They are the background of every room; they set the tone for your house; they are the first way that you begin creating your environment—they are your walls. With recent technological advances, fashioning a new mood has never been easier—or more fun. From paint to wallpaper to (yes) leather, today’s wall coverings are only limited by your imagination.Here is a list of products available to create your dream interior. (Do to the unlimited possibilities offered by wallpaper and paint we’ve given them their own space.)
Gypsum wallboard (aka plasterboard or drywall) is the most widely used wall covering today because of its flexibility. You can paint it or use it as a base for wallpaper, ceramic tie, paneling and most textured finishes. It is made from crushed gypsum sheathed in paper (smooth on the faced side and natural on the backside) and gives the appearance of plaster without the need for lath backer strips and it’s easy to install because it’s sold in panels. Regular gypsum wallboard (averages around 15 cents per square foot) is fire resistant, but you might want to a pay a few extra pennies (literally) to get fireproof (averages around 20 cents per square foot) and/or waterproof wallboard. (averages around 30 cents per square foot).
Plank Paneling represents natural beauty in solid pine and cedar planks. And, it is as versatile as it is beautiful. Plank paneling can be installed vertically, horizontally, diagonally or in a herringbone pattern for a more dramatic effect. It can be installed on walls, accent walls, wainscot and even ceilings. Plank paneling is usually priced by the square foot and varies depending on the manufacturer, but expect to pay between $3-$5 per square foot.
Sheet Paneling is available in a vast array of styles, colors and patterns. You can get it with or without grooves, real wood veneer or photo finish, light or dark - the choices are almost limitless. Generally sold in sheets of 4’ x 8’, this plywood-like product mimics the look of plank paneling, but at a lower cost.
Tile Board is a 4’ x 8’ sheet wall covering very similar to sheet paneling, except that it’s made from hardboard instead of plywood, which makes it a great choice in high-moisture areas like the bathroom or laundry room. Tile board is available in solid colors, as well as a wide variety of stamped faces that mimic the look of ceramic tile.
Wainscoting is a perfect way to give your room some character. Not only is wainscoting popular in the dining room (generally installed a third of the way up the wall and capped by a chair rail), but homeowners are installing it on stairways, in the study, on a kitchen island or surrounding a breakfast nook - the possibilities are endless.Traditional wainscoting is made of solid wood and uses a system of vertical and horizontal wood members that surround raised or flat wood panels of various styles and sizes. This older system is usually found in older homes because only a seasoned carpenter could properly install it.
Thanks to the growing popularity in wainscoting, manufacturers have created a new and relatively easy raised wainscoting system. Modern wainscoting is made up of thin veneers, applied to a dense core of either engineered wood or a unique wheat board core that recycles wheat straw. You can get these finished in cherry, oak and maple, as well as in a grade that can be painted. Another benefit to this modern method of making wainscoting is that it’s a very stable product that won’t contract and expand under humidity (a drawback to traditional wainscoting). Other modern systems blend solid wood and plywood raised panels covered with hardwood veneers. This allows for more species of wood like walnut, cherry, poplar, oak.
If you have your heart set on using solid wood, you might want to flip through the yellow pages and find a woodworking mill in your area that will customize a wainscoting system for you.
Ceramic Wall Tile isn’t just for your bathroom or backsplash anymore. There’s a lot more to ceramic and porcelain tiles than glazed and unglazed, now that homeowners are looking to enhance a room by adding a decorative tile section to its walls. New surfaces now range from deep texturing and high-definition relief tiles to hand-painted designs and pieces with a rugged, aged appearance. There are also many new shapes available so you can create a unique, mural-like look. It’s very difficult to give an accurate price range for tile, because there are so many different variables - but on an average tile, tiles run from $2 to $75 per tile (remember that’s not installed.)
Paint, Paint, Paint
Since decorating with color is always an adventure, it wouldn’t hurt to let the pros help you brush up on the latest ways to pick a palette you’ll love. Don’t see what you like than have a color customized, because virtually all paint retailers will customize a color for you. They will match any color you bring to them, such as a shade on an area rug, a favorite pillow, a paint chip from an expensive designer brand—there’s no saying no to mixing and making your dream colors.According to the American Society for Interior Design (ASID) homeowners are going for comfort shades like red - which is very popular for the dining room - and serene - like soft blues and lilacs. Once you pick a shade for each room you can begin to create an environment that truly represents your personality and tastes. Because color is known to have psychological effects when used in rooms, you’ll want to choose your colors carefully. The “warm” shades on the color wheel, including red, orange, and yellow, will make a room energetic and welcoming, and stimulate the appetite; the “cool” colors, such as blues and greens, are conducive to relaxation and sleep. This may be why red, for example, is so popular in dining rooms and blue finds its way into many bedrooms. Consciously or unconsciously, we tend to gravitate to colors appropriate for our emotional needs in our rooms.
While you’re getting colorful, don’t overlook the neutrals—browns, tans, grays, whites, and blacks—because they are vital colors that help balance the space in you home.
White, of course, is a perennial favorite on walls, and comes in hundreds of variations that are really just very pale tints of every shade. White breaks down into warm, creamy varieties—culled from tints of warm colors—and cool, crisp varieties—culled from tints of the cools.
No matter what color you think you want, be sure to test the color in the room (at least a foot) you plan on using it in, because every color looks different depending on the lighting conditions. Remember that paint is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to change your environment.
