Non-woven or vinyl wallpaper: choosing which is better

Wallpaper is frequently the first option that many homeowners choose when trying to update the appearance of their walls. But choosing the best kind can be overwhelming because there are so many options available. Vinyl and non-woven wallpapers are popular options, each with their own advantages and designs.

Non-woven wallpapers are renowned for being simple to apply and long-lasting. Because of their breathable nature, they’re a fantastic choice for humid areas like bathrooms and kitchens. They can also be easily removed without causing damage to the walls, which is advantageous for people who like to change up their décor on a regular basis.

Conversely, vinyl wallpapers are praised for being resilient and water-resistant. Because they are resistant to cleaning and scrubbing, they are perfect for high-traffic areas or places where the walls require a little extra defense. Vinyl wallpaper comes in a variety of patterns and textures that can easily be used to mimic materials like fabric, stone, or wood, giving any space a luxurious touch.

Your needs and the particular room you’re decorating will play a major role in your decision between vinyl and non-woven wallpaper. You can make an informed choice that will keep your walls looking gorgeous for years to come by being aware of the main differences.

It’s crucial to take your space’s particular requirements into account when choosing between vinyl and non-woven wallpaper. Non-woven wallpaper is perfect for rooms that need to be updated frequently or have moisture concerns because it is breathable and simple to apply and remove. However, vinyl wallpaper is a better option for high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms because it is more resilient, washable, and resistant to deterioration. In the end, the decision comes down to striking a balance between usability and durability as well as the room’s practical and aesthetic needs.

What is the difference

When a consumer is unfamiliar with the topic of construction, they most frequently ask this question. As you can see, there is a significant difference. However, we’ll get into that later. For now, let’s discuss what standards wallpaper in different rooms of an apartment or house should meet. A lot relies on the room’s intended use, so what works well in the kitchen might not work well in the bedroom. First things first, though.

Bedroom

Since the design issue is the subject of a different article and the technical aspect of the problem is more important to us, we won’t discuss it here. Thus, what standards ought to be met when applying wallpaper in a bedroom?

• Environmental friendliness and safety. One of the main arguments when choosing finishing materials for the bedroom. We spend most of our lives in this room, and it is very important that everything is as safe as possible.
• Possibility of wet cleaning. A nuance that is relevant for all rooms in the house, but since there are no other requirements for bedrooms, we included it in this list.

Children"s

Unlike the bedroom, a child’s room has many more criteria, so you should approach the decision with great care (see What wallpaper to choose for a child’s room: interesting ideas).

• Safety. A nuance that could be left unmentioned, since it is self-evident.
• Abrasion resistance. Children simply love to touch everything with their hands, and the wallpaper must withstand these “executions”.
• Water resistance. If, for example, in the living room or bedroom it is enough to simply wipe the walls with a slightly damp cloth from time to time, then in the children"s room you may need a full wash, and sometimes with the use of strong detergents.
• Resistance to mechanical impacts. As they say, children are children, and damage to the walls is not an uncommon situation, so the wallpaper must either withstand impacts and scratches, or be easily restored from time to time.

Kitchen

Including the bathroom, this is one of the trickiest rooms in the house. Selecting kitchen wallpaper (see. Making a decision on the best wallpaper for a kitchen can be more challenging than for a child’s room because of the hostile atmosphere.

• Resistance to temperature changes. Even if your kitchen has powerful hoods, temperature changes are inevitable, and the wallpaper should not form condensation and "sweat".
• Resistance to moisture and water. Even the most careful and thrifty housewife will sooner or later have dirt on the walls of the kitchen that will need to be removed (see. How to wash washable wallpaper: doing it right). And some stains, as you know, do not go away without the use of strong detergents.
• Resistance to strong odors. Many wallpapers, especially those on a paper base, tend to absorb and accumulate odors. Subsequently, they are almost impossible to remove, and you will either have to put up with it or re-peel all the wallpaper.

Living room

It is hard to offer guidance here. One the one hand, if there are kids living there, they will eventually find their way to the living room’s wallpaper (see. The designer’s advice on selecting wallpaper for the living room indicates that they ought to be resilient to it. Conversely, models with higher resistance cannot be chosen if there are no children. Compared to other rooms, the living room is one that stays cleaner.

Currently, there is no consensus on which type of wallpaper is preferable—vinyl or non-woven—so let’s examine and contrast these two choices in more detail.

Vinyl wallpaper

Alright, let’s begin by defining vinyl. Vinyl, also known as polyvinyl chloride, is a plastic that is produced chemically and is actually a byproduct of the refining of oil. But fear not—vinyl is entirely safe for your health and cannot possibly harm you, even with all the assurances from evil tongues.

Additionally, vinyl wallpaper satisfies all legal standards and requirements, and it is even advised for use in public and juvenile facilities. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that producers of environmentally friendly natural wallpapers, like those composed of wood or fabric, frequently overlook the fact that the base of the majority of these wallpapers is the same infamous vinyl, with the natural materials only making up the top, decorative layer.

Despite their relatively high cost, natural wallpapers are inherently weak and can be rendered useless at the first sign of moisture or even more so when in contact with hard or sharp objects.

Manufacturers apply a natural canvas to a vinyl base to stop this from happening, greatly extending the products’ service life and improving their quality attributes. Ask them where they got their information from if someone boasts to you that their wallpaper is created only from natural, eco-friendly materials.

Solid vinyl wallpapers have a plethora of advantages over their "natural" counterparts that set them apart from the competition.

