Wallpaper vs Painting: Which One Should You Choose For Commercial Property?
Suppose you happen to be a businessperson or commercial space owner. In that case, you can understand how important it is to revamp your commercial property and give it a facelift once in a while. A well-adorned commercial space is not just a hub for attracting potential clients or upheaving the company's brand value. Commercial property makeover is tied with surface protection and longevity as well.
Now, while starting an extensive and not to mention financially substantial commercial property makeover project, most property owners get confused over whether they should go for commercial painting or commercial wallpapering.
While both options are great and functional choices for the walls and overall décor of the space, we believe it will be helpful to have a list of features for both wallpapers from a very objective point of view and paint so owners can make a judgement of their own.
Here is a list of key aspects you may consider while decorating your commercial property for wallpapering and painting options.
1. Area Specification
Wallpaper:
When it comes to decorating a commercial space interior, there are more strict regulations regarding the surface types, decor materials and the purposes each of the areas serves. Regular wallpapers (type-1) for residential purposes are usually suited for low traffic areas and little wear or tear. Commercial wallpaper (type-2), on the other hand, is more durable in comparison and scratch resistant- which is suitable for any high-traffic or high-temperature commercial areas, generally made from non-woven, solid vinyl grass cloth or faux linen materials.
Any business complex, office, shopping mall or hospital can use commercial wallpaper for heavy-duty usage. However, due to commercial wallpaper usage, workers must follow specific installation and performance standards. Dulux accredited painters with hands-on experience can help you choose the right commercial wallpaper throughout the area specification and installation process.
Paint:
For large-scale, multi-storied painting projects, commercial painting is without a doubt a common preference not just for owners but also painters as well, regardless of the areas or types of retail or commercial space. Unlike house painting, commercial painting requires extensive planning, workmanship and materials but can attract potential customers or prospects quite easily, driving new traffic to the business.
Since commercial paints are extremely durable with protective layers, these paints can withstand high levels of wear in tear, even in moisture-prone areas without frequent repairs or repainting hassle.
2. Wall Surface Preparation
Wallpaper:
The wall surface preparation for wallpapering solely depends on the condition of the surface itself. As long as the wall is, clean, even, firm, absorbent and free from any cracks or dents- you can start the wallpapering process. A painted drywall surface is equally easy to prepare for surface preparation, just with a thin coat of sealer or primer and filling the uneven spots with vinyl spackle.
New, unpainted drywalls require deep priming to regulate the absorbency and to strengthen surface tension. However, for old, heavily textured commercial walls, you need professional help to scrape off the entire surface with a taping knife and sand the area to smoothen the surface.
Paint:
Unlike residential painting projects, wall preparation for commercial painting is more thorough and requires expertise. First, the walls must be power washed and dried to remove surface contaminants for an exterior surface for a commercial or retail space. For interior commercial space, the surface needs to be properly cleaned with a hand brush, washed and completely dried for better paint adhesion.
Then just like surface preparation, you need to use fillers to conceal small cracks, dents or damaged areas. Once the top layer of filler is dried off, the final step is usually to sand down the damaged spots and prepare the surface even for the paint job.
3. Ease of Maintenance
Wallpaper:
Most commercial wallpapers use solid vinyl materials, which are water, stain, grease and dust resistant. However, even the most stubborn stains and patches can be cleaned from commercial wallpapers just with some easy steps and chemical solvents available in any hardware store, making wallpapers easier to clean and maintain.
However, even vinyl wallpapers can lose their colour and temper over time due to excessive moisture exposure, temperature fluctuation, dust or smoke, which ultimately may require removing and reinstalling new wallpapers.
Paint:
Maintaining a commercial painting project is not just relatively easy, but if done properly, you can expect the painted space to look as good as new. With a reliable commercial painting service, cleaning the painted walls with heavy-duty solutions or pressure washing the wall once or twice a year is good enough for commercial paints to last longer.