Faux Finishes
Faux (French for false) finishing techniques have been used to distress, age, and transform surfaces and objects and to simulate materials such as stone, marble, wood and even leather. With a couple cans of paint, you’ll find that faux finishes are a surefire way to give the rooms of your home the views and textures you want. Faux finishes can be tricky, so that’s why you should work closely with the artist and even request a sample board so there are no surprises. Prices for faux finishes vary, depending on the size of a room, the labor and detail involved, but expect the price tag to reach the thousands. If you have an artistic touch, you can purchase all the faux finishing products you need at most high scale paint stores, such as brushes, finishing tools, cheesecloth, stencils, trowels and wood graining tools. Gone are the old techniques of using a sponge and rag rolling.There are many advantages to choosing a faux finish, the main one being a completely unique and custom look. Every finish is different, which means that only you will have the finish you’ve chosen. Durability is definitely another great advantage because artists paint on top of an eggshell base coat and use washable paints, clean-ups are simple.
Really Know Your Colors
Choosing interior colors can be a fun and rewarding experience if you know the basics. Next time you spread out your color palettes, think about some basic color codes.
- Color affects our mood and emotions.
- Colors are broadly divided into two categories - warm and cool.
- Warm colors (red, orange and yellow) make us feel warm in a psychological way.
- Cool colors (blue, green and purple) convey peace and relaxation.
- Understanding the psychological meaning of colors will help you match each room’s colors to your personal taste and the room’s purpose.
- Color can change the perceived size of a room. To make a room seem larger use a light color scheme.
- When selecting a new color scheme, bring home a variety of samples to view them in context. Tape a color chip to your surface and check it out at different times and in different weather, because changes in light can give the same color many different looks.
Types of WallpaperWallpaper is a popular alternative to painting a room because of its wide variety of patterns, colors and finishes. It can be dramatic… whimsical… comforting… stimulating… formal… casual. With tens of thousands of patterns on the marketplace, there is perhaps no other product that allows you to show off your personality. So, whether you want something traditional, transitional, contemporary or just plain “off the wall,” try putting wallpaper on the wall.
There are 10 basic types of wallpaper from which to choose:
- Printed wallpaper is the general category of manufactured wallpaper with printed patterns.
- Unbacked fabric is one of the most difficult styles because you have to work carefully to smooth out the fabric as you apply it to the wall.
- Relief has a raised texture that you can feel.
- Solid vinyl is the most durable wall covering and because it’s waterproof it’s ideal for very humid areas.
- Vinyl coated is the most common type of wallpaper, made of paper but with a protective coat of vinyl that makes it ideal (and scrubbable) for kitchens, bathrooms or wherever kids or pets might brush against a wall. Vinyl coated wallpaper is usually strippable, which makes it easy to pull off a wall and re-paper with a new pattern.
- Flocked is the type of wallpaper (usually considered “old fashioned”) which includes a raised felt pattern that contrasts with the background color.
- Foil (known best by the brand name “Mylar”) can be difficult to work with because it shows imperfections in the wall surface and because it wrinkles easily.
- Cork-faced wallpapers are thicker because they have a surface of cork. They give a room a cozy, dark and woodsy effect.
- Grass cloth/burlap wall coverings are exotic, but shouldn’t be used in high-traffic areas or where there’s high humidity, because they can stain.
- Paper-backed fabric shows the high-quality look of a fabric wall covering but can be installed with the ease of a vinyl-coated paper.
Helpful tips: You might consider pasting a liner over your wall before applying the wall covering of your choice. The liner will hide many imperfections in the wall and make it much easier to strip later on. If you choose a wallpaper pattern that repeats, you’ll have to order more than you would for a random pattern, a vertical pattern (like stripes) or a solid color because you’ll have to shift each strip of the wallpaper to match up the patterns at the edges, which makes for considerable waste.Wallpaper is back in a big way
Once out of favor, wallpaper is now back in vogue. The top trends include murals and textured wall coverings. Whether it be a street scene from Venice, a baseball field or a children’s storybook fantasy, murals are a popular choice in customizing a room. Just as the possibilities are endless, so is the price range. Almost anything that can be glued can be made into a wall covering - cloth, sand or glass. Wallpaper, on an average, may cost between $20 to $30 per roll, but specialty wall coverings can cost more than $200 a yard.Don’t Forget to Look Up
Ceilings aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your home’s décor, in fact, ceilings are one of the most overlooked areas in the home. People don’t realize the multitude of design and surface options available to them, so they settle for a safe, texture less, white ceiling - that screams - boring!
You can go for a drop ceiling, which is both attractive and easy to install. Drop ceiling panels (are available in 2’x2’ and 4’ x 4’ panels) rest in a grid system suspended from the ceiling joists, which makes it easy to level any ceiling and easy access to pipes and wiring. For a sleeker look than drop ceilings you can have tiles and planks mounted directly to the ceiling. This allows for more head room and more design options.
Gypsum wallboard is one of the most common ceiling coverings because its smooth surface is suitable for painting or as a base for popcorn ceiling and most other textured finishes. If you want to create the effect of plaster or stucco than you’ll want to spray on a thick coating of popcorn ceiling. Another way to achieve a popcorn, stucco or sand texture is to apply textured paint to the ceiling, which is a thick form of paint, infused with particles to give a three dimensional look. Textured paints are available in a wide range of colors, which can either be mixed into the paint or you can paint the ceiling after it dries. Plank paneling is also another way to achieve a unique, rustic look.
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