Wallpaper may be common, however its value in bringing beauty and charm to a home or business is often under-appreciated. Wallpaper can maintain its beauty much longer than paint, on average, and the almost unlimited variety of designs, patterns, and textures, can help you achieve today’s most popular looks with ease.
One of the advantages of upgrading your decor from paint to wallpaper is that for many folks, it can be a fun and creative DIY project. However, for others, it is best left to the professionals to ensure that the final look is flawless. Watching a few DIY videos may make the task of hanging wallpaper look like child’s play, but it takes a steady hand, hard work, and patience to ensure that each job looks professional; and that skill set doesn’t come without a lot of practice.
Doing a small wall with inexpensive wallpaper may be a good start for the novice installer, however, hanging a room full of expensive wallpaper is best left to the professional.
Let’s compare the costs associated with a DIY install vs a professional wallpaper installation.
The DIY Costs Of Installing Wallpaper
The expected advantage of a DIY installation is the saving of labor and profit that a professional will charge. Of course, the professional’s work will be guaranteed – your work won’t be!
What can you expect to pay if you do the work yourself?
Cost of materials
Remover
The Piranha Wallpaper Remover Kits contain all the tools needed to tackle most wallpaper removal jobs. The kits include a wallpaper scoring tool, wallpaper scraper, and enough remover concentrate to strip up to 900 square feet of wallpaper. Both kits retail for around $20.
Drywall Repairs
You may need to make drywall repairs before starting to hang the wallpaper and these costs will vary depending upon how big of a drywall repair you are dealing with. Costs can run from $5-$15 on average for joint compound, and another $10 for sandpaper.
Primer
ROMAN PRO-999 Rx-35 is the ideal primer for making drywall repairs and sealing any newly applied joint compound. . Depending on your wall surface, you may need a different primer for your project. ROMAN makes the finest wallcovering primers available: PRO-977, PRO-935, or PRO-909. PRO-999 is available online and at your local home center for around $23.
Adhesive
ROMAN wallpaper adhesive comes in several varieties to meet the needs of every type of wallpaper application. For the average job you can expect to pay about $20-$30 a gallon. While ROMAN PRO-880 Ultra-Clear is our most popular adhesive, there is also: ROMAN PRO-543, and ROMAN PRO-505. ROMAN PRO-880 will cost around $20 a gallon.
Wallpaper
On average, you can expect to pay $30-50 for basic double rolls. More elaborate designs and higher quality paper will cost more.
The average cost of wallpaper can fluctuate heavily depending on quality, material, and design. Higher quality wallcoverings from well known designers command a price premium over more generic patterns. When costing out wallpaper, remember that most patterns are sold by the double-roll – typically 21-inches wide by 33-feet long (56 square feet total). A quick breakdown of approximate prices is below
Average Wallpaper Costs
- Peel and Stick Wallpaper
- $35.00 per single roll (20.5-inches by 18-feet)
- About $1.14 per square foot.
- Pre-Pasted Wallpaper
- $20 – 100 per double roll (21-inches by 33-feet)
- About $0.35 – $1.73 per square foot.
- Unpasted Wallpaper
- $75 – $300 per double roll (21-inches by 33-feet)
- About $1.30 to $5.00 per square foot.
You will need to have a small selection of tools to do the job properly, and if you are a DIY person, you may have many of these in your shop already:
- Snap-blade knife
- Smoothing Tool
- 6” taping knife
- 12” taping knife
- ⅜-inch Nap Paint Roller and paint tray
- Drop cloths or tarps
- Step ladder
- Various gauges of sandpaper
- Cloths or rags to clean dust
The Professional Cost Of Installing Wallpaper
For challenging installs using high-end wallcoverings, DIY mistakes can be costly. When it comes to hanging wallpaper, selecting a professional to get the job done right the first time can save time and money in the long run. To find a professional wallcovering installer near you, contact the Wallcovering Installers Association.
The material costs listed above in the DIY section will not be broken down again in the next two sections, but we will consider the cost of the project broken down into sections. The exact cost to have wallpaper professionally installed will vary from project to project. Many professional installers will first inspect the jobsite before quoting a project. The type of wallpaper, wall condition, and overall installation complexity can affect the quoted price. Additional project prep like extensive surface repairs and scaffolding setup can also drive up costs. As with any project, always get multiple bids for the work and check with their references before hiring anyone.
Removing old wallpaper (if existing)
This part of the project will cost between $1-$3 per square foot on average, but can cost as much as $10 a square foot depending on how much wallpaper needs to be removed and how difficult the task is. Some contractors may charge by the hour for these services and those rates average about $58 an hour.
Repairing drywall damage
This cost is often included in the removal of the wallpaper unless it is noted that there will be extensive repairs needed that are outside of what is considered normal. The average hourly rate for professional drywall repairs is approximately $70 an hour plus materials.
The Number 1 Choice Among Professionals in America – ROMAN Products
Regardless of the type of wallpaper project you are tackling, from installing a fresh roll on a new construction wall, or removing multiple layers of old wallpaper from a commercial building, ROMAN Products helps with your wallpaper installation by making the primer, pastes, and remover to get the job done right the first time.
Contact us today for more information on where to purchase ROMAN wallpaper products near you, as well as helpful tips on installing and removing wallpaper.