As most commercial paints are dust, water and stain-resistant, low-traffic areas hardly need any maintenance. However, flat paints are more susceptible to staining than satin or gloss finishes. Therefore, professional commercial painting contractors can expect a quick remedial solution of the commercial paints with high-quality materials.
4. Expense
Wallpaper:
Even though commercial wallpaper installation is a fairly straightforward job done by professionals, the installation cost and overall expense depend on a few other factors, including the wallpaper materials, size, type, complexity of installation and so on. Compared to residential wallpapers, commercial non-woven, weather-resistant, vinyl-based wallpapers are more expensive.
Another factor that determines the cost of wallpaper installation is wall type. Installation for straight wall surfaces is cheaper than curved or textured walls with other inclusions.
Paint:
Just like wallpapers, commercial painting cost also depends on types, paint materials and volume of the project, with several tools and techniques to get the job done. In general, commercial painting services cost between $45 and $60 AUD / hour on average.
However, the estimated cost may exceed if the commercial project requires extensive wall preparation, higher ceilings or multiple colour scheme requirements. Nevertheless, regardless of the extensiveness, it can be said that commercial paint costs less than commercial wallpapers.
5. Durability
Wallpaper:
Commercial wallpapers are the most widely specified commercial interiors, with stricter federal specifications standards than residential wallpapering. Commercial wallpapers are thicker and more adhesive and, as previously mentioned, stain-resistant, moisture-resistant, tear-resistant, abrasion-resistant, chemical-resistant, heat-aging resistant, making them perfectly suitable for high-traffic applications.
In addition, commercial wallpapers are manufactured with the clear purpose of using them in public areas, so the common materials used for these wallpapers like vinyl, Acoustical or Grasscloth can withstand any dents, offering highly permeable solutions with fire ratings and property insulation as well. If maintained properly, commercial wallpapers can last over decades with the very same charm and appeal.
Paint:
High-performance commercial paint jobs have to obtain many VOC regulations to assure odour elimination, safe air quality, and moisture or microbicide property resistance. Commercial paints like latex, acrylic or epoxy coatings are very durable, offering improved firm integrity, superior surface adhesion and optimum toughness to the walls.
Satin, gloss and semi-gloss finishes, commonly used for commercial properties, provide maximum durability, resistance to paint flaking-peeling withstanding wear and tear over time even in heavy-traffic areas like lobbies, hallways and outdoor space that undergo average to heavy scuffing.
6. Health and Safety Concerns
Wallpaper:
While commercial wallpapering is a perfect blend of aesthetic appeal and functionality in commercial premises, you may need to be precautious about what may be lurking underneath the adorned covers. For example, vinyl wallpapers contain a plastic chemical component named polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that can release toxic vinyl chloride fumes into the space, a potential health hazard causing major organ dysfunctionality. High levels of vinyl chloride fume toxicity can be fatal as well.
Even though low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) adhesives for wallpaper installation have now been practised in the commercial painting industry, the high plastic content in vinyl and non-vinyl wallpapers is highly flammable and a potential fire risk. The chemicals used to reduce fire risk as halogenated flame-retardants raise multiple health concerns, including asthma, immune suppression, neurodevelopmental problems, thyroid disruptions and many more.
Paint:
Just like commercial wallpapering, many commercial paints and spray painting methods contain a variety of solvents, chemicals, VOCs and other harmful substances, which can be harmful when inhaled in large concentrations. In addition, surface preparation for commercial can also send lead asbestos or dust into the air, potentially harming painters and workers in the process.
So, finally..
Commercial painting and wallpapering- both share a significant number of features and functionalities. Therefore, it is all up to commercial property owners and their preferences at the end of the day. Regardless of the selection, a reliable industrial painting service assures years of industry experience, maximised productivity, safety procedures, equipment and the latest techniques implementation providing impeccable workmanship and the finest commercial project décor outcome.