Advantages of vinyl wallpaper

• Dense vinyl is resistant to mechanical damage. Of course, it won’t cause a cut with a knife or blade, but it will withstand minor impacts without difficulty.
• Vinyl does not absorb odors, so this wallpaper can be safely hung in the kitchen.
• Such wallpapers do not allow moisture to pass under the surface, and it is precisely these wallpapers that experts recommend for hanging in the bathroom.
• Vinyl can be washed even with a large amount of water and with the use of strong detergents based on alkali or chemical solvents.
• Vinyl is flexible and can withstand deformation. This is especially true for new houses, which during the first few years undergo natural shrinkage, as a result of which the walls are slightly distorted.
• Vinyl wallpaper has the widest range of models. Thanks to modern technologies, it is not only possible to print any pattern on plastic, but also to create a three-dimensional image from it. Such wallpaper can become a real decoration for any home, and you can choose it for any design.

As you can see, vinyl wallpaper has a lot of advantages. However, because it also has drawbacks, it cannot be referred to as the perfect finishing material. And we will continue our conversation about this.

Disadvantages of vinyl wallpaper

• The first and main disadvantage of vinyl is its complete lack of vapor permeability. Dense fabric completely retains moisture under the surface, which is formed under the surface as a result of temperature changes, and does not allow it to evaporate, which can lead to the formation of mold and even harmful fungus.
• In rooms completely covered with vinyl wallpaper, the air is often very stuffy and they need to be ventilated more often. This is due to the same density of plastic, which does not allow the walls to breathe.
• Vinyl wallpaper itself is very heavy, and creates additional stress on the walls. Of course, this nuance is often not relevant, but not if you are gluing wallpaper on thin partitions, for example, made of plasterboard.

Notably, moisture cannot pass through vinyl wallpaper; however, this can be remedied, or better yet, mold can be avoided from developing. It is sufficient to apply a specific deep penetration primer to the walls prior to gluing (see Wallpaper Primer: Which One to Use and How to Apply It). This will prevent condensation from building up and eliminate any risk of hazardous fungus.

Counseling! Forget about saving when applying primer to walls. The primer itself needs to be of the highest caliber and used liberally. Otherwise, there will be no benefit to anything you do.

We strongly advise that you carefully watch the video in this article, which shows a detailed instruction of the entire gluing process, and only after get the case with this. Vinyl wallpaper is heavy, so there may be some difficulties with their gluing. This is especially true if the repair in the house is decided to be done by hand.

Floselywain wallpaper

When considering whether to use vinyl or wallpaper, it’s important to keep in mind that the term "non-woven wallpaper" refers to wallpaper that is based on vinyl rather than wallpaper. The producers aim to omit this portion of the name in order to capitalize on consumers’ desire to decorate their homes and apartments with only premium natural materials.

What, then, is non-woven? Since this fabric is thin and non-synthetic, it actually "breathes," which keeps condensate drops from forming beneath the surface. Since the focus of our article is on the subject of which type of vinyl or non-woven wallpaper is preferable, we have included a list of all the key benefits and drawbacks of this finishing material in the interest of fairness.

The pluses of non -woven wallpaper

• As we have already mentioned, by itself, the non -woven one has the ability to breathe, since any fabric consists of a microvolon, between which there is always a place for air passage. If the non -woven wallpaper goes on a vinyl basis, it most often has small perforation, that is, micro -focus.
• Outwardly, non -woven wallpaper looks much more attractive than their vinyl analogues. And the point is not that the drawings on the fabric are more spectacular, but in the most appearance. Non -woven, even with the most modest and inconspicuous pattern looks rich and stylish.

We can now conclude the list of benefits, but there are still a lot of drawbacks. Nevertheless, non-woven wallpaper is still very popular, both among experts and regular customers who don’t often need repairs.

Disadvantages of non-woven wallpaper

• Price is a disadvantage that often becomes decisive when choosing building materials. Non-woven wallpaper is much more expensive than its vinyl or even more so paper competitors, and this is not due to high quality, but to the complexity of production.
• A small variety of design options, which means that it is not always possible to choose non-woven wallpaper for a particular concept.
• Complete instability to water and moisture. Non-woven quickly loses its properties when in contact with even a small amount of water, so you can forget about intensive washing. The maximum that can be done with them is to wipe with a slightly damp cloth, and then only from time to time.
• Mechanical impacts are just as destructive for fabric wallpaper as contact with water. Even a light contact with a sharp or hard object can leave an indelible scar on your entire repair.

Fascinating! Non-woven wallpaper is occasionally coated with a varnish layer to improve its quality attributes and provide moisture and water resistance. Vapor permeability can be overlooked as a consequence of this modernization, but the coating turns detergent-like.

As you can see, there are far more negatives than positives, and those negatives are big ones. For this reason, when selecting non-woven wallpaper, carefully weigh all the advantages and disadvantages.

The environment of the room and your particular needs must be taken into account when choosing between vinyl and non-woven wallpaper. Non-woven wallpaper is a great option for people who value ease of application and a healthy indoor environment because it is breathable and simple to work with.

Conversely, vinyl wallpaper is perfect for high-moisture areas like bathrooms and kitchens because of its exceptional water resistance and durability. Its resilience to deterioration makes it a durable choice for high-use households.

In the end, the selection is based on your top priorities, which may include suitability for a particular room, durability, or ease of installation. You can make an informed decision that best meets the needs of your home by weighing the advantages of each.

Video on the topic

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