How Expensive Is Wallpaper?

In most cases, wallpaper is almost always more expensive than paint. Despite the difference in cost, though, wallpaper is making a resurgence as an attractive decorating option for many rooms of the house. As it gains in popularity, questions arise more often around its cost.

Just how much any one wallpaper will cost you is not easy to pin down. Total wallpaper installation cost is highly dependent upon the size of the room, the type of paper, the amount of prep work needed, and the decision whether or not to hire a professional.

Typically, average priced wallpaper will run between $20 and $50 per roll, depending on the brand and the type of paper (solid vinyl, paper backed vinyl, fabric backed vinyl, non-woven, etc.) But, you can find wallpaper as low as $10 per roll and as expensive as $500 per roll. If you’re just a little more curious about specific costs of the paper, look at different brands, materials and design groups. You’ll see firsthand the moderate fluctuation in prices depending numerous factors.

Wallpaper prices typically go up with the increased durability and manufacturing cost of the paper type. Custom paper and murals may be more expensive than typical solid sheet vinyl or coated fabric paper. Grass woven wallpaper is much more expensive than vinyl because it’s made from natural materials and hand-woven. Other more expensive papers include cork, flock, foil, or straight paper with no vinyl injection.

The rest of the supplies needed to hang wallpaper shouldn’t cost you much, as many of these items you may already own (tape measure, scissors, straight edge, razor, brush, squeegee, etc.). Once you have an idea of the type of paper you want to purchase, you can look for patterns within the price range your budget allows. A huge variety of wallpaper options exist, so finding one you like within your budget shouldn’t be a problem.

While wallpaper is at least twice as expensive as paint, it is a striking design element in any room, especially if chosen and installed with care. If your budget just won’t tolerate decorating an entire room in wallpaper, you can always choose to cover an accent wall in paper, or covering the top portion of the walls, with a painted panel bottom.

Just remember, wallpaper price is per roll, but must be ordered in double roll quantities. That’s because wallpaper only comes in a double roll. So, take that into account when budgeting out your next decorating project.