Garages in a house are usually seen as storage rooms or car parking areas, and people generally don’t bother keeping up the look and maintenance of these spaces. However, they can be made quite useful if they are looked after, including their walls, corners, and floors.
Garage walls can be covered with wallpaper, and it is a cheap option to choose; however, some setbacks of wallpapers are their low durability and their application on pre-done walls. If there is a lot of dirt in the garage and the area is not kept clean, it will be difficult to keep the wallpaper clean and safe from detaching as well.
Even though the usual choice of material to cover garage walls is paint or drywall, wallpapers too can do the job. Some individuals who want to make their garages more of a part of the house and use it as a working space often tend to use wallpapers because of the variety they have to offer in terms of looks, colors, and patterns.
Steps to Wallpaper Your Garage
Before starting to put the wallpaper on, the garage walls need to be prepared. The following steps help to make sure that minimum mistakes take place, and one is prepared to ready their walls in case there is no professional help at hand.
Collect the Things Needed
- Purchase the wallpaper of your liking. Wallpaper calculators are available online, which can help determine the number of rolls of wallpaper required according to the width and length of your walls.
- Get wallpaper paste, an application brush, scissors, and a snap blade to cut and trim the wallpaper.
- You will also need a tape measure, pencil, and a table nearby.
- Some cleaning cloths will come in handy because you will be working with wallpaper adhesive. They will also be useful in smoothing out the paper on the wall.
Clean the Walls Before Applying the Wallpaper
It is important to clean the walls before applying anything to them, whether it is wallpaper or paint. Garage walls, since they are not bothered about much, are usually dirtier than walls of other rooms around the house. They collect dust and dirt over time and might have oil stains or water seepage. One should clean these with a mixture of mild soap and water, enough to remove the stains and not ruin the walls with the mixture.
Dry Up the Walls and Fill in Empty Spaces
After cleaning, you should wait for the walls to dry up before moving on to the next step.
If there are any nails or hooks on the walls, they should be removed. Any large holes in the walls should be filled so that the wallpaper doesn’t bump when applied, and smoothness is ensured.
Apply the Wallpaper
Once the measurements have been done, the wallpaper should be cut in strips and applied with the adhesive, being careful around corners and tricky areas. One should keep in mind the pattern alignment while cutting and pasting so that there is no misplacement of the wallpaper.
Pros and Cons of Using Wallpaper on Garage Walls
Wallpapers are wall coverings that people can do at home themselves and do not need excessive practice or preparation for. These coverings have a set of advantages and disadvantages that can influence one`s decision whether or not to buy wallpaper for their walls or go for some other option.
Pros
People choose wallpapers for their walls for a variety of reasons, and they also work for garages, especially if one wants to give a unique outlook to them because wallpapers have a versatile range of options. Some other benefits of wallpapers include:
- They come in a variety of patterns and shapes to choose from.
- They are durable and do not easily wear and tear unless there is a lot of moisture around. Some wallpapers are also risk-free from scrubbing and cleaning.
- They are one of the cheaper options for wall coverings.
Even though with wallpapers, one can revamp the look of an entire room, they also do come with a set of disadvantages.
Cons
Like every other material being used, wallpapers also require maintenance and can be a problem due to some surrounding factors, for instance:
- Removing wallpaper is a difficult and messy job. It can cause wall damage because scraping tools are risky to use.
- Wallpapers are prone to peel off in a moisture-rich environment. Since glue and adhesive are used to attach wallpapers to the wall, moisture can cause problems during attachment or afterward if the garage is situated in a humid place.
- Even though wallpapers are cheap, on average, they tend to cost more than paint.
Keeping all these things in mind, one should go for wallpapers in their garage only if suitable conditions are met, and the longevity of the material is ensured.
Other Ways to Cover Garage Walls
While wallpapers can be an inexpensive option for garage walls, there are also some other ways to decorate or maintain the walls in your garage. These coverings include paint, wood, metal, vinyl, fiberboard, plywood, and drywall sheets.
Drywall
Usually, garage walls are covered with drywall. It is like a plaster made up of gypsum, paper, and some additives. It is not resistant to moisture and impacts. One will likely get nicks and holes on the wall if the drywall is hit or scratched by something. The wall might also turn black because of mold or be prone to termite attacks.
Metal Panels
Some garage spaces have metal panels on the walls, which are either attached with wall studs or with drywall. Metal panels are an expensive option, but they are durable.
Wood
Wood is also used to cover garage walls. Plywood and oriented strand board are two options usually used to finish walls in a garage. They can be good insulators. Plywood can also be painted for a neat finished look; however, it can be kept as it is after application as well. Since wood and moisture don’t go well together, one should keep in mind not to go for wood if they are located in a humid or moisture rich place.
Painting Garage Walls
Painting is a good option for garage walls and requires less time for preparation than wallpaper. Interior latex paint can be used for these walls because it dries up quickly and don’t have a lot of smell. Garages being compact spaces can keep the smell of paint for long; therefore, latex paint can be a better option to avoid fumes.
Some suggest that exterior paint should be used for garage walls because garages aren’t used a lot. Exterior paint is more durable and does not require a lot of maintenance as compared to interior paint; however, exterior paint is harmful if used in a closed space, and it requires ventilation when applied. If one spends a lot of time in the garage and there is a chance of health risks, then exterior paint should not be used.
Vinyl
For garages in humid climates, vinyl is a viable option. It is water-resistant and comes in a variety of patterns as it is usually used for bathroom walls.
Conclusion
Garage walls can be covered with a variety of materials. In case of inexpensive options, wallpapers and paint is the best idea; however, the cost of the material along with the application budget needs to be kept in mind in order to choose one of the two. It is also important to note how often and for how long every day, the garage is being used in order to make this decision.
