Wall Stickers - Why Should I Choose Them Over Wallpaper?

In a barefaced attempt to get wall stickers as well known to the discerning consumer as other more traditional interior decoration methods I thought it might be useful to do a direct comparison with perhaps their closest rival: wallpaper. In a step by step guide I hope to demonstrate that the former trounces the latter in every category I decide to name. This comparison will be strictly fair and non-partial. Honestly.

1.       Choice.   Considering the fact that wallpaper has been around in its current form since the eighteenth century there are a surprisingly dismal range of options available to the forward looking interior designer. Watery patterns and pale floral motifs abound; if you are Miss Havisham then fire away, this is for you. If, on the other hand, you sometimes open the curtains and let light and life flood into your home then the infinite array of self-adhesive vinyl wall sticker designs available just a keystroke away on your friendly internet will be more in your line. Anything you can think of is available in practically any colour and any size.

2.       Application.   Simple really, wallpaper is fantastically difficult to put up and wall stickers aren’t. Wallpaper requires skill, nerve, the removal from the room of anything likely to be affected by paste flying around, protective clothing, tools and a helper. Wall stickers need a comfortable pullover and a gin and tonic and perhaps a little light opera on the stereo which you haven’t had to cover or remove for its protection.  

3.       Removal.   OK, you’ve had the paper up for a while now and you’d like a change, well, you’ll need to set aside a fortnight to strip it, remove the stubborn bits, fill the holes where you got cross and gouged the wall with your scraper while swearing at the top of your voice, smooth down and start the torture again. Wall stickers, on the other hand, peel away simply leaving no residue and no damage, leaving you calm and unruffled as you sip your drink and consider your next design.

4.       Cost.  To paint a wall and then adorn it with a beautiful contrasting sticker group of trees will be about thirty quid for the paint and a hundred for the stickers. To paper a wall 3.5m long by 2.2m high will cost anything from forty pounds to four hundred for the paper, a tenner for the paste, tenner for brushes, twenty quid easily for pasting table…  It soon mounts up. And what’s your time worth? The aggravation of the preparation? The stress? And what about having to buy the paper again when you’ve mucked it up? If you add it up my way then wall stickers win yet again.

These are the main considerations when choosing between the two options. If you can afford to get the men in and don’t mind the disruption and aren’t likely to change your scheme for twenty years then maybe wallpaper is for you. If you are normal then I strongly recommend a combination of emulsion paint and self-adhesive vinyl wall stickers. Thank you.