativity than paint because you can only use what is available, rather than coming up with your own design. Wallpaper can also be more challenging to change or remove if it becomes dirty or you tire of the look.

Installation

Paint is one of the easiest DIY projects for homeowners to perform. A single, solid-color paint job is fairly straightforward. Simply tape off the edges of the room, use a brush to apply the paint to the edges, and then roll in the interior. For patterns or multi-color jobs, a professional may provide better results.

Ideally, a professional who understands the material and process should hang the wallpaper. The rolls of paper need to be cut to size and either dipped in water to activate the glue or brushed with water before being smoothed onto the wall. The different edges need to line up perfectly to avoid interruptions in the pattern, and then the paper must be smoothed with a special tool to remove any air bubbles or excess glue from behind the sheets. This takes considerably more knowledge, skill, and time than painting a wall of the same size, even when painting with different colors or creating a pattern.

Durability

On average, most wallpapers last a minimum of 15 years, and many last even longer when well-maintained. This makes them a great choice for people who do not require much change in their homes and have them installed in low-humidity areas, places with few fingerprints, and without small children.

When scraped in the right way, paint can chip or peel. If this happens, you can touch it up if you have leftover paint. Otherwise, it can be difficult to match, which may necessitate repainting the entire room.

Some paints and wallpapers may be cleaned if they became heavily soiled, such as if children draw on the wall. In most cases, however, paint is easier to keep clean and remove marks from. You can easily remove shoe scuff marks, for example, from most painted surfaces but not from most wallpaper.

Resale Value

Both paint and wallpaper have some impact on the resale of your home. However, of the two, wallpaper may have the biggest negative impact. While a poorly done or brightly colored paint job may deter some people, paint is easily redone or painted over. But because wallpaper does not have as broad an appeal and is difficult and costly to remove, it can hurt the resale of a home.

In most cases, paint has little impact on the sale of a home. A fresh, neutral paint job may enhance sales slightly, however, while a very poorly done or out-of-date color may lower resale slightly. Because paint is more easily changed, most people look past the color when considering a home.